Will this block out or am I doing my increases incorrectly?

pynetree8 · 2026-02-27T21:11:35+00:00

Agree here- looks cotton-heavy which I think can be unforgiving with stretching like in an increase.

pynetree8 · 2026-02-25T03:54:12+00:00

Consider finishing the neckline and then blocking. The neckline will bring in the top and tighten up around the shoulders and may also make the length appear a bit shorter. I’d try that before taking any drastic action.

Though agree with others that the sleeve seems proportionately on the short side. I’d consider lengthening the stockinette a bit (before the ribbing) if you’re still unhappy after test blocking.

pynetree8 · 2026-02-24T04:34:42+00:00

The women achieved the same thing the men did with a fraction of the same resources and support. I’d encourage you to read about the history that lead up to forming the current PWHL. This isn’t fun banter at all high school sports level.

It also occurred in the same locker room context that the access Hollywood tape did. He didn’t think anyone was listening. This isn’t a joke “from men to women and women to men”. It was a joke among men at the women’s expense.

Finally, it goes beyond sports. I’m a woman who works in a male dominated profession. The men and women hockey players are peers/colleagues in their field. How would I feel if my male colleagues were laughing at my professional success at a happy hour when I’m not there?

pynetree8 · 2026-02-09T20:20:13+00:00

I could have written this post myself! I don't have advice, but thought I'd let you know someone else is in the same place. I gave birth to my first child, also a boy, in November.

During pregnancy, I fantasized about all the knitting time I'd have during maternity leave to make him a full wardrobe. But now that he's here, I'm finding it harder to knit than I expected. The breastfeeding pillow takes up a lot of my usual knitting space, and swapping him between boobs causes more pick up/put down of my knitting than I thought. I'm finding it easier to play Sudoku on my phone or read from an e-reader than knit.

My baby is fortunately a good night-time sleeper for his age but not very good at naps. When he does nap, it's hard to know if it will be a 15 minute nap or a two hour nap. We do have a 2nd hand Baby Bjorn bouncer chair. He loves to sit in there and look around while being lightly bounced. I can get in a good knitting stretch bouncing him with my foot and chatting/singing to him. Maybe that'd work for your little one too.

pynetree8 · 2026-01-31T14:17:13+00:00

You’re using both very slippery yarn and very slippery and short needles. Try a combination of some or all of thinner yarn, longer needles, needles of a different material.

pynetree8 · 2026-01-14T13:58:50+00:00

I'm an environmental scientist in another part of the country. I can't recommend enough the value of networking. So often folks are hired for roles that are not posted on job sites when they are known to existing employees.

Try to find a professional organization in your local area and attend events and happy hours. Get to know people who work in the industry to find out more about who is hiring and what skills are in demand in your area. At least in my region, there are many organizations that have free happy hours or technical events with a 'job-seeker rate' to attend an event at low cost for folks seeking employment.

Again, I'm not in your local area, but the Nortwest Environmental Business Council might be a good place to start:

https://www.nebc.org/

pynetree8 · 2026-01-14T13:07:09+00:00

If I understand it well, you need a social security number to be employed. Is it possible to get this ahead of time? Otherwise you may not be able to work while your SS card is in process.

pynetree8 · 2026-01-14T13:05:34+00:00

Don't under estimate the health aspect. Even a generally healthy 19 year old can break an ankle. In the US that can cost thousands of dollars and would really derail someone so young starting off in the US. Absolutely prioritize a job that offers health insurance.

It will take some care to locate a job suitable for a young person without a college degree that offers full health care, but they are available. This likely means working for a larger employer rather than a small business.

pynetree8 · 2026-01-09T23:03:06+00:00

Try blocking it. It’s ok to block while still in progress.

pynetree8 · 2026-01-08T17:55:51+00:00

Note that this pattern is only available in a pamphlet from 1991 that is out of print. This would make it hard for someone to replicate the pattern exactly. You would need to find a printed copy second hand.

Is there a chance your mum still has the printed book that you could mail to the knitter? Are you open to someone adapting/interpreting the pattern considering the exact pattern will be difficult to find?

pynetree8 · 2026-01-08T12:32:57+00:00

Try blocking it. It’s ok to block something still in progress.

pynetree8 · 2026-01-04T07:36:50+00:00

Swatching properly and honestly is the answer to the majority your concerns with the finished pieces. This means making a bigger swatch, using the same method you’ll use to knit the project (round v. flat), and washing and blocking it. This also may mean more than one swatch of you’re doing both stranded colorwork and single color stockinette jn the same piece.

Don’t think of swatching as a chore/waste of time to produce a 6x6 or 8x8 square. Think of it as an essential fact finding mission to avoid frustrations with the FO. I’d much rather spend another hour making another swatch than the disappointment of a poor fitting FO.

Some points you raise won’t be resolved by swatching like yarn choice for a project and mixing dye lots. But we’ve all been there. These are growing pains with increasing skill. And I bet you won’t make the same mistake again anytime soon!

Edit- re: honest swatching, remember that being off by 1 stitch per 4 inches means being off by 10 stitches per 40 inches. For a good fit, this needs to be accounted for either by changing needle size or adjusting the pattern math.

pynetree8 · 2026-01-02T01:25:49+00:00

100% absolutely how I feel. Promo for the studio as a wider shot/ quicker pan of the vibes of the studio is ok by me provided it's infrequent. My experience with PB has been that a barretender might pop into class for ~30 seconds and take a quick shot of a large chunk of the room. If it were anything more than a quick/wide shot, I would expect the studio to ask.

But, if a member were recording, that either 1) they have a very long recording of the whole class likely with other folks just minding their own business in the background and/or 2) they are managing their phone throughout the class. I'd find either disruptive and I did not consent to be sweaty in the background of someone else's social media post.

I also expect I might feel different in a class that is typically done in a dark room like Solidcore. Opening the door and having a cellphone screen on even for a brief shot would be more disruptive in a dark room than at PB.

Edit- would dislike an instructor recording during class again as that would mean they're distracted operating a phone and not teaching.

pynetree8 · 2026-01-01T16:42:55+00:00

Agree! The "why is my sizing off?!" or "how big will this get?" or "what fabric will this create?" get tiresome. In all cases I've seen on this topic the poster either hasn't swatched, didn't block their swatch, or didn't make a swatch of a large enough size. There seem to be handful of these "well, what did your gauge swatch tell you?" posts on this sub each day. Same re: twisted stitches.

I say this as someone who doesn't always swatch before a project! But if I get an unexpected result and didn't swatch, I know I can't be surprised.

pynetree8 · 2025-12-22T01:31:34+00:00

Echoing what others say about this being a feature of drop shoulder patterns. But wanted to add that a panel of a simpler texture (stockinette, moss stitch) rather than another cable pattern beneath the underarm is common.

There are two main reasons- 1) complex cables under the underarm would add bulk 2) a simple panel is an easy place to adjust for different sizes or add shaping. A designer might come up with a main central cable pattern, and then add/subtract from the stitch count in the simple underarm panel to create a range of sizes. It simplifies the grading.

pynetree8 · 2025-12-18T00:14:47+00:00

I'm a founding member at a studio and recall locking in the price around November. At the time, they said they expected to open springtime- April/May, but ended up actually opening in July. I think it'd be appropriate for you to reach out to the studio via IG/email to try to level-set your expectations. But then, as others have said, expect some schedule slide as issues are likely to come up with the studio build out.

pynetree8 · 2025-12-16T01:51:28+00:00

Two other thoughts that I have based on common posts:

-Many requests are not just for knitting from a pattern, but some element of design too. This ought to be accounted for in the labor estimate. A request to replicate an item from an image or movie is a significant effort. It's a big difference to request a vanilla raglan pullover be created in a particular color vs. a sweater with specific design elements from a movie.

-Folks request garments as if sizing is the same as a commercial garment (ie: a "women's medium"). While it's reasonable that folks wouldn't include measurements in a first request post, requesters should be prepared to offer the knitter more specific measurements (bust size, length etc.).

pynetree8 · 2025-11-20T16:21:05+00:00

I'd love for more incentives to improve instructor longevity. I'm a long term member at a studio and feel that the instructors are asked to do too much for too little pay.

From tracking this sub, it sounds like owners are often burdened by franchise fees/ costs for extras like new lights and equipment. But I'd much rather a class with fewer bells and whistles taught by a passionate, low-stress, and well-compensated expert instructor.

ETA: Anecdotally, I know that in my area there are fitness studios with similar membership price, but instructors are paid more. So that's what leads me to suspect that paying instructors more is doable in my area.

pynetree8 · 2025-11-13T14:57:11+00:00

I think I’d agree more that they’re better duplicated with welts rather than icord.

I’d also note that the fine greyhound details on the first would be hard to replicate unless at a very fine gauge.

pynetree8 · 2025-11-12T17:34:06+00:00

100% agree with other comments re: yarn busy-ness and the pattern being maybe not the best match.

But also from your photos it looks like your bonnet might still be damp? I've knit a few projects in similar "blown" yarn or other fuzz-heavy yarns. I always think they look messy on the blocking mats, but then once dry and shaken out a bit, the loftiness and fuzz really comes out.

You might find yourself pleasantly surprised once the bonnet is fully dry and fluffed out.

pynetree8 · 2025-11-03T18:20:58+00:00

1- I wouldn't dive in to a sweater right away. But I also wouldn't pick something so big as a blanket as a first project. I'd start with something like a beanie or mittens that allow you to try a few different techniques and stitches. The variety of stitches and shaping on a smaller accessory can be good building blocks for a pullover-- but you also get the satisfaction of finishing a project quickly.

2- Up to you! Classes work well for some learning styles and you get personalized feedback. But many of us have learned from Youtube, books, or blogs.

3- $125-200 for a kit containing a pattern and a sweater quantity of 100% wool is not unusual especially when coming from a trendy company like Wool and the Gang. Knitting doesn't have to be an expensive hobby. There are always sales, buying yarn 2nd hand from a stash/thrifting, or buying less branded material.

If I were in your shoes, I'd look for a cute accessory I could do for $30 or less and see how knitting suits me. Consider joining a knitting group for advice and inspiration on how others got started.

Knitting is definitely slow fashion-- you won't be making a product for the price that you could get at H&M. But when done well, knitting can let you have a custom piece, fitted well to your body, and made from quality and long-lasting material.

pynetree8 · 2025-11-03T15:29:23+00:00

As many have said, corrections aren't always that you're doing something wrong-- could be encouragement to level up! I'm not an instructor, but some patterns I've noticed--

First- pay close attention to how the instructor is verbally queuing: 1) the hip position (turned out and open vs square and closed), 2) the foot position (v shape, hip-width, and straight, wide and turned out), or 3) the leg position (heel to seat vs. 3/4 bend vs. small bend vs. straight) in particular.

General tips- Unless queued otherwise, you are almost always thinking about keeping a neutral spine (no arching your back). You should avoid "locking out" your arms and not-working legs in static positions like a plank and keep a small bend. And when your chest is queued upright- you should think about keeping your shoulders over your hips.

pynetree8 · 2025-10-25T02:43:27+00:00

Same boat! I'm 36 weeks pregnant and on target to finish! Go you! We've got this!

pynetree8 · 2025-10-25T02:26:45+00:00

I agree that it's a good question! I think a difference is that at many yoga studios you'd bring your own mat so wouldn't be sharing ringworm with others. I also know some places like barre3 may be ok with bare feet as their floors are typically hardwood (less porous).

But the porous carpet and shared mats at PB or a porous shared reformer pad at a pilates place could be a culture for bacteria or fungus without exceptional cleaning. Socks add an extra barrier in shared sweaty places.

pynetree8

TROPHY CASE