Wool4brains

Reversing the decreases changes a right leaning decrease (k2tog) / to a left leaning one (sl,k1,psso) \ and vice versa. The double decrease (s1, k2tog, psso) is the same when reversed - if you're ultra picky then you can alter it but let's not bother. Then you read from the other end of the row, slip one to start. The other method is to look up "how to read a knitted lace chart" and draw out what it looks like, it's easy then to see what it should look like reversed. Row1 S1 (k1,p1) twice, K3, k2tog, yfwd, k3, yfwd, (s1,k2tog,psso, yfwd, k3,yfwd) to last 3 stitches, s1,k1, psso, k1. Row 2 s1, (k1,p1) twice, k4, k2tog, yfwd,k1,yfwd, s1,k1,psso, k to end Row 3 s1, (k1,p1) twice, k3, s1,k1,psso, yfwd, k3, yfwd, sl,k1,psso, knit to end.

Only just seen this, but I'd be interested.

Bamboo sounds better than viscose or rayon but that's what it is, it's regenerated cellulose. I use rayon or cotton blends for knitting summer socks because they are cooler (so says my mother and husband). I'm not sure that I'd want to use it on its own rather than as a wool blend because it doesn't have much in the way of memory and I would have thought that would mean slumpy socks. It makes for a pretty shiny yarn though.

There is a larger copy of the jacket photo on Flickr here for anyone who would like to have a closer look.

Knitnatsaint, I'm going to send you a personal message with my email address in it, if you can email the photo to me then I can make it so we can all see it. At the moment it's too small for me to be able to make out the collar shape or the method of construction. If it was me I'd start with a similarly shaped pattern in the weight of yarn that you want to use, knit it in seed stitch rather than stockinette (checking my tension in each) and then add a collar of the shape that I wanted. If you need to knit the collar three times to get it right it's still not a massive amount of work because of the size.

I don't think you can go far wrong with Opal, the only time I've had that run through is when someone hasn't been cutting their toenails. If that doesn't work then maybe he's condemned to a lifetime of shop socks.

My one suggestion is to start by checking that the white and the grey yarn both full (shrink) the same way. Even if they are both the same brand they might not shrink up by the same amount, white is the one colour you might have a problem with. If you crochet a square with stripes of both colours and shrink it up you'll see if both yarns behave the same way, if you end up with really wavy edges then it's a sign that they didn't behave the same way. It's stating the obvious but I'll say it anyway - don't buy anything that's superwash or machine washable.

I've made them with cotton and I used pva thinned with a bit of water. They've stood up really well.

It doesn't take a deal to get started with knitting, a pair of needles and a ball of wool and you're on your way to a hat. It doesn't take up half of your house either, not when you start anyway. There's a fine line between "knitter" and "yarn collector"

Drop the stitch you're about to knit and pull at it so that it runs down four rows. There will be four bars across the top of it and it will look like this. Pick the stitch up (being careful not to twist it), scooping up the four bars at the same time. This photo shows the stitch back on the left needle with the four strands of yarn over the needle. I twisted mine the first time I did it. Knit the stitch, you'll be knitting the four strands at the same time. Hopefully your pattern looks like this, otherwise I'm doing it wrong. The bottom left version is where I twisted the stitch when I picked it up, the top right one has the stitch sitting the right way.

It's going to make a fancy stitch though isn't it? It is difficult but the effect will be worth it. You probably don't have to do many of them either so although each one is slow going it's not bad overall. I've made something that looked like bees and something that looked like lemon slices by dropping stitches and catching loops.

I finished my three cornered monkey hat, one thing led to another and the sock monkey ended up as Captain Jack Gibbon, master of the Black Banana. It's not a terribly good way of using up yarn bits but it was fun. I'm just getting to the ruffle on a baby hat (sock monkey sized again) and then I have to figure out how to knit a nappy. Photos here

I'm kicking this one back to the top as I'm too idle to start a new thread. I've knitted a hat for a sock monkey tonight, a nice three pointed affair that is drying now. At the weekend I knitted a sweater for a sock monkey, it had a slot for the tail and some interesting shaping. Their chins are below their arms and they have no shoulders worth speaking of. I sketched a design for a cardigan though so it's not all monkey business.

Without seeing it I can't help you. I'd suggest going along to a meeting of knitters (there are some groups listed at the top of this page) and sewing a hat up while someone watches you. The only thing I can think of is that if you're backstitching then I can see how it might get out of step, there's a possibility that you're scooping up stitches with the needle and making the stitch bigger on the side that's on the top than on the bottom. If that is the case then mattress stitch might be the answer.

That looks lovely and she looks very pleased to have it.