If you don't have babies, for whom do you knit?

[MarineWife]

I used to knit soakers, shorts and longies for my boys. Now they are too big for that. I'd go crazy knitting them sweaters but they never wear them. I've knit a couple of shrugs and sweaters for myself but I haven't worn any of them, either. I've also made socks for various people and mittens and a scarf or two. I've just knit at least a half dozen hats for my boys and their friends and now I'm at a loss. I love hand painted yarn from a few select online stores but that doesn't seem to go over well for things other than baby stuff. Where do I go from here? Maybe I should start knitting for charity because I can't stand not having at least one project to work on. I also have tons of random scraps, mostly hand painted wool, so it's hard to match together to make something nice.

[honeybunmom]

I knit for me. And as for that handpainted yarn, I just found a wonderful use. I had a single skein of girly yarn with matching trim. Baby is a boy, so, it wouldn't work for him. But it sure did work for my garter yoked cardigan! I happened to have a mere 3 skeins of Peace Fleece which complimented the hand dyed PERFECTLY. And I used some of the trim for my button band. Voila!

I have a niece, too, and I will knit some for her as well. I did knit play food for my nephew for Christmas, come to think of it. I have also knit for my adult family members. But, with their input. I'm not spending my time knitting something they do not want and will not use. I do plan to surprise my dad with a sweater though. I'm his only daughter and he loves anything I do, so, I know it will be appreciated.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by honeybunmom

I have a niece, too, and I will knit some for her as well. I did knit play food for my nephew for Christmas, come to think of it. I have also knit for my adult family members. But, with their input. I'm not spending my time knitting something they do not want and will not use. I do plan to surprise my dad with a sweater though. I'm his only daughter and he loves anything I do, so, I know it will be appreciated.

I've been knitting for me but it's harder to justify spending the money on yarn, especially the beautiful but expensive hand painted stuff, on myself. I have knit a few things for friends and their children and other random family members but it didn't seem to be appreciated. I think part of my problem is that I have all boys. There's so much more that can be knit for girls than boys. I mean, how many beanies can they use (even if they do keep asking for more)?

[honeybunmom]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

I've been knitting for me but it's harder to justify spending the money on yarn, especially the beautiful but expensive hand painted stuff, on myself. I have knit a few things for friends and their children and other random family members but it didn't seem to be appreciated. I think part of my problem is that I have all boys. There's so much more that can be knit for girls than boys. I mean, how many beanies can they use (even if they do keep asking for more)?

I understand. I don't see a full sized sweater for me in handpainted yarn. But, with what I have on hand and can no longer use for my daughter, I was able to put to use for me. While there are a lot of fun knits out there for girls, it doesn't matter if your girl refuses to wear them. Ask me how I know. I'd love, love, love to knit Roo for her, but she doesn't like it. I knit Swing Thing for her, and thank goodness it came out big, because it's taken me 2 years to get her to wear it!

For me-sized knits, I stick with littleknits.com and watch out for their full bag sales so that I can knit a sweater for myself in the $30-$40 range.

I think you do have to ask a recipient what they would like and involve them in the process to get more appreciation. Or resign yourself to knitting for ingrates! Some people will never appreciate a hand knit. And if you don't get a sufficient amount of pleasure out of just knitting it, I agree, you should not knit for others.

Have you seen the forum on ravelry for boy knits? There are some good ideas there. I don't know your boy's ages, but there are some fun boyish toy knits. The King of All Wild Things crown is always a good one. If you don't want them throwing balls in the house, I'd knit up a few balls in various sizes to take care of that urge.

Hope there are some ideas here you find useful.

ETA: I see their ages in your signature. You may still be able to get the little one to wear a sweater! LOL! There's also a great Spider Man sweater that may appeal to all the males in your household. And it is written for adult and children's sizes.

[MarineWife]

That Roo is beautiful!

I actually have made two sweaters and one skirt for myself with handpainted yarn. They look very pretty but there's not much I can wear them with. That's probably why I haven't worn the shrugs I've made for myself, either. They are very pretty but since they are multi-colored they don't go with much.

Yeah, it's true that boy or girl doesn't matter if they won't wear it. It seems that there are more options for girls, though. I could dress my youngest in a sweater but there's really no point. We rarely go out when it's cold and, when we do we don't usually wear sweaters because it's just not that cold here. We don't dress in more than sweats and t-shirts when we're home. Why dress the kids up to run around the house and make a mess on their clothes, right?

I've got patterns in my queue for Star Wars, Star Wars Fairisle and lightsabers . That's what my boys love right now. I just finished making 3 Pirate Skull Caps. I made two of these Earflap Hat with Tassels. I've made slippers and balls and crowns and chainmail.

I do belong to the knitting for boys group on Ravelry. I look at it periodically but haven't found much of use. I have a book of toy patterns but I need to buy specific yarn for most of them, which I can't do right now. I'm sort of stuck, I guess. I do enjoy knitting enough to make things that aren't necessarily used or even appreciated by the recipient but I can't afford the price of the yarn anymore if it's not for practical use.

[honeybunmom]

I hear you. I'm not a big fan of knitting with cotton, so, I can't in good conscience recommend that as the solution for your climate! LOL! Although, bamboo is nice (also visit Webs for good yarn deals!).

As for the toys, unless you need a novelty yarn, maybe you could get some bare Patons and packets of kool-aid to dye it (also a fun project for the littles) if it's certain colors you need. Or see if someone on ravelry is unloading it for below retail. Since you're knitting toys, I'd imagine you could substitute yarn rather easily as drape and gauge aren't relevant or always vital to those projects.

I know it sucks being stuck. Good luck!

[MarineWife]

Wow! Those bag sales are good deals! Thanks for sharing that.

[honeybunmom]

I'm sensing you won't be stuck for much longer . . . LOL! Another thing with Little Knits. . . . once when I thought their shipping was high, I called them and asked them to cram everything into a flat rate box. Sometimes the USPS comes in lower than UPS and you can get a better deal that way.

[MarineWife]

Which yarns do you like best for making sweaters and such for yourself? I don't have any experience with anything except wool, cotton and some crappy synthetics.

[honeybunmom]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

Which yarns do you like best for making sweaters and such for yourself? I don't have any experience with anything except wool, cotton and some crappy synthetics.

So far, I've only knit 2 sweaters for myself! I just finished a sweater with Peace Fleece. I soaked it in Eucalan and vinegar and I can wear it next to my skin just fine. Peace Fleece would be a nice heavy sweater for your neck of the woods. You could probably get away with wearing it in an outer sweater style for much of the year. I made a small scarf for myself (should have made it a cowl) out of a single skein of cashmere and it is lovely. Lightweight, but warm and, of course, wonderful next to the skin. I would look at the Knitter's Book of Wool to see what sheep generally produce wool soft enough for next to skin wear. Borrow it from your library. Of course, merino falls into this category.

As for cotton, I made something for my daughter in Blue Sky cotton and I really didn't like the look of it after a single wash. I'll probably stick to undyed cotton for that reason. Also, since cotton has a tendency to stretch out, I will, in the future, seek out cotton/wool blends. I will be knitting Flair in a 100% cotton (full bag sale on Debbie Bliss cotton from littleknits for $25!)

I pretty much look for natural fibers that are wool blends. I have a bag of a a silk wool blend that I'm looking for the right project for as well. And a bag of cashmere/wool blend. All from our friends at littleknits.

[MarineWife]

I like natural fibers, too. I knit a few things in cotton but didn't like them much, either. I'd like to try something in silk and alpaca. Cashmere sounds nice, too.

[zebra15]

I dont knit, I crochet but the concept is the same, I love to make blankets....there are tons and tons of patterns available and you and crochet/knit them in any size. I found a pattern that I LOVE and my gift recieptents love so I just go at it. I also make dish cloths/towels which again are great gift sets in coordinating yarn (great to make with scraps etc).

Scarves are also cute and fun.

[MarineWife]

I've crocheted a little. I was thinking of using my scraps to make squares for a blanket. It would be pretty mish mash. Have you ever done that? I'm not sure how big to make the squares. I was wondering if I could just make them as big as each scrap allows so the squared may not even be the same size. I have also been looking into charity knitting. The only problem I have with that right now is that I read once that wool wasn't good for charity knitting, especially with preemies, because of possible allergies. Wool is really all I have.

[katelove]

Before I got pregnant I used to knit gifts for firends having babies. If I wanted to make something but didn't have a specific person in mind for it I'd just keep it until the next baby was born but usually I didn't have enought time/speed to get too far ahead.

If I had more time/was faster then I probably would have done charity baby knitting. Not sure what the needs are in other countries but in Australia it tends to be hats and bootees for prems, small blankets for babies who are stillborn and "trauma teddies" which the ambulance service keep in the vehicles to give to children they transport.

[Purple*Lotus]

I crochet. I have never made anything for myself. Right now I am working with our local Children's hospital to provide blankets for the preteen/teen age group because no one ever makes things for them. It is sad, but most people just make blankets for the little kids. So I am trying to do as much for them as I can I just started though