"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Confucius
Confucius
I know some of you reading this have been knitting longer than I have, some have just started, some thinking of starting, and some don't knit. Those who are interested in learning to knit or just starting may see my projects here and think, "I could never make something like that." You don't have to learn it all at the same time, I certainly didn't. I am sharing my "journey" here to encourage you and also the give some tips on the process of learning. For those avid knitters or non-knitters, I hope you enjoy reading anyway. :)
Every journey has it's beginning. My journey in knitting began one Christmas when one of our friends got this book as a gift. I looked at that book, and became intrigued with the knitting process. Fiber arts run in my blood... both my grandmother crochet, but knitting was something just a little different. So I've been on that journey for only about five or six years. I feel like I've come a long ways, and still have a long journey ahead.
I didn't start knitting a lot until I graduated from college - it's hard to knit and write research papers at the same time. Some may knit sweaters as a first project. However, I am a cautious person and have yet to knit a sweater. I first knit scarves.... lots and lots of scarves. Scarves are just one knit stitch on top of the other. I used basically Homespun yarn by Lion - I can't stand that yarn now... it is very difficult to knit with, but oh, so soft.
If you are just starting, I recommend using a regular yarn (vs. a novelty fuzzy yarn), that way you can see your stitches and know what they are doing. One cheap yarn that I like to use is Caron Simply Soft. You can usually find it at Wal-Mart. It is acrylic (I love naturals or natural/acrylic blends) but it is much softer than most acrylics.
The second type of project I did was dishcloths. I am still making them - I have a standing order for Christmas gifts. :) Granny's Favorite is a great little pattern that helped me start learning about increases and decreases. Some one at work gave me one that a friend had made her, and I found this pattern online. It's a great little project and introduced me to one of my favorite fibers to use - cotton.
I didn't start knitting a lot until I graduated from college - it's hard to knit and write research papers at the same time. Some may knit sweaters as a first project. However, I am a cautious person and have yet to knit a sweater. I first knit scarves.... lots and lots of scarves. Scarves are just one knit stitch on top of the other. I used basically Homespun yarn by Lion - I can't stand that yarn now... it is very difficult to knit with, but oh, so soft.
If you are just starting, I recommend using a regular yarn (vs. a novelty fuzzy yarn), that way you can see your stitches and know what they are doing. One cheap yarn that I like to use is Caron Simply Soft. You can usually find it at Wal-Mart. It is acrylic (I love naturals or natural/acrylic blends) but it is much softer than most acrylics.
The second type of project I did was dishcloths. I am still making them - I have a standing order for Christmas gifts. :) Granny's Favorite is a great little pattern that helped me start learning about increases and decreases. Some one at work gave me one that a friend had made her, and I found this pattern online. It's a great little project and introduced me to one of my favorite fibers to use - cotton.
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Well, obviously my journey is longer than you want to read in one sitting. :) Thanks for sticking with me thus far. I hope it has encouraged some of you to pick up the needles. For you knitters, how did you get started knitting?
Happy Knitting!
Happy Knitting!
Very interesting and enlightening. Keep it up. I like it that you provide links to what you are talking about too. Oh, I wanted to tell you what my "project" is right now. I'm afraid it is not very exciting. I am trying to learn how to hold my yarn properly. I do it very differently than the way the show you on knitting help.com which I was quite okay with that cuz I liked it better...until...I started a new pattern (homespunliving.blogspot.com/2007/11/waffle-knit-dishcloth-pattern.html) that has a lot of purling in it and the way I hold the yarn makes purling a pain. Well, not really a pain but slow. So I am practicing, do you hold it basically like they show you how to on knittinghelp.com?
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
ReplyDeleteHmm... I have to think how I do hold the yarn. :) I hold it in my hand the same way she does (winding around my fingers), but I don't have my index finger the same way. I "push" the yarn when I purl with my index finger instead of my middle finger like she does. I also hold my index finger on the needle instead of above it. Here is a video that shows how I do it.
I guess it really comes down to what works for you, and what is faster and easier on your hands.
I've been looking on Ravelry at different things and getting inspired to knit even more. I feel like I've been sewing all week. :) I finally started my other purple sock! :)
Oh, and don't get discouraged... purling is a bit slow at first, but once you get the hang of it there are all kinds of exciting possibilities!! :)
ReplyDelete