Learn to knit
Wednesday, November 13, 2013Now I'm really behind with #BEDN, thanks to a few days of tight deadlines. Never-the-less I'm not going to be put off, I intend to cover all topics but not necessarily in any order or even within November.
This post isn't one of the topics but it was the closest post I had to being finished and with time running out today I decided to go with it.
The idea came from a few people mentioning how they wished they could knit in the comments of my 'I made this' post. I taught myself back in 2009, with the help of this book - The Chicks with Sticks Guide to Knitting
. I found it so helpful. It has loads of patterns for beginners and lots of helpful hints and tips, with step-by-step instructions, and easy to follow diagrams.
I still have several pages bookmarked for the stitches that just won't stick in my mind. Last week I consulted it for my Mum, who is an absolute knitting aficionado (she can knit without looking, whilst talking and everything). I don't knit as much as I would like to, I can rarely find the time, so I enjoy smaller projects and have knitted all sorts of toys for friend's babies, and, of course the obligatory scarf and bobble hat that every beginner has to make.
These are just a few bits I've made. The little aliens (middle, right) are a pattern I found on Ravelry (an excellent resource for knitters). I knitted one for each of my nephews for Christmas a few years ago. The youngest took his alien to a New Years Eve party and lost it. I got a text message from his Mum just before midnight asking if I could make him another, so there I was at 8:30am on January 1st, knitting a replacement. Although he was knitted using exactly the same wool my nephew knew it wasn't his alien... especially a few days later when he found the original in the pocket of his jeans!
I was then asked by my sister-in-law to knit some more for her to use in one of her classes (teacher), in the end I brought in reinforcements in the shape of my Mum and between us we knitted about 50 of the things!
I'm itching to pick up my sticks again now...
Part of #BEDN hosted by Elizabeth.
Love
5 comments
I either didn't know or had forgotten that you were a knitter, but I'm VERY impressed!
ReplyDeleteAww thanks Sophie x
DeleteAww, I love your makes. My Nan taught me to knit when I was little and stayed at hers in the summer holidays - which basically meant I would spend about a day doing three rows or so, and she'd sit in front of the TV when I'd gone to bed and unpick it all because I'd have dropped a stitch or something, and redo it for me. It was a slow process, but I'm fine once I get going. Casting on is something i have to remind myself of every time, though. And the thought of a proper pattern sort of boggles my mind, although I did learn a rather simple pattern to make a knitted rose recently.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that your nan taught you. My Mum tried when I was little but we would just end up bickering! Casting on and button holes always have me flummoxed, the technique just won't remain in my head for any length of time!
DeleteI like the sound of a knitted rose.
Hey, that is an IMPRESSIVE pile of knitted gorgeousness! I learnt to knit from my Step-Grandma but I forgot how!! Must learn again!x
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to comment x