May our hands complete our task with patience,
May our work be done with care,
May our fingers work as friends together,
Then may we our handwork share.
Our hands have completed the task with patience,
We have done our work with care,
Our fingers have worked as friends together,
And we have our friendship shared.
I've been working on this in the round knit for quite some time. My free time to sit empty lapped and with enough to time to focus (I'm a really new knitter) is limited. I've got this lovely bit of work up at my eye level so I can see it whenever I'm walking through the house, reminding me to be patient, keep my eye on the prize, all things come to those who wait.
I have always wanted to knit, even when I was a little girl. I asked my Mom over and over again to teach me but for whatever reason, she didn't. My high school best friend's Mom crocheted and so she taught me how to do that. My Mom briefly attempted to show me to knit when my son was learning at his Waldorf school......again, I guess it was too frustrating for her to try to teach me and my son. Finally, after being inspired by a beautiful knitted playscape I saw I sat up late one night and taught myself with the help of YouTube videos. Those little lessons gave me the confidence to knit little hats for our St. Nicholas peg dolls and I adored every minute of it.
The only downfall to teaching myself is I really haven't any clue how to read a pattern. I find it terribly frustrating when I've tried and then to discover what I thought it said wasn't what it truly said so my first knitting attempts always got pulled out. This time, I'm kinda, well......I"m just going for it. I'm knitting and purling and decreasing in a kinda proportioned way.
insert shaking head and shrugging shoulders with a "we'll see" smirk on my face
The one thing I can say with absolute satisfaction (aside from the shear joy I get from simply knitting at all), is that this yarn is phenomenal! I haven't the faintest idea what brand it is, I got it from our local yarn shop. It is a wool/mohair blend, that I remember. The colors as so beautiful and the texture is divine, the easiest yarn I've worked with so far. I guess, I'm aiming for a hat? Seems the most logical. A sweet friend suggested a vest, but, I'm feeling quite inferior for that for a first project.
I think for a Mother's Day gift (it's months away, I know), I'll request a knitting class.
For all you knitters out there......I'd love any suggestions/help/ideas/links/ANYTHING that will help me on my journey to being a knitter. My goal, is to be able to knit sweaters. My Mom used to knit for us, and she knit for the grandkids......I'd love to continue that tradition. Thank you, dear ones xoxo
i have found youtube to be my best knitting friend. i had a friend teach me to cast on and do knit stitches, and that was it. all the rest was mostly youtube. although at our LYS they do offer project help, which your shop may as well.
ReplyDeletethat yarn is lovely. wow. good luck!
YouTube is amazing! I would have never guessed it'd be so useful. I'll have to sneak some time and check out more videos.
DeleteThat yarn is indeed lovely! A hat is a good start, a scarf would be another idea. . .
ReplyDeleteKeep on it with the knitting, practice is all it takes I believe (coming from someone who hardly has time for knitting!)
Practice! Whatever this turns out to be will definitely be worth it in the practice department! I just love knitting, do at least there's that!! LOL Thank you, Ziezo xo
DeleteI've found that just jumping into a pattern is the best way to learn. If you don't understand a certain notation, you can always look it up - and then look up a video on how to do it! My first few projects were less than pretty, but gradually, over time, I got better and better. You are doing great!
ReplyDeleteHi Lydia! Thanks for holding me up! It's been such a joy just to learn in my own.....just have to let go of my insecurities and just go for it, bravely and with confidence :)
ReplyDeleteI taught myself to knit quite a few years ago using the book Stitch 'n Bitch. I'm pretty good now, thanks to that book. It has great pics, info on everything from casting on to increasing to seaming or joining in the round and casting off and blocking. I still go back to it at times. Definitely money well spent.
ReplyDelete