After over 30 years of crocheting, six years weaving and five at the spinning wheel, I've taken up knitting. I'm a beginner again! I think I got tired of saying "I do just about everything, except for knit." It's not that I couldn't keep myself busy with all of the crafts I already do, It just bugged me that there was one that I didn't. Not just any one either, but a needle craft that seemed to be taking over everything.
As a crocheter and someone who loves crochet, I started to resent knitting. It bugged me when people used the word "knit" to kind of be synonymous with all yarn crafts. HELLO! Just once I'd like to hear someone ask "Do you crochet?" instead of "Do you knit?" Knitting also seems to get more air time on TV networks that host craft shows and on the magazine racks. Even worse, I had to admit, like all other yarn crafts, I was drawn to knitting. There seems to be some things you can do with two needles that you just can't with a hook.
Finally, I gave in. I bought some bamboo needles and a cute how-to book and got started. The first thing I made was a felted cuff bracelet. I basically just knitted a rectangle and then sewed it together. After felting it, I embellished it with beads and some additional needle felting. It looked really cool, but I was kind of cheating. You can hide all kinds of imperfections with felting
and twinkling beads. Next I started work on a baby blanket. I'm still only half way through that project. Basically, I'm kind of bored with it. So when I saw some cute fingerless mitts that a friend made, I asked her to show me the pattern. I figured a shorter project might be good for me. I'd have the satisfaction of completing a project. So here they are. I know what your thinking. They don't match. They actually are from the same skein, it's just a variegated fiber. I think I have enough yarn left to knit two more and then I should have two matching pairs.
I do like the idea that I will be able to combine my crocheting and knitting skills. I think the two interact well and being able to do both with open up more creative possibilities. I will no longer pass by a cute pattern because it's been knitted and not crocheted, but I think crochet will always be my favorite. It's what I design in and what I can practically do in my sleep. Maybe my knitting will get there someday, but for now ...I'm still a beginner.
After over 30 years of crocheting, six years weaving and five at the spinning wheel, I've taken up knitting. I'm a beginner again! I think I got tired of saying "I do just about everything, except for knit." It's not that I couldn't keep myself busy with all of the crafts I already do, It just bugged me that there was one that I didn't. Not just any one either, but a needle craft that seemed to be taking over everything.
and twinkling beads. Next I started work on a baby blanket. I'm still only half way through that project. Basically, I'm kind of bored with it. So when I saw some cute fingerless mitts that a friend made, I asked her to show me the pattern. I figured a shorter project might be good for me. I'd have the satisfaction of completing a project. So here they are. I know what your thinking. They don't match. They actually are from the same skein, it's just a variegated fiber. I think I have enough yarn left to knit two more and then I should have two matching pairs.
Like many fiber fiends, I have a huge surplus stash. Yarns and ribbons, eyelash fibers and furry novelties. Even when they're reduced to an amount too small for any significant project, I cant bear to toss them!
I was going to start with a *Brief History* of spinning, but then it occurred to me that someone has probably already gone there. I did a little searching and found this really well done article that I thought I'd share with you. It begins, "It is generally agreed that the spinning of fibres to form a thread or yarn has been in existence for over 10,000 years. The drop spindle was the primary spinning tool for almost 9000 years, it was used to spin all the threads for clothing and fabrics from Egyptian mummy wrappings to tapestries, ropes and sails for ships." It continues on and is very interesting. Click on this Brief History link to read the rest.
long shaft. Lets you wind your yarn into a ball; when full, just pull out the shaft and separate the arms." The weight felt really nice and the spin felt very balanced and easy. The only thing that slowed me down getting started was the winding process. Like a lot of creative people, I'm very visual. The simplistic picture drawings that they include as instructions left me wanting. I went on line and found a couple reviews with some better pictures, but in the end, I just had to go for it. I think I was over thinking the whole thing anyway. So I cleared my mind and just imagined winding a ball of yarn without all of the wooden sticks poking through. That may sound goofy, but it helped me. I began in a sort of God's Eye weave and then began to make my "X" pattern. Each time I wound a new length, I rotated to the next diagonal making sure to create the same "X" pattern on the bottom. So far, it looks pretty good. You can see in the picture that I'm just starting a new diagonal.
