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30 January 2008
Nice to meet you! Hi! Newbie. Just wanted to greet y'all.
Yay! I just knew I'd get a warm reception here. I'm trying to teach myself to knit today. I know *how*, but I can't seem to make it work. Which is fine, because it's a beautiful day and I'm not working.
How are you teaching yourself knitting? I watched a couple of videos online that were really helpful. The camera was positioned behind the knitter so you could really mimic her actions. I get so jealous when I visit etsy and look at all the cool knit stuff!
Well, I know how already, kind of, so "teaching myself" is a bit disingenuous. I can cast on. I can knit. I can purl. But. I've never done it alone. A couple of weekends ago I taught a friend to crochet, and then she showed me how to knit. My mom also taught me ages ago, but that was ages ago. Now I'm home, with cute wool, several types/sizes of needles, a book that says it's "100% Klutz Certified", and I'm making a total mess. I've ripped out my work about 12 times, because I can't seem to get the first row right. Either the casting on is too tight (how? how does that happen? how do I fix it?) and/or my stitches are SO uneven I can't bear to continue. That and I always seem to have an extra stitch at the end.
*tips hat to Stew*
I found it helpful to go to a local knitting store for tips when I was learning how to knit. THey love helping 'cause you're more likely to buy. Also, knitters are almost always people of great quality. Good luck! Post pics.
Are you doing long-tail or backwards loop casting on? The first one is much easier to manage because essentially you've already knitted the first row during cast-on, so the loops stay in place better.
i taught myself how to knit by staring at a sweater. i'm not at all sure what i'm doing or what the different parts are called. i think i need to look at some of those videos.
i'm pretty sure what i do basically is called a garter or whatever is most basic. Everything else is making and figuring different puzzles of yarn, which sometimes looks nice and i think i trip upon things with names. i haven't done it in a while, and i'd like to know what everyone else is on about with the knitting lingo. Planning to tackle that someday soon.
i also have this yarn making thing for no good reason (a gift), so i may try to make some ugly yarn. Something for the resume under "blows up lightbulbs" in special skills.
Are you doing long-tail or backwards loop casting on?
Dude. No idea. I use one needle. The right one. The yarn is in my left hand. It goes onto the needle somehow and makes a cast-on.
danf--her. It's ok. I forgive you this time. And I just bought beer for a bunch of friends here. Does that count? (remind me not to drink high-test beer again for a while. I'm a little loopy now, and it's not even 7 p.m. where I am!)
Thanks everyone! I feel so welcome!
(going to crash out now. Well, maybe not immediately. But. Am certainly not going to try to knit.)
Knitting help! That's what my friend recommended. Thanks for the reminder. I will continue knitting. But not now. Current lack of hand/eye coordination will not help my cause.
photo by splunge
photo by TheophileEscargot
photo by Kronos_to_Earth
photo by ethylene
