Since I knitted my first stitch under the perfectionist, critical eye of my grandma, I've longed for the relaxing click of needling my own hats, scarves, and afghans. When my grandma and I were both too frustrated to continue, she gave me her extra copy of the vintage how-to book from which she learned. I put my needles away until recently. On a chilly weekend afternoon while Bubba and the kids watched King Kong, I picked up my knitting again. I was so proud when I finally figured out how to "cast on". By the time King Kong was breathing in the chloroform, I was attempting to "bind off" a Barbie sized scarf.
I failed miserably at my binding attempt. With renewed knitting gusto, I scoured youtube for knitting help the next morning. What I discovered was beyond depressing. While I had knot after stitch of colored yarn on my needles, most (if not all) of the stitches are wrong.
My goal as a future knitter is to make each of my kids an afghan to take with them when they leave home. I have twelve years. Maybe by then, I'll be able to figure out all this mess.
Don't be discouraged! Try again! They couldn't have been that wrong...I spent my first two years knitting my knit stitches wrong, but my purl stitches correctly. It was devastating, but I wanted so badly to knit that I kept at it. Maybe you could find a knitting group nearby and get some support?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to get a knitting group together here. Thanks for the vote of confidence! :)
DeleteI have come to find out that in knitting, as in life, there are many ways to do any one thing. Lots of ways to cast on, bind off, even knit the stitches. I've had friends from Europe teach me different ways to just knit a stitch. If the whole thing didn't unravel then you must've done something right. Many churches have groups that get together to knit and crochet prayer shawls. Maybe you could hook up with one of them.
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