I've taken up knitting!
I’ve started knitting. sparklyfanta , this is all your fault!! You tempted me with your pretty speeches about pretty knitted wear, and now I’ve succumbed to the temptation! Shame on you!!
Seriously now, I’ve started knitting. Or maybe it would be better to say that I’ve re-started knitting...You see, this is something that I’ve attempted once in the past, with disastrous consequences. True, I’d been ten at the time, and being taught by my left-handed aunt while being right-handed myself, and I wasn’t the most patient, dedicated ten-year-old there was, but still. My bad knitting experiences were looming in the background of my mind and making any attempt of heading in that direction a bleak prospect indeed.
But since sparklyfanta has so kindly got me hooked to Knitty (your fault, your fault, I tell you!), and I’ve always wanted to be able to make my own clothes (even if it’s something so uncomplicated as, say, a scarf), I’ve decided to let go of the past and try again.
So Saturday morning saw me stepping resolutely inside a yarn-carrying shop (whatever those are called), and getting all starry-eyed at all the pretty yarns I could choose from. I’d already been forewarned by a helpful how-to-knit video not to try to get too fancy a yarn to begin with, since they can make knitting a bit too complicated for a beginner by being too slippery or too clingy, so I stuck to regular synthetic yarn (the natural one is almost impossible to get in my city), and picked a really, really pretty one that changes colours... or something (I’m seriously lacking in vocabulary to talk about this).
The best part was that I’d walked in fully expecting to ask some sweet old lady about which needles and yarn would be the best for a beginner, and I got a really cute guy giving me advice instead. I really liked that store. Methinks I’m going to be back there in the future, if only for the eye candy good customer service. *___*
Thus Saturday afternoon saw me re-watching the how-to videos and making my first attempts at knitting in fourteen years... to not much better results than back then. For some reason I kept adding stitches!! >_<
It took a while to figure out why (and several almost tearful instances of de-knitting of what I’d already done), but I think I’ve got the hang of it now... so I’ve started seriously trying to actually make something, instead of just practicing stitches.
And I’ve started by making (oh, the originality!) a scarf.
The pattern I picked is almost absurdly simple:
Cast forty. (I doubled the original number because I like my scarves big)
First and second row: all k
Third row: k1, yo2, repeat until end of row, end with k1
Fourth row: k1, drop2, repeat until end of row, end with k1
Repeat ad nauseum (or until you have the desired length).
Cast off.
But I figured I shouldn’t try too complicated a pattern on my first (ok, second) try.
This pattern is great because, not only is it relatively easy and simple (considering my level of skill), it’s also rather big, and in barely a few days I’m nearly a third of the way down... and that is awesome because it’s a great motivation to be able to see how the scarf “grows” (darn it I need more vocabulary! >_<).
And since the yarn is pretty, it will look good even if the pattern isn’t particularly fancy.
The best part? I started with forty stitches... and so many rows later, I’ve still got forty stitches!! I’m not adding or dropping stitches any more! *does a little dance of joy*
Here, some piccies!!
Well, so that’s what I’ve been doing lately. I haven’t forgotten my fics ...in fact, knitting seems to inspire me to write. I don’t need to engage all my neurons to knit, and the ones not being used have a choice of either standing idly by, twiddling their metaphorical thumbs, or poking and prodding one of my in-progress stories and seeing if they can get them to wiggle a bit. I’ve actually found myself desperately trying to finish a row to get in front of my keyboard to write down a particularly interesting bit they've come up with.
Seriously now, I’ve started knitting. Or maybe it would be better to say that I’ve re-started knitting...You see, this is something that I’ve attempted once in the past, with disastrous consequences. True, I’d been ten at the time, and being taught by my left-handed aunt while being right-handed myself, and I wasn’t the most patient, dedicated ten-year-old there was, but still. My bad knitting experiences were looming in the background of my mind and making any attempt of heading in that direction a bleak prospect indeed.
But since sparklyfanta has so kindly got me hooked to Knitty (your fault, your fault, I tell you!), and I’ve always wanted to be able to make my own clothes (even if it’s something so uncomplicated as, say, a scarf), I’ve decided to let go of the past and try again.
So Saturday morning saw me stepping resolutely inside a yarn-carrying shop (whatever those are called), and getting all starry-eyed at all the pretty yarns I could choose from. I’d already been forewarned by a helpful how-to-knit video not to try to get too fancy a yarn to begin with, since they can make knitting a bit too complicated for a beginner by being too slippery or too clingy, so I stuck to regular synthetic yarn (the natural one is almost impossible to get in my city), and picked a really, really pretty one that changes colours... or something (I’m seriously lacking in vocabulary to talk about this).
The best part was that I’d walked in fully expecting to ask some sweet old lady about which needles and yarn would be the best for a beginner, and I got a really cute guy giving me advice instead. I really liked that store. Methinks I’m going to be back there in the future, if only for the eye candy good customer service. *___*
Thus Saturday afternoon saw me re-watching the how-to videos and making my first attempts at knitting in fourteen years... to not much better results than back then. For some reason I kept adding stitches!! >_<
It took a while to figure out why (and several almost tearful instances of de-knitting of what I’d already done), but I think I’ve got the hang of it now... so I’ve started seriously trying to actually make something, instead of just practicing stitches.
And I’ve started by making (oh, the originality!) a scarf.
The pattern I picked is almost absurdly simple:
Cast forty. (I doubled the original number because I like my scarves big)
First and second row: all k
Third row: k1, yo2, repeat until end of row, end with k1
Fourth row: k1, drop2, repeat until end of row, end with k1
Repeat ad nauseum (or until you have the desired length).
Cast off.
But I figured I shouldn’t try too complicated a pattern on my first (ok, second) try.
This pattern is great because, not only is it relatively easy and simple (considering my level of skill), it’s also rather big, and in barely a few days I’m nearly a third of the way down... and that is awesome because it’s a great motivation to be able to see how the scarf “grows” (darn it I need more vocabulary! >_<).
And since the yarn is pretty, it will look good even if the pattern isn’t particularly fancy.
The best part? I started with forty stitches... and so many rows later, I’ve still got forty stitches!! I’m not adding or dropping stitches any more! *does a little dance of joy*
Here, some piccies!!
Well, so that’s what I’ve been doing lately. I haven’t forgotten my fics ...in fact, knitting seems to inspire me to write. I don’t need to engage all my neurons to knit, and the ones not being used have a choice of either standing idly by, twiddling their metaphorical thumbs, or poking and prodding one of my in-progress stories and seeing if they can get them to wiggle a bit. I’ve actually found myself desperately trying to finish a row to get in front of my keyboard to write down a particularly interesting bit they've come up with.