I need an intervention, seriously! I decided to learn a new skill. Of course, I would go and pick one that I have no business learning - KNITTING! With my no-patience, Type-A, OCD personality I decide to learn something that requires loads of patience and time. To make matters worse, I am trying to teach knitting to myself using a book! Someone stop me, please....
After an hour or so of my husband watching me throwing needles, swearing, and just acting like a 2 year old in general, he decides to pick up the crochet hook I had also purchased along with my knitting supplies. Within a half hour he has already made a toy for the dog. My husband is "opposite-me", that is, he has infinite patience, calm personality, and a real whiz at knotwork. The guy makes rope hammocks in his spare time onboard the ship when he is deployed. I should have known to hide while I was trying to learn this!
Here is Sailor/Husband crocheting happily within minutes of first touching a crochet hook.
UGH!
Here is what I have after 3 hours... this is worse than I remember boot camp being!
I will say that what happened after all my struggling made me burst out in fits of laughter... below is hubby with one of my knitting needles stuck through his nose piercing. (This of course was something he had done before I met him LOL) He just sat there crocheting quietly away until I looked up during one of my knitting/cussing rants and saw it. Looks like it came in handy for comic relief for me when I needed it!
Now I am not completely inept at everything. As a matter of fact this woman knows how to ride a dirt bike, I can portage my own canoe, I can do it while carrying a baby on my front! I even know how to ride a stand-up jetski and take off while standing up....why is this so difficult?! I would love to hear from those of you who remember learning to knit or crochet and give me any tips on maintaining my sanity. I understand that neither is easier, just different. How long did it take you? And did you struggle as I am? I am bound and determined to learn a proper homesteading skill this winter, even if someone gets hurt in the process...The below photo is completely random, but for those of you that read Nicholas Sparks' novels (he is a "local" author), here is the status of the house in the movie "Nights in Rodanthe"... this was taken after our nor'easter. Yep, that would be the Atlantic Ocean! Not sure this one will survive another storm.
I taught myself how to crochet when I was in high school. It wasn't easy at first, but I can do it now with my eyes closed. Keep loose wrists and don't make your stitches too tight. Not loosy-goosey either, but moveable. Your rows won't be perfect until you get a good few projects under your belt. Expect things to be woppy. That's how you can prove you've hand made them!
ReplyDeleteI bet that is part of my problem, my stuff is really tight! I can't seem to get the "sewing should be tight and strong" idea out of my head!
ReplyDeleteI've knitted and crocheted since my early 20's and once you get the basics down, it's very calming. I'd never tackled anything very complicated until recently we were planning a long trip and I decided that I needed something a bit more challenging to bide away those long hours on the road.
ReplyDeleteSo now I knit heavy knitting worsted wool sox on number 2 double pointed needles. They're wonderful for those cold floors in the winter and great inside boots. They take a long time, and that's fine. I figure it takes me about 800 miles to knit a pair of sox, and I've knitted 7 pairs so far.
I'd suggest that you find a knitting shop with classes, or even better, an old woman who knits to get you started. It's really hard to learn from a book.
Many knit shops now have circle times, when several people come in, either work the same new project together with a teacher, or just sit and talk while knitting on their own projects. Everyone's always happy to advise a newby in a setting like that.
Our local library even has a "knit-in" twice a month, just a relaxing time to get together with other knitters.
And don't worry about being embarrassed by your lack of skill. Everyone has to learn sometime, and everyone goofs.
By the way, in general, knitted goods are smoother than crocheted, so it's better to knit when making sox. Good luck.
Trailshome is right. It's really hard to teach yourself to knit. Usually a good knit shop will give you one on one instruction without a fee just for purchasing some yarn from them. Or a class would be good, also as you'll all be in the same boat and can encourage each other . . . and laugh! That's important!
ReplyDeleteKnitting is much harder to learn than crocheting but I think knitted garments are so much nicer, generally speaking.
Nearly everyone learning to knit does it too tight at first so don't get discouraged.
Even though quilting is my passion, I'll readily admit that knitting is much more calming . . . can almost put you in a meditative state. You go for it, Girl! You'll be good at it. :o)
Oh, I tried to teach myself to knit last winter and failed miserably (so you're not alone). But I'm determined to try again in my spare time this winter (HAHAHAHA). I refuse to be defeated by a ball of yarn and two sticks!!
ReplyDeleteJudy
LOL! I tried to teach myself how to knit years ago using a book and YES, it was very aggregating. I can knit a hat or scarf but that's about it. I had much better luck learning how to crochet.
ReplyDeleteI laughed at the picture of your hubby with the knitting needle in his nose. The things we did when we were young. I still have an upper ear piercing that has haunt me to this day.
I can knit a regular old knit and purl stitch, but I'm too scatterbrained these days to count stitches in a row and I always had a hard time figuring out what I needed to do when I left off. If I lived somewhere cold enough to wear lots of knitwear I know i'd pick it up again, but here in Florida it's hard to be inspired to knit. But Ribbit is right - even stitches are the key. Focus on looser stitches at first because that's easier to deal with than tight stitches. Oh and always start with a project - a bean bag for the kids is perfect! Two small rectangles. Sew 'em together, stuff with beans and you're done.
ReplyDeleteI took a one-on-one lesson at a local yarn store and left thinking I could conquer the knitting world. I got home, sat down with needles and quickly found myself doing the 2 yr old tantrum you mentioned. I didn't pick up my needles for about a year but I taught myself via website and now I'm hopelessly addicted. You must, must, must give www.knittinghelp.com a go before you give up completely. She has really informative videos that show you how to do everything from the perspective of the knitter holding the needles. I also have a lot of luck finding videos on youtube if I'm stuck on a certain kind of stitch.
ReplyDeleteHope that helps and good luck! You'll be knitting in no time!
Thank you all for your words of inspiration! I would have a heck of a time trying to get to any classes with my hubby's work schedule, I can't ever get rid of my kids! But I will give that website a try. Definitely everything I do is way too tight, so I will start by trying to "loosen up" LOL And Thomas, too funny about the piercings - my hubby has "others" too that would make people cringe, but lucky for me that was all in his younger days before I met him, now they are just funny conversation pieces. Although sometimes it is unnerving to look at him sideways and be able to see daylight through his nose LOL. But now he has somewhere to park his knitting needles!
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