I'm Learning to KNIT

woohoo!!!

I've wanted to learn to knit for years and years but thought it would be too hard to learn.

One of the ladies on HearthKeepers suggested buying a 'teach a child to knit' book and going from there. So I did! I bought a 'learn to knit this purse' kit geared for ages 8+. I figured if it could teach a child to knit then Surely I could learn, right? I have a very hard time learning from written directions.

We left Tallahassee heading to Jacksonville two Fridays ago. It took me almost the entire time (over two hours) to figure out how to 'cast on' and 'knit'. I don't know how many times I pulled everything out and started over but I finally got it!!!

I had some camo yarn with me and that's what I was using to practice. I made a long rectangular piece and stitched it together and told Sam it was an ear warmer for him. He's such a dear. He said he loved it and he would ear it every day :-). I told him he didn't have to do that and he (inwardly) sighed... hahahaha

So I got some more varigated yarn -- I have a real thing for varigated yarn... and practiced some more! When I bought the yarn (and that would be at a WalMart on our way Home from Jacksonville...snicker) I bought a book about knitting... oh and I got some yummy bamboo needles.





I started with knitting each row. Then I knit a row and purled a row to create a 'stockinette' stitch. After I got the hang of that I decided to try ribbing. See what I REALLY want to learn to knit is longies and longies need ribbing so I had to practice ribbing, right? After the ribbing I did a few more rows of knit then purl.

Then I decided to play with cotton yarn. I think my needles were too small because it was too tight and I didn't like using cotton at all.

But I figured that Everyone uses cotton so it must just be me and I tried again. Bigger needles this time and I was conscious to keep it a little loose on the cast on.

I guess this would be a Sampler Washcloth... I knitted some stockinette to get the feel for cotton ...

There are still some bobbles but I'm getting the hang of it. But it was kinda boring (I think I have Crafters ADD...) so I thought 'what would happen if I knit five, purl five back and forth?

It made a soft of 'checkerboard' pattern. Isn't that cool!

Then I looked in my handy '26 Stitches to Knit' booklet (that I bought at yet another WalMart --snicker--) and thought I'd try the 'cluster rib' stitch. I did something wrong because it doesn't look like the book :rolling eyes:

And let's not forget the beginnings of a sock that I have cast on size 3 aluminum needles. No pic of that one. I don't like it. Of course it's in varigated yarn (red/white/blue). I don't like the long needles. And I can't really see the pattern well enough with the colors of the yarn. But the biggest issue is that the needles are too long. I went to WalMart (do you see a trend here) but they don't have short #3s. Sigh.

I did fail to mention a trip to Hancocks in there. They had yarn 50% off so I got some wool to use for my first longies attempt. All of their knitting supplies were 30% off so I got a few more pairs of bamboo needles, two different sizes of wooden circulars, some little cap things that keep the yard from falling off the needles when you sit it down to rush to the bathroom, some markers and I forget what else.

I think I'm addicted.

Oh and I never did make the purse....giggle.