Today was my knitting lesson. I had been so excited to take it but frankly I was feeling so lousy that I really didn't feel like going. I did not cancel however as I didn't want to wait until next week for something I've long looked forward to learning. *smile
I'm keeping my promise to post here about what I'm learning. I realize my first attempts won't be that exciting for you, lol, but for me they are. Here is my practice swatch. I guess it isn't too bad but isn't so great either. More practice will make it better of that I'm sure.
For now I was really concentrating on learning to cast on, practicing knitting and pearling, decreasing & increasing stitches and binding off. I was also very keen on learning to regulate my tension as I've always had a problem of the tension of yarn being too tight whenever I've tried to teach myself to knit. Having a teacher today was I think really helpful for the tension issue.
In my photo below you can clearly see that the beginning part of the swatch is narrower than the top. I didn't deliberately increase the swatch. I think I probably increased stitches accidentally and also as I practised I was making sure my yarn remained loose so as not to have the issue of my tension being too tight.
I also have a whole in the middle of the swatch. I don't know how it got that way, maybe it was a case of tension being way too loose.
Lessons learned today from my practice swatch:
- It is good to learn what to do with your fingers and thumbs and how to hold the yarn
- There are different methods to knitting. None of them are wrong and it is important to find what works for you. I hadn't really realized this before and having a teacher showed me that some approaches work better for me than others. I'm excited about that.
- I have a tendency to lose stitches and also to gain stitches. I will need to pay close attention as I embark on learning to knit.
- It is okay to pull the swatch to see the pattern of knitting and how the stitches "fit" together. As I develop an "eye" for what I'm doing, I will be able to correct some of my knitting errors.
Well that is it for now. I hope to make a dish cloth soon out of the same yarn. Hopefully there won't be any big holes in the middle.
9 comments:
Good on ya for learning how to knit. I've taken lessons from 3 different teachers and still I can only do very basic projects, like a scarf, smiles. I am much better at crocheting, but even then I am not by any means gifted. I am thrilled to see you learning a handicraft. These arts are dieing out; here it is difficult to even buy yarn or needles; the same with fabrics for sewing...
Hi Katy, thanks for the vote of confidence and encouragement. I've never taken lessons before. I taught myself to crochet many years ago and made a few doilies. I also tried to teach myself to knit with no success. Due to the tension problems I would get frustrated. I do love handcrafts but never had a chance to do enough of it. Now hopefully that will change.
It is too bad it is so hard to get needles, yarns or fabric where you live but I think you can buy on line much cheaper in the USA than here in Canada *smile.
Wonderful seeing you get going with your knitting. Hope you are soon proficient enough to relax and enjoy it, and get satisfation from your completed projects.
I find knitting much easier that crochet myself.... smiles.
Thanks for the encouraging words Jan. You are a gem :-)
Learned knitting but never enjoyed it, Later I was told I have an allergy to the yarns I used. I enjoy crocheting baby stuff though. Hope you will have better success than me. Enjoy!!!.
Super to take on a new skill set! I have been knitting and crocheting for most of my life. I think with practice you will be astonished at what you can achieve!
Hey, not bad at all!! you'll see how enjoyable it can be when you'll start to knit your own sweaters
:-)
i love knitting but alas i don't really have the time.
Have a great day!!
Sorry your not feeling so great..hope your better and your lesson perked you up a bit! I think having a teacher is necessary and so helpful (to me anyway). I think your selection of color is beautiful..my best on your progress..I'm sure you'll continue to do fine-
Thanks for sharing with us about your knitting lesson. Good for you ! Hope you're feeling a little better now ....
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