Okay, I can't take it anymore. I have tried reading (too much concentration). I have tried hexagons (too many fiddly bits). I have tried felt softies (too much peril involved with being jumped on while wielding needles and scissors). I something crafty and portable. It seems I have come to that point where I have to start going to things with no purpose other than to watch something organized by someone else take place. Like swimming lessons. Or park time where your children actually play with other children. Or a reason to avoid doing the dishes after supper (oh, did I say that out loud?).
My grandmother taught me to knit when I was about 8 or 9. But she lived 12 hrs drive away, and I could only remember how to knit and purl, I couldn't remember how to cast on or off, and my mother was not crafty in the least. So I knit one endless line of green something and then gave up. But I think I still have a bit of a muscle memory of how to knit and purl. But how to cast on and off? What size of needles with which wool? What kind of project (a scarf to start with, obviously).
The last few times I have been in Michaels I have found myself wandering through the wool department. I even reached out for a pair of needles and touched their cool, metal surface and then shied away. It is a whole new, foreign world. Which is what I love about it, obviously. So many new things to learn. Something to occupy my mind and keep my hands busy and give me something to research. All things I need to keep sane.
I'm not going to give up quilting, I promise (I have that stash of fabric in the basement to use up, after all). I just need a portable project so I'm not aggrivated when my kids want to go to the park because I"m thinking, "But I really just need to do something creative. Can't we just stay home and hide in the basement?".
So where do I start? Anyone?
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5 comments:
Okay Jill, I got hooked on knitting a few years back, made everyone a scarf and then stopped. The people at Maggies (great little craft store here that sadly went out of business after Michael's opened up) all were knitters and they got me started. They recommended I use large knitting needles and that salsa yarn (there's lots of variations of it out there). Using large needles helps because you can get a product done quickly which is encouraging. I just used a simple starter pattern. I found that once someone showed me what to do I just went with it. Is there anyone around there (or at Michael's) that could get you going?
For portable fun you can't beat crochet. One small hook and a ball of wool can create wonders.
I highly recommend Jan Eaton:200 crochet blocks book for inspiration.
Knitting is great! I started with a class, because I find it's easier to learn from a person in 3-D than from a book, but there are a lot of great books out there that are totally wonderful--the Stitch 'n Bitch ones are easy and fun, for instance. I agree that you should start out with a scarf with big yarn and big needles, because knitting a long rectangle can get really boring really fast, so you can learn the basics quickly and then start something new before you lose your knitting mojo! My second project was a sweater. It was terribly ugly, but it was so fascinating and exciting of an accomplishment, that I've been knitting ever since!
Though, crocheting is awesome, also...
There was a nice knitting store on 8th in Saskatoon, with much more of a satisfying yarn selection than Michael's. I was told the Prairie Lily Knitting & Needlework Shop (on Quebec Ave) is even better, but 8th was always more convenient... There was also a good one in P.A., on the main drag, whatever that was called. Big needles is definitely a good place to start—I'd go with Bamboo rather than metal, much more pleasant to work with. The brand carried by Michael's is good for that. Googling "knitting videos" brings up a lot, I found videos could be helpful when I could not work something out from a book. Knitting is definitely good and portable, I just made a teddy bear at teen camp last week, much to everyone's entertainment (including the counsellor who got to take Mr. Fluff home!)...
I love to knit, and all I really do is cushion covers or scarves. And unfortunately there's not much call for scarves in this part of the world! The other good one is cross stitch. You can do little motifs on strips of Aida which are very portable, then sew the strips onto towels or face washers and they make great baby gifts.
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