How Far Have You Come?

laikabear · 09-11-2008, 01:05 AM

I don't know many knitters IRL, so I was thrilled to discover one of my new coworkers is a knitter. She mentioned it in passing when I pulled out my knitting during some down time at work. I have been telling her all about the projects I have been working on lately...

She was hanging out last night in my office (we were slow) and I had just printed off the pattern for Dashing. I read a few lines, casted on, and got started. After a few minutes, she suddenly asked how I knew what I was doing. I asked, did she mean the Magic Loop, or the cables, or which part? All of it, she said! She then told me that she only knows how to do garter stitch, and had someone cast on for her. I can't believe I've been babbling on all this time and she was probably thinking "what are you talking about?!"

I am going to see if we can get together for some lessons, and was so excited thinking about everything I want to show her last night. I realized WOW, I have come a long way in the past year.

How about you, do you remember how it was to be struggling with your first stitches, or the first time you figured out how to fix a mistake? That pulling up the working yarn so the first stitch looks like 2 stitches was the bane of my existence when I started. I was making a scarf that kept getting wider and wider!

Jan in CA · 09-11-2008, 06:27 AM

Oh yeah, I remember coming to KH and asking what I thought were probably the silliest questions. That's funny that you were talking away like she knew what you were talking about.

Now you can teach her some basics!

Debkcs · 09-11-2008, 07:02 AM

(Jan, I love your avatar!)

After crocheting for about thirty years, I had to come here to ask questions. Now I realize that they were really simple things, and I should have looked at Amy's videos (what videos?), or Youtube.

Still learning not to get frustrated with myself when I have to tink or frog.

KnittingNinja · 09-11-2008, 09:15 AM

I remember I used to wonder why ribbing was stretchy. I was just knitting away when it did the scrunching thing, and I was all OMGWTFBBQ what's going on. I posted so many questions and looked all over the internet to try to find the answer.

Now I know it's supposed to do that

SBG · 09-11-2008, 11:57 AM

I remember sitting there with this little learn-to-knit book, trying to figure out how to cast on, and doing a garter stitch scarf in bulky yarn for practice. The scarf is my 4 year old's now; its edges are all uneven from my accidentally picking up extra stitches all over the place. I am not typically a very crafty person, but knitting just clicked for me. I found the videos here and it was off to the races. I love it!

The.Knitter · 09-11-2008, 12:38 PM

I was fortunate enough to have a really good knitting teacher (the lady next door) when I was young. I was unfortunate enough to be young and immature and I did not stick with it. I tried several times, and my pieces were presentable, but I did not have the patience for it. Then time passed and my DD (who was not born when I first learned to knit) got pregnant and I was "off to the races" with the knitting again. After I knit a cute little layette for my DGS, I put away the needles again. Then I picked them up and started knitting. I knit for five years straight before finding this site. My knitting was presentable and neat, but it was nothing spectacular. Then I found KH. OMG have things ever changed since then. I am trying things I never thought I would, and I am trying things that, if I did not have this site, I would NOT have tried. I have a stash (in it's own cabinet) now. I am well organized. I have a binder of "to do list" patterns. I am knitting socks, toys, lace, cables... there is no end to what I can do now!

Once again I would like to take this opportunity to thank Amy and Sheldon for their fabulous site and all the good things that come with it. I would also like to thank my fellow KH members for the support, answers, questions, comments, compliments and most of all for their friendship.

Sometimes movitation comes from a few kinds words, sometimes it comes from a virtual kick in the butt, but always at KH it comes!!!

So in answer to your question... I've come a LONG LONG way, baby!

susi · 09-11-2008, 12:59 PM

Oh criky i can remember sitting in bed with a pattern from lion brand that was described as easy for beginers and not having a clue what rib was, just doing a really badly tensioned what was suppoed to be sqaure. it was awful. i had no internet at the time so no help. i almost gave in but lack of money to buy my son clothes drove me on. Then got the internet and found amy's video's. speakers weren't great so i couldnt hear, but i learnt enough from watching them.

i know i binned what i did first as it was that bad

Mulderknitter · 09-11-2008, 01:19 PM

I made a bookmark and was so frustrated I put the knitting away for about 3 years. Then I picked it up again one day for whatever reason I can't remember.
I remember wanting to do it so bad that I just googled "free knitting help." Been here since that day! I am a bit of a slow goer-I like to learn a few things and stick to those for a while. I am still trying to get a successful sweater out after 3 years, but heck, I can make more than a bookmark now!

knitpurlgurl · 09-11-2008, 01:58 PM

I'm still a newbie to several techniques.. but I think my lack of confidence in knitting was a result of a couple of things: 1.) I learned basically on my own (and watching alot of Knitty Gritty and visiting the videos here on KH) 2.) No one in my immediate family showed any interest in 'domestic/needle arts' so I was made fun of for wanting to try it. 3.) My life has been so crazy busy these last 2 years that practicing hasn't been at the top of my priority list until just recently and 4.) I learned just 2 years ago in my 30's and I am a real VISUAL learner - so reading about how to do things doesn't help me.

I struggled and struggled for the last 2 years. It was just this last summer that I decided to knit every day (thereby practicing and ENJOYING it) and have started to attempt ML, DPNs, and more.. I hope to become a proficient knitter soon. And now when my family and friends laugh and snicker when I pull out my knitting bag (calling me the youngest grandma they know), I just smile to myself and knit on!

laikabear · 09-11-2008, 02:23 PM

Oh yeah, HUUUGE props to Amy & Sheldon!

I never would have gotten to where I am without KH. No teacher would have been as patient as Amy was. I had her tell me how to do the cast-on about 20 times.