Sunday, April 24, 2011

Knit-Pick


OMG - I want to learn how to knit so badly!! If only I had another 3 hours in every day... A whole bunch of people have been trying to motivate me, tempting me with books and gorgeous photos. And have you ever notice that knitting mags are the most appealing?

Disclosure: My father did teach me to knit - what is it with the men in my life learning crafts so they can teach me?? - when I was a child. As I'm left-handed, he had to figure out how to sew, then how to turn it around, then how to make it knowable to me.

And I promptly gave it up when it became apparent to me that I was going to learn how to do some math and read a pattern. Children are such ingrates. But don't worry Dad! Next time I'll stick with it!

* You have to check out Suzy's blog for more unbelievable photos from "A Stitch in Time - Vintage Knitting and Crochet Patterns 1920-1949: Volume 1".

8 comments:

  1. Yay!! I know, it's a gorgeous book! And I want almost all the knitwear on it.

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  2. That top is amazing.

    I used to knit and crochet too. Why do we stop doing the things we love?

    My theory is that sewing and cooking skills lead to better math and science skills.

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  3. Looking forward to your knitting experiments! I know you can't resist...

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  4. Yeah I see what you mean. If you continue to throw up pics like that I may be tempted to dust off my hooks. But like you, time isn't exactly on my side either:)

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  5. My mom is a lefty and taught me to knit when I was 11 or 12. I worked my ass off on my oh, 8" scarf for my doll. At the end, I had this vaguely trapazoid shaped scarf and thought, it took that long and it's not even right? And immediately decided sewing was more interesting since I didn't have to "make" the fabric.

    Now I kinda wish I'd stuck with it a little longer. One of these days I'll get her (or my MIL) to teach me to knit again but right now it would just be another hobby I don't have enough time for. I do like reading the Yarn Harlot's blog.

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  6. Suzy: It's just beautiful

    Susan: You are SO right.

    Wendy: What do you mean???? I can stop any time I want.

    V: Dust 'em off. How much time can it take :-)

    Chutchings: Hilarious tale of the doll scarf. I'm at that stage right now! Do you actually knit left-handed? I'm knitting right-handedly. It's easier to deal with patterns that way.

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  7. You know I'm not sure. I am right handed, I think my mom would have tried to teach me right handed. As I said, I didn't stick with it for long.

    The lefty/righty issue is part of why I might ask my MIL for lessons when I do decide to re-learn. She lives in MB so it would need to be a knitting boot camp in one province or another, but she's such a good knitter and right handed. My mom knits mitts (to sell) and that's about it. She's got the pattern in her head and doesn't vary from it. I've seen her try a sweater once and she lost interest before she got to the sleeves, turned it into mittens 10 years later. I'd be more inclined to the same kinds or projects you would, I suspect, where pattern reading would be helpful. I did pick up the book "The Happy Hooker" which is about crochet, but seriously, how do you not buy a book with that title? There are a few little sweaters and a purse in that book I like. But I've never managed to get the second row going for crochet.

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  8. C: I bet you knit right handed - apparently that's the way most lefties do it, so it's probably the way your mum taught you. You might knit continental style, though. That's easier for lefties because the work is divided more evenly between the hands (and, therefore, brain hemispheres). Mind you, English is working for me so I'm not going to rock the boat.

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