I have set a relative beginner in knitting techniques the challenge of your Fuss Free Frstival shawl. She had a large ball of pretty variegated wool and wanted the colours to be the star. She is thoroughly enjoying herself, as did I when I made the same shawl although I consider myself a competent knitter.
As a newly addicted knitter, I am actually loving making scarves. It could be soon that my family will drown in them 😆 Maybe it's time to force them to wear my socks!
quite literally my own story! When I returned to knitting in my 30s after having learned as a wee one from a grandma....(I think). I flounced into the original site of Fibre Space in Alexandria, VA and announced, "I'd like to knit some socks". A lovely shop gal came over - pointed out sock yarns, needles and a how to book. Never once telling me it would be "Hard"....of course my first pair were wonky, but from there it's been so much fun to learn new things, grow my skills and keep knitting...
Come to think of it, I probably stopped knitting when little because scarves were miserable and boring for a kid with lots of energy!
So true! I taught myself to knit so didn’t know what was supposed to be hard. My first finished project was a pikachu hat for my son, complete with ears on the top and a duplicate stitch face. I used DPNs and did so many techniques. But I learned and it was so much more fun than some tiny swatch or huge scarf. I got the bug!
Brilliant! It's a shame that socks are considered difficult, because they're probably my favorite thing to knit! So many times I've been knitting along on a sock and someone (who also knits!) thinks I'm doing a magic trick. How much creativity has been stifled by the idea that a task is too difficult?
My first proper knitting project and the first one I ever finished (scarves etc abandoned with boredom) was a Kaffe Fassett design. I loved the details, the intricacies, I loved learning how to do it on the job and all in the days before the internet could help. Just go for what you want to make, that’s my mantra.
Garter stitch scarves have their place though. My colleague has dyspraxia and loved knitting two as her first projects. For her next one I persuaded her to try a simple triangular shawl with a kfb at one end of the row and a k2tog at the other, she needed my help at the end of every row as she couldn’t get the hang of the kfb, so she gave up!
Sarah Swett who writes as sarahcswett.substack.com (The Gusset is a marvel of words and images and enthusiasms and Beryl, the dog), renowned tapestry weaver, knitter, sewist and fibre investigator said to me when I described myself as a beginner tapestry weaver "Oh! The excitement of being a beginner!" And that brought it all to life for me. I had all my own experience and life adventures to bring to this new thing; my explorations would be no-one else's.
What a mentor, teacher, friend can give are some tips learned from experience on technique but otherwise - go explore!
I’ve never thought of socks in this light. I might try them!
I started with an uncomplicated hat pattern. The process of making it could be an analogy for my life. It wasn’t pretty! I restarted no less than 50 times; my husband will corroborate. (After watching me work this hat for him for months, he lost it after wearing it a second time. 🙄)
I wish I would have started with a scarf!
But I’ve always been someone who goes after what I want. Why make a scarf if I don’t want a scarf? And I’ve always been one who fails to read and follow patterns. Sigh. Maybe I’ll learn. Someday.
I love knitting socks and have been doing so for ages, but would say I'm consciously competent - I still need a written instruction for turning the heel!
The beginners mind has served me well in many areas of my life. I loved what you said here - "And no matter how expert we might be in something, there’s a lot to be said for stepping back sometimes and seeing it fresh, with a beginners mind. We might be surprised at what we find." Such a great read. :)
When I was a teenager I got the knitting bug in a big way. I just raided my mums pattern books and stash and just knitted anything I fancied. I started with vintage baby matinee coats (getting my mum or nan to explain the abbreviations) and then I was on to adult garments. I’d knitted an Aran sweater (dress - it grew!) an Icelandic colourwork yoked sweater and even another Aran in red mohair (it was the 80’s 🙄), all before I went to Uni. I’ve never ever knitted a garter stitch scarf!
I have set a relative beginner in knitting techniques the challenge of your Fuss Free Frstival shawl. She had a large ball of pretty variegated wool and wanted the colours to be the star. She is thoroughly enjoying herself, as did I when I made the same shawl although I consider myself a competent knitter.
As a newly addicted knitter, I am actually loving making scarves. It could be soon that my family will drown in them 😆 Maybe it's time to force them to wear my socks!
quite literally my own story! When I returned to knitting in my 30s after having learned as a wee one from a grandma....(I think). I flounced into the original site of Fibre Space in Alexandria, VA and announced, "I'd like to knit some socks". A lovely shop gal came over - pointed out sock yarns, needles and a how to book. Never once telling me it would be "Hard"....of course my first pair were wonky, but from there it's been so much fun to learn new things, grow my skills and keep knitting...
Come to think of it, I probably stopped knitting when little because scarves were miserable and boring for a kid with lots of energy!
So true! I taught myself to knit so didn’t know what was supposed to be hard. My first finished project was a pikachu hat for my son, complete with ears on the top and a duplicate stitch face. I used DPNs and did so many techniques. But I learned and it was so much more fun than some tiny swatch or huge scarf. I got the bug!
Brilliant! It's a shame that socks are considered difficult, because they're probably my favorite thing to knit! So many times I've been knitting along on a sock and someone (who also knits!) thinks I'm doing a magic trick. How much creativity has been stifled by the idea that a task is too difficult?
My first proper knitting project and the first one I ever finished (scarves etc abandoned with boredom) was a Kaffe Fassett design. I loved the details, the intricacies, I loved learning how to do it on the job and all in the days before the internet could help. Just go for what you want to make, that’s my mantra.
Garter stitch scarves have their place though. My colleague has dyspraxia and loved knitting two as her first projects. For her next one I persuaded her to try a simple triangular shawl with a kfb at one end of the row and a k2tog at the other, she needed my help at the end of every row as she couldn’t get the hang of the kfb, so she gave up!
Sarah Swett who writes as sarahcswett.substack.com (The Gusset is a marvel of words and images and enthusiasms and Beryl, the dog), renowned tapestry weaver, knitter, sewist and fibre investigator said to me when I described myself as a beginner tapestry weaver "Oh! The excitement of being a beginner!" And that brought it all to life for me. I had all my own experience and life adventures to bring to this new thing; my explorations would be no-one else's.
What a mentor, teacher, friend can give are some tips learned from experience on technique but otherwise - go explore!
A beginner mindset is indeed helpful in so many ways! Loved reading this one.
I’ve never thought of socks in this light. I might try them!
I started with an uncomplicated hat pattern. The process of making it could be an analogy for my life. It wasn’t pretty! I restarted no less than 50 times; my husband will corroborate. (After watching me work this hat for him for months, he lost it after wearing it a second time. 🙄)
I wish I would have started with a scarf!
But I’ve always been someone who goes after what I want. Why make a scarf if I don’t want a scarf? And I’ve always been one who fails to read and follow patterns. Sigh. Maybe I’ll learn. Someday.
I love knitting socks and have been doing so for ages, but would say I'm consciously competent - I still need a written instruction for turning the heel!
The beginners mind has served me well in many areas of my life. I loved what you said here - "And no matter how expert we might be in something, there’s a lot to be said for stepping back sometimes and seeing it fresh, with a beginners mind. We might be surprised at what we find." Such a great read. :)
When I was a teenager I got the knitting bug in a big way. I just raided my mums pattern books and stash and just knitted anything I fancied. I started with vintage baby matinee coats (getting my mum or nan to explain the abbreviations) and then I was on to adult garments. I’d knitted an Aran sweater (dress - it grew!) an Icelandic colourwork yoked sweater and even another Aran in red mohair (it was the 80’s 🙄), all before I went to Uni. I’ve never ever knitted a garter stitch scarf!