Ok, let me first say...Whoop, Whoop, It's Friday!!! Ok now that we got that out of the way... Five on Friday 1. I always knit just one project at a time. Why? Well, because I hate to look in my knitting needle case (bit.ly/2H4KXjh) and not see all my knitting needles there. Because, then I start to panic, and that's never good. Just ask my Faithful Sherpa! 2. I won't knit adult size sweaters any longer. About 6 years ago, I knit the most beautiful moss green, cable sweater, with the intention of giving it to a friend of mine. Everything is done, the back is knit, the front is knit, the sleeves are knit, The only thing left to do is seam it up, and knit the collar. But there it sits, on the shelf in my back bedroom, delicately wrapped in a plastic bag, waiting for me to finish the project. "Have you seamed your sweater yet," Sharon would ask. Nope. A month later, "Have you seamed your sweater yet," Sharon would ask again. Nope. Maybe someday I'll get to it but for now, I'll leave it sit on the shelf. 3. I don't swatch. Shhh, don't tell anyone I just said that! But sometimes I just get so excited about the project, that I don't want to spend the time knitting a swatch, I just want to dive right in and knit! Maybe that's why I stopped knitting sweaters and moved over to shawls, cowls, and vests! It really doesn't matter if you swatch. 4. I don't want to move back on a boat! I never thought I'd say that. Living on a boat for 22 years has been incredible. But oh boy, it's super fantastically wonderful to live in a house! Like the best thing ever, like, better than receiving a whole bag of Madeline Tosh Vintage yarn for free. Better than a good glass of wine. Like, better than. . .wait. . .strike that last statement! 5. I look like a space cadet when I'm trying to think thru a new knitting project. Yup, and most of the time people worry about me. But don't worry, I'm all right. When I'm thinking about creating a new garment, to me, there's smoke pouring out my ears because I'm working so hard (in my mind) to lay out my new project. But in reality, it looks like I'm just sitting there, staring out the window, doing nothing. Really, my friends, I'm "working" and not just being a space cadet! This Week in Review I absolutely love it when you teach someone how to knit, and they get it! This is my friend, Michelle McBeen. Michelle hasn't knit in almost 30 years. But last night, she came to knit night with the intention of learning how to knit again. "The last time I tried knitting, it came out too tight. I couldn't put my needles in the stitches. I got so frustrated that put the needles down and stopped knitting." Last night, Michelle arrived full of enthusiasm. She could't wait to start knitting! I showed her the needles and yarn I had picked out for her, She instantly picked up both needles, and held on to them, anxiously waiting to start. I gave her the packet of material I put together for her. We talked thru what was in there, Lion Brand How to Knit document, (bit.ly/2H1OpLy), Create for Less' article on How to Choose the Right Knitting Needles (bit.ly/2EduEyM), Yarn Craft Council's How to Read a Knitting Pattern (bit.ly/2lXpX7Q) and Yarn Craft Council's article Yarn Weight System (bit.ly/2nOvoEu) And still she sat, with knitting needles in hand, anxiously waiting to start knitting! I showed her how to cast on using the Knitted Cast On method (bit.ly/2nYSNSG), then I handed her the needles and had her try. We all whooped with joy after Michelle created her first stitch! "That's it, you did it!" I asked her to cast on 30 stitches, but instead she cast on 31. "Lets remove one stitch, so you can see how easy it is." I said. "Aaawww, really?" But she removed it. And then we tried knitting. I explained that the Knitted Cast On method was essentially knitting, except, when casting on, you are transferring the stitch you just created onto the left hand needle. But when you knit, you keep the new stitch on the right hand needle, slipping the old stitch off the left hand needle. I watched Michelle, as she knit away on her first row. She was so happy to be knitting again! After she completed her first row, we examined her work. Her stitches were nice and even but you could see that they were tight. I noticed she took extra wraps around her hand with the working yarn. Aha! That's the reason for the tight stitches!
We talked thru how people hold the working yarn. I showed her how I hold it when I'm knitting American (throw). Then Rosina showed her how she holds the yarn when she knits, which was completely different than how I do it. On the next row, MIchelle tried holding the working yarn completely different. "Oh my goodness, look, I'm knitting. . .loose!" By the end of the night, Michelle had completed 12 rows! She was so proud of herself, as she should be. Her work, her stitches, and most importantly, her attitude towards knitting were full of excitement. I just love it when I see someone so happy and excited about learning a new craft. I can't wait to see how far she's gotten the next time she comes to knit night! Keep up the good work, Michelle. You'll have your scarf completed in no time!
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