My best advice to new knitters and crocheters is BE FEARLESS, it’s the only way you will A) advance and quickly & B) find out what you thought was ‘hard’ is a piece of cake!!!
Using myself as an example, I started by making a simple dog sweater (because I shaved my dogs a little early in the year :teehee:). I found KH for help and by my 2nd dog sweater (thanks to KH’s handy videos) I made #2 below (same pattern but with fair isle). Yes, I had to frog once because my stitches were too tight when changing colors, but it was a learning experiece.
Sweater #1:
Sweater #2:
Then I kept hearing people say ‘cables are easy’ and I thought ‘sure mac!’. So I did a swatch by casting on 20 stitches and making a simple 6 stitch cable down the middle and sure enough they were right.
So the best knitting advice anyone can ever give you is [B][COLOR=Red]BE FEARLESS!!! NOW GO FORTH AND KNIT A LOT! [/COLOR][/B]
P.S. I also was knitting without looking in the dark within a year…because no one ever told me I couldn’t!
What was it Terry Pratchett wrote…something about five exclamation points on the end of a sentence is the sure sign of a diseased mind…?
At some point or other, I read a knitting blog, and whoever it was was talking about their hero of the year. Their hero was a young woman who was just learning to knit. She gave a quote from this new knitter, who said that “everything about knitting that she thought was going to be scary and hard, had turned out to be fun and easy”, and that knitting had not only opened her world to the craft and art of knitting, but also to finding out so much about herself and how much she can do even though she’s afraid that she can’t.
That really touched me, and I’ve never forgotten it, or her, ever since reading it.
There’s no courage in doing things that you know you can do. When you’re afraid of failing or of not being good enough, that’s when you need courage to try anyway. Find that courage and try it out, because it really is easy and fun once you learn how – and you’ll discover that you can do things that you never thought you could.
This is true, fearlessness in knitting can be a good life lesson. I just have never been the type to say ‘that’s too hard’. Hence, my husband says the first time I made him German Chocolate Cake it was the best he’s ever had (and he’s an expert at it ;)).
Learn Hebrew? Sure. No problem. It’s easier than it seems. I’m learning to speak, read and write it and like knitting, it’s awesome!
:flirt:
Whatever your interest, in knitting or in life…go for it. Not everyone WANTS to learn lace (or Hebrew), do it if you want.
As far as I’m concerned it’s only if you DON’T try that you lose. Even if once into it you decide you hate it, say you try entrelac and it’s not as hard as it seems, but you decide you’re never going to wear those entrelac socks. Frog it! You’ve learned a new technique and you’ve proven it’s really not hard at all!
That’s my next technique to accomplish, BTW. Looks easy!
Being fearless is an excellent life philosophy.
If you never do anything you haven’t done before, well then you’ll never do anything new, will you?
Eat raw squid. Go skydiving. Knit something you’ve never seen before. Join Peace Corps. Write a book. Whatever.
With the possible exception of Laws of Physics and Medical issues, “I can’t” is just an excuse for "I don’t want to."
If you don’t want to, say so. But trust me. You absolutely CAN.
I totally agree. I just started knitting a few months ago. One day I just felt like knitting. So I did. I bought some cheap yarn and needles from Zellers, and watched youtube videos on how to knit. I’ve come a long way in a short period of time. I am now knitting sweaters, hats, dresses, blankets, and toys, and I am quite comfortable giving them as gifts. With each project I complete, I have learned something new. My mom even told me yesterday that I am so talented, she’s jealous! Note to self: I must make my mom a sweater as a thank you for her kind words!!
Knitting, however, is definitely a place to be fearless and embrace imperfections. I think that because I learned when I was young, I was never afraid to try anything. It’s just string, right?
I wish I was as fearless in the rest of my life, but at least I’ll be wearing a lovely sweater when I back out.:teehee:
Yes, knitters can make anything as long as they try. Also, I find that knitters are very interesting people. They seem to make things happen. Nothing stands in their way.
Here is my “wonderful” learning experience…When I was about 24 I was working at Neiman Marcus in the Epicure (Food) department and going to school full time. I had an opportunity to take a backpacking trip thru the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. By taking this trip we would earn class credits in geology, world lit and physical education. To prepare for the trip we had to meet once a week for 4 weeks. Well, I went to the prep classes all dressed up in my Neiman Marcus work clothes. The world lit instructor thought I was going to be a primadonna on the hiking trip(he told me this at the end of the trip). We (28 of us) drove from Texas to Tennessee camping along the way. We started at the beginning of the Appalachian Trail and hiked 21 days. We carried everything we were going to us. We didn’t hike and camp where there were showers or anything. We weren’t even allowed to bring soap. I mean major primitive. We relied on ourselves only. We worked as a team hiking as many as 8 miles a day. I never complained to my instructors about the exhaustion, pain in my ankles, the freezing weather, the fact that I ran out of sanitary napkins, the lack of coffee, cold & hot water or anything else we didn’t have. Let me tell you, I learned that trip that I could do ANYTHING I put my mind to. When I got home, I found a better job in management and had a new outlook on life. I will always remember that.
Funny thing is that if I ever had to do that again, I could knit myself a hat (cause I didn’t have one) and wool socks.
I couldn’t agree more. Diving in and trying is the best way to learn. I’ve learned far more from my mistakes than anything. What’s the worst that can happen? Ya frog and try again.
Yes, total fearlessness is great…in knitting, which is easy to frog back and re-do. I do think it appropriate to mention that there ARE some things in life in which fear and caution are perfectly good responses to have. Part of life is all about knowing when to overcome fear and when to listen to it, really.
Squid? Nah, not for me, thanks! I’ve had it before and not cared for it.
I liked calamari till some “wonderful” person walked by my table in a restaurant and said “you know you’re eating squid??” :noway: Up to that point I’d been blissfully unaware. It was of course battered and deep fried so it tasted pretty much like fish. Raw…:ick: not so much. I don’t like sushi either.
I completely agree! So many things that have looked complicated while reading the pattern have worked out easily once I’ve knit up to that point and have the piece in my hands. Just do it! :woot:
I do like sushi! There’s just something about the texture of squid that doesn’t do a thing for me. It’s best if it’s really really fresh, of course, the texture’s a lot better then, but…I just like other fish better.
Now I love squid or whatever you call it. The Greek in me was taught at a young age it was delicious! But sushi, no way!!! I don’t eat anything in the meat, fish, category at all that is not cooked!!
I try what is considered the advanced patterns and find them a bit challenging especially if I don’t know a stitch or method. I learn by doing the advanced and then the next is easy for me. I learned the hard way about using life lines because I became the frogging queen at home by my sons.
Now does anyone have advice about how I can learn to read Japanese. My pattern books of which I have a few, lol, some are written in Japanese. I would love to be able to read them as looking at the pictures isn’t enough. I will admit at the moment they are crochet books but really awesome patterns. Some important information or new technique is in a foreign language.
Kudo’s for learning Hebrew!!!
Traveling away from home was an experience for me and I would like to do it again. I am not what you say a comfortable traveler as airplanes make me nervous but I did go to Greece at age 25 and was there for two weeks and it was the best experience I ever had. I had a good grasp of the language and well loved the place!
Good advice, but I think your exclamation point key is stuck. :teehee:
