I started about 2 years ago. I was going to be off work for 7 weeks after surgery, and being me, I needed something to keep me busy so I wouldn’t go insane. That being said, I live in Wisconsin, so 9 months out of the year is sweater weather. I L-O-V-E sweaters, but I am 6’2", so my sweaters never fit well. They are always too short in the sleeves and body, or I buy XL (I am a medium) and deal with the bagginess to get the sleeve length. So I thought, “Hey…how awesome would it be if I could knit my own sweaters, custom made for my long arms and torso while maintaining a proper medium fit?!” Well, I bought a ton of yarn, a few sizes of needles, and “teach yourself to knit” book that came with a stitch holder, row counter, markers and a ruler. I got stumped right away studying the book and trying to follow all the arrows and directions. So I went online and found this site. Amy’s videos taught me everything I needed to start, and soon I was making scarves and hats (nothing too complicated). I remember trying to find a mitten pattern that I could understand, and finding that it was like trying to read Chinese. But as I started looking up what everything meant and learning how to do it (psso, and ssk were real buggers) I was able to do more and more intricate projects without getting stuck and quitting. I have since then expanded my needle collection to include circular and DPNs, and finally completed my first sweater a couple months ago (a striped turtleneck). I can’t begin to tell you how awesome it was to put on that sweater and have it fit like it was tailor-made for me (because it was!). It gave me the confidence to tackle a cardigan with button holes, which I finished about a week ago. I was so pleased with how it turned out, that I am currently making another one. This site has always had the answers I’ve needed when being stumped by a pattern. And I’ve learned so many helpful tips from everyone, like casting on with a larger needle so the edge isn’t too tight. I am so happy to have finally accomplished my goal of making my own sweater. I want to hear from other people what made them start knitting, and how they’ve evolved as knitters.
Sarah
I would love to read this story, but can’t because the huge paragraph is difficult. My eyes jump when moving from the end of one line to the beginning of the next.
Would it be possible for you to break up the story into some smaller paragraphs?
It looks interesting! 
Done, DogCatMom It didn’t look this big when I was typing in the smaller window.
I started about 2 years ago. I was going to be off work for 7 weeks after surgery, and being me, I needed something to keep me busy so I wouldn’t go insane.
That being said, I live in Wisconsin, so 9 months out of the year is sweater weather. I L-O-V-E sweaters, but I am 6’2", so my sweaters never fit well. They are always too short in the sleeves and body, or I buy XL (I am a medium) and deal with the bagginess to get the sleeve length.
So I thought, “Hey…how awesome would it be if I could knit my own sweaters, custom made for my long arms and torso while maintaining a proper medium fit?!” Well, I bought a ton of yarn, a few sizes of needles, and “teach yourself to knit” book that came with a stitch holder, row counter, markers and a ruler. I got stumped right away studying the book and trying to follow all the arrows and directions.
So I went online and found this site. Amy’s videos taught me everything I needed to start, and soon I was making scarves and hats (nothing too complicated). I remember trying to find a mitten pattern that I could understand, and finding that it was like trying to read Chinese. But as I started looking up what everything meant and learning how to do it (psso, and ssk were real buggers) I was able to do more and more intricate projects without getting stuck and quitting.
I have since then expanded my needle collection to include circular and DPNs, and finally completed my first sweater a couple months ago (a striped turtleneck). I can’t begin to tell you how awesome it was to put on that sweater and have it fit like it was tailor-made for me (because it was!). It gave me the confidence to tackle a cardigan with button holes, which I finished about a week ago. I was so pleased with how it turned out, that I am currently making another one.
This site has always had the answers I’ve needed when being stumped by a pattern. And I’ve learned so many helpful tips from everyone, like casting on with a larger needle so the edge isn’t too tight. I am so happy to have finally accomplished my goal of making my own sweater. I want to hear from other people what made them start knitting, and how they’ve evolved as knitters.
Sarah
I just started knitting 3 days ago. I started because I have always admired knitting and thought it would be an awesome hobby. I finally self taught myself and now I can’t stop! I love it so much! I am now perfecting my first project being a small pet blanket for my little dog. Any advice for a newbie would be appreciated.
That’s great! Now you can have some custom sweaters.
I started knitting for relaxation.
I taught my self to knit while I was in High school in the 1970’s. After graduating I got married and then served one tour of duty in the US Navy where my oldest son was born. He was born with medical problems and birth defects. Dealing with him, I completely forgot about knitting. Fast forward to the age of computers , I found a forum where I rediscovered my knitting and started back. One of the first things I learned after getting the computer was the Magic Loop way of knitting. Then made mittens and gloves,hats and scarves for youngest son , daughter-in-law and grandson who are living in VA. where my son serves in the US Navy. They look forward to what I make for them and put in a request every now and then.
I crocheted for years, but I really liked the looked of knitting better so 8 yrs or so ago I taught myself with the help of this forum and the internet. 
I starting knitting about 2 years ago because I wanted a proper replica of Tom Baker’s huge scarf that he wears in Doctor Who. I didn’t like any of the ones you could buy on-line. Then I found DoctorWhoScarf.com which had replica patterns of all the scarves he wore. Being me, I picked the longest one (the Shada scarf) and surprised my husband one Sunday by coming home with 12 skeins of yarn. It took me 3 months to finish and is 18 feet long, but i love it and wear it every winter.
It wasn’t until after I finished my 3rd Doctor Who scarf (I made a smaller one for my 5 year old cousin and the Season 18 one for me) that I branched out and started the blanket that I’m currently working on. That led me to regularly read this forum for tips and advise and consequently find more patterns to do. I will eventually do a non-square/oblong project. I do want to do a sweater. I have found I can’t go more than a few days without knitting. I’ve always been a creative person (graduated college with an art degree) and I’m happiest when I’m making things. :mrgreen:
Actually when my mom knitted sweaters in front of me, then I would be interested to knit sweaters. So I have started to learn sweaters from my mom when I was in 9th standard.
I started knitting 2 years ago to help with panic/anxiety attacks and agoraphobia. Mostly I taught myself but have learned a lot from this amazing site! I still have yet to make anything for myself even though my husband insists I do… That just isn’t who I am, I HATE making this for myself so I make them for others. Knitting relaxes me and makes me happy.
I started knitting about 5 years ago now. Wow, thats crazy! Definitely doesn’t seem that long! I started because my husband (boyfriend at the time) stepmom crocheted and his stepsister knitted. I wanted to learn and thought it would be something fun for me to do while he was playing he beloved (at the time) xbox! I learned via youtube videos and various books!
about 3 years ago I decided I wanted to learn how to crochet as well so I hopped back on youtube and learned how to crochet!
I watched my mother knit as a child, but my mother didn’t know how to teach me. So when I saw another child knitting at school, I asked the child to show me. (I was around 9 years old, around 45 years ago.) I caught onto the basics, and began shopping for yarn at the 5&Dime. I picked up a knitting pattern with instructions for “how to knit.” And I taught myself the rest from that book.
For many years after childhood, I set aside knitting in favor of other crafts - including crochet and sewing. But the fervor reignited around 15 years ago, and I have been knitting in earnest ever since. While I am not the most technically proficient knitter here (that would probably be Dolyce - our ArtLady) I can now knit without a pattern and prefer conceptualizing my own designs. They may be simple, but they are mine. :teehee:
I enjoy this community and would love to hear how/when others started knitting.
My join date here is when I really started knitting. I’d learned how to make knits and purls, slip sts, and had made a scarf in blue and white stripes and was laboring over a dishcloth pattern from a ball of cotton yarn. I was a hooker, crochet hooks made it easy to get the yarn through the loop and learning how to do that without the hook was challenging to me. I was going to crochet a requested sweater for my grandson who had chosen yarn for it. I didn’t like the way it was crocheting and that left only one option: knit it. With help from here I actually did knit a sweater with pockets, buttonholes, and a hood. He was pleased. Now I’m really into sox. Oddly enough, mine are all stockinette and rib, I and those I knit for prefer Plain Jane Sox. Go figure. Knitting helps me be nearly normal at least part of the time. :mrgreen:
I started knitting in June 2013. I had wanted to learn for about 10 years, and didn’t know anyone to teach me. My DH bought me a how to knit kit for mothers day last year, and my obsession started. I had read Debbie Macomber’s Blossom Street books, and they were what made me want to learn. I regret not trying to learn sooner!! I tend to be OCD about things, and I went through a period where his made dish clothes, and probably made 50 of them!! Now I’m knitting socks, and a blanket for my little boy.
I don’t remember exactly WHY but I found this website, learned how to cast on etc etc 5ish years ago.
:woot: