How do you define an "intermediate" knitter?

A former knitting friend said she thought I am an intermediate knitter. I’ve been knitting since 2010 and can knit socks, hats, ribbing, seed stitch, knit a lace hat once…can work an M1.

Dabbled with several cast on methods blah blah.

So, how do you define an intermediate knitter?

I define it as anyone that can knit better than me.
I learned to knit when I was 9 and never really did anything with it until now. I have made scarves, hats, baby booties, wash cloths with cables in them and that is about it. So am I a beginner or intermediate?

I’ve yet to do cables, myself. I can do discloths, scarves…

I think I’d have done more lace and done a sweater etc but I have severe “mommy brain” right now!

I suppose technically you’d be considered intermediate, but those labels are difficult. Some beginners start off doing things like socks or a cabled sweater and yet you wouldn’t define someone who is new as intermediate. So I dunno. Bravery to attempt difficult projects is part and how do you define that?

Who cares what we are. As long as we are happy knitting :teehee: :teehee:
I have been crocheting for 30 years now but I don’t consider my self an expert. I think I am intermediate. I know what I am doing and can make anything from a pattern.

I agree that it doesn’t matter what you call yourself (or even consider yourself); however, what does matter is the type of patterns you plan to do. It’s always good to read through patterns and figure out whether you know how to do all the required skills or if you’ll need help. And while it’s a good idea to challenge yourself, you don’t want to be so challenged that you become frustrated.

Of course, with KH and YouTube and so many other great knitting sites, it’s pretty easy to learn something at point of use (or on the fly) and do a fairly advanced pattern. As I’m sure you’re aware, though, just doing something once or twice doesn’t make you a pro at it. I often have to watch videos and do something several times before I can wean myself off the computer and do it myself. Then if I remember how to do it several months or years later, then I’ve learned that skill pretty well.

I find it a bit frustrating when signing up for classes. I’m going to Stitches Midwest in August and was a little frustrated in signing up for the classes as I know from experience there are intermediate classes and then there are INTERMEDIATE classes. I like challenges but it’s hard to know just how challenging a class is going to be til you get there. I pretty much signed up for basic classes that had things in them that I haven’t done yet. That way I know/hope I won’t get frustrated.

I think of an intermediate knitter as someone who looks at a string of abbreviations or some instructions for a new technique and doesn’t break out in a cold sweat. Instead they think “I can do that. I may have to pay attention and go slow for a bit until I ‘get it’, but I can do it.”

I’ve never really thought about my definition of an advanced knitter, but following on from the above I guess I would define an advance knitter as some who [U]knows[/U] they can do something, even it they’ve never done it before.

[B]ABC’s Mom[/B] I never attended knitting classes (blessed with both my mother and grandmother being able to knit and teach me) but I do think that the criteria or syllabus should make it clear what knowledge the students need to have before starting the class. I also think it should be made clear when a class is labelled Beginner, Intermediate etc that that level refers to knitting as a whole or just to that method/technique. For example, a class for ‘Beginners in Fairisle’ could be too advanced for someone who is a beginner at knitting, but the right level for someone who is an overall intermediate, but new to Fairisle.

Good response, Clutter! I especially agree with what you said to ABCmom. They should have that info on classes.

By that definition I’d be advanced. I know I can do anything and patterns don’t scare or confuse me. I just ask or look up what I don’t know. I choose not to do some things because I tend to prefer mindless right now. I’d never describe myself as advanced though. Why? Because I’ve only been knitting since 2005. :shrug:

I’ve been knitting since 1974 when my oldest was born, but I’d still consider myself somewhere between a beginner and intermediate. Most of my knitting has been simple things, like hats, children’s raglan sweaters, booties, baby tube socks, baby hats, and such. I found cables to be a lot of fun once I got the hang of it. I was in the process of making a fisherman sweater at one point but lost it in a house fire. I stopped knitting for a few years and when I picked it back up so much had changed. New terminology and methods of doing what used to be simple things have thrown me for a loop. I’ve never learned to knit socks. I would like to learn, but I live in an area where it doesn’t get that cold in the winter and for that reason my husband says he doesn’t need or want knit socks. So, no reason to learn. I guess until my granddaughter is old enough for more fashionable things, I’ll stick with the simple stuff and try to learn and re-learn some of the more complicated stitches as I go.

I hate going to a class and sleeping through it or it’s covering things I’m not prepared for. It’s happened in other areas though I’ve not attended a knitting class because I fully expect I’d either be bored or too challenged.

I think somewhere in classifying beginner, intermediate, or advanced, the ability to adjust patterns to make them fit might be considered.

Me? I knit because I want to and don’t care if I’m a beginner or intermediate. Advanced? Me? :roflhard:

To complicate matters even further, there’s some pattern companies that categorize things like “advanced beginner”. What the heck is that? Who sets the standards here anyway? I’m usually the oddball out anyway because I’m an Eastern European knitter. Most people have never heard of it. Knitting lessons? I’m afraid of those. I have my own shortcuts and ways of doing things that would make a master knitting teacher cringe. They’d probably kick me out of class.

All the classes I’m taking at “Stitches” are classified as ‘easy’. All of them are things like beginning lace, different bind offs, learning continental, beginning intarsia, etc.
This is my first time at a strictly knitting and crocheting event. Thought I’d take it easy this year to see what ‘easy’ really means before I sign up for more difficult classes in the future.

You are fortunate to have someone in the family around to teach you. My grandmother taught me how to crochet, but she lived hours away when I was growing up so I had limited time with her. My mother wasn’t “crafty” at all so things like sewing, crocheting etc. I learned from my grandmother. What I’ve learned about any of the crafts I participate in I pretty much taught myself.

When I was about 17 I bought a book to teach me how to crochet granny squares. It took a long time but I finally got it. Many years later I bought a book and needles to learn to knit. Again, it took a while but I finally got it. It wasn’t until I found this site that I learned to do anything with thoses knits and purls. It would be nice to have someone nearby who knits.

I am so glad I’ve got my knitting group! I met them at my LYS and there was a Friday night knit night. We met at the LYS, then it sold to to woman who took it over and we knit there even after it moved It recently closed so we’ve been knitting at a local restaurant and now a new LYS is opening nearby in June. Guess where we’ll be on Fri. nites! :yay: It’s been probably 6-7 years with the same group for the most part although there’s often new ones, too.

I’d be there right now if I weren’t sick and ready to remove my head. :hair:

BTW… I’m mostly self taught as well. Learned a lot though here and from the knit nite group.

I’m a slow learner and only mastered a top-down vanilla sock in the last few months after four years of knitting. :3

Four years ago, I sweated through casting on, doing the knit stitch and binding off. It was red heart yarn. I had no one to teach me besides the videos on this website. :woot:

I had a stitch n **** locally for a little while but there were only two of us. There’s a knitting guild once a month but it’s something like 12 miles away. I used to ride my bicycle there and back and return kinda late. Once I rode there during a thunderstorm and had to take shelter in a pedestrian underpass with two other cyclists and a drenched dog. (I was actually quite frightened, the rain/hail/lightning/wind were violent!)

The guild leader was impressed I made it. Lol. Anyway, with a two month old, not feasible currently. When she’s a little older, I’ll walk to the local Starbucks and having a solo knit once a week. :slight_smile:

When I read what you have both knitted it tells me that although the items are mostly small and simple you both also have a good set of transferable skills (to borrow a phrase loved by Human Resources Departments the world over). You can shape your work by increasing, decreasing and doing short rows/turning the knitting: sweaters, hats, bootees, socks. You can read your knitting and maintain your stitch count when switching your yarn backwards and forwards: ribbing and cables. You can follow a pattern (instructions and stitch combination). I think a lot of people knitting for children do simple patterns not because they can’t do complicated work but because they are working to a deadline called “I want to finish it before my kid has a growth spurt!”

I didn’t think about being able to adjust patterns, but yes it could be a valid factor.

The first problem with pattern categories is do they refer to the skill level of the knitter or the complexity of the pattern which is not always the same thing. So does “advanced beginner” mean someone who has passed the very basics but not quite reached intermediate or a pattern design that is the next step up from beginner. I think there is no universal standard although The Craft Yarn Council is trying to encourage this.

I’ve heard it said that a real artist will use whatever is available to create art but a student needs good brushes and the right paints, etc. I’m thinking a truly advanced knitter will be able to use whatever is available and make something useful and attractive, won’t be chained to a pattern, can improvise, knows when to consult with others. I’d like to be that knitter. Creative and artistic, beyond crafting to a higher plane. Hey, I can dream can’t I?