I thought the same thing!:yay:
How Far Have You Come?
I just recently looked at the first knitted thing I actually finished, a garter stitch scarf for my DS - it gets wider and narrower and wider again all through the darn thing :roflhard: That was last November!! I was so proud of that scarf and then a couple of weeks later he got a hand knit scarf from his friend (now GF) who was 15 yo at the time and it was soooo perfect :roflhard: I had to laugh at the difference in workmanship and age of the craftswoman!! He cherishes them both though.
Because I work full time, have started school again and had two (now just 1) teenagers at home I haven’t made as much progress as I would like, but it amazes me the things that use to confuse me that seem so simple now. I used to look at a pattern and go :?? What in the world does P2 or kpk mean? . … lol
The first thing I learned to do was cast on, that took me about 2 days. I can’t imagine tackling knitting w/o doing that first.
I have come a far way, but am overly ambitious. I wonder if this last pattern I have started is going to be too much for me. I keep reading on and thinking. . .oh I don’t know if I can do that.
My first project was a sweater, and everyone told me I was nuts to do that as my first project.
I’ve made a lot of stuff and have figured out I am a process knitter and a product knitter.
I still have things to learn. I’ll get to them eventually.
The first thing I ever knitted was a sweater—yeah! I fell for a sweater on the cover of a Mary Maxim catalog, ordered the kit, and got how-to books from the library. Now mind you, it was a dark teal cardigan with a separate buttonband, knitted in variegated green color leaves and purple bobble grapes (LOL) [U]and[/U] 2 knit-in pockets. I even found pewter buttons with grapes on them. Now, I was kinda proud of myself, until a co-worker pointed out that I had done all my knit stitches wrong (she definitely was that kind of person, and I don’t mean in the helpful way); I had knit the [U]back[/U] loop, so all my knit stitches were twisted. At first I was embarrassed, but then I thought, what the heck, [B]I [/B]like it.
It’s surprising when I look back at photos of my first projects. I have come a long way, but sometimes I miss all the nights when I would be up until long after midnight practicing and practicing.
I first learned to knit from a friend in HS in the mid 60s. I have to say I don’t recall anything about it though, or anything I made. Several years later I learned again with books a little help at first from some friends. It was starting all over. Slow progress in learning new things during that period. Later I got to know a lady who ran a LYS and she helped me learn a lot, and opened my world up.
I really think the computer age is the age of knitting. Since I’ve discovered on-line knitting I have learned so much. I run across people who have only been knitting a short time and they know things I never even knew existed until a couple of years ago (or even now). Knitting is so easy and yet so complicated that none of us will ever know everything about it.
This is no joke, I wish I could remember everything I learn. It is hard for me to remember things that I don’t use all the time, and I have to learn them over next time I need them (but I learn faster). I learn a lot making an effort to help other people learn, and have a lot of fun doing it too.
The on-line knitting community is so awesome. 
:roflhard: Man, that must be one heck of a scarf! :teehee:
Yep it was a doozy! Too bad I didn’t keep it.
I learned to knit in school and from my Grandmother back in the 60’s but I don’t remember any of the projects I made I think it was mostly dishcloths and scarfs.I think it’s great that so many of you have learned from books-this site has awesome videos,that’s how I need to learn.
Do you remember how it was to be struggling with your first stitches?
[COLOR="#300090"][FONT=“Comic Sans MS”] 
When it comes to knitting, I’m still there in the struggle! :?? That is why I’ve been lurking around this forum looking for “purls” of wisdom. 
Crochet is my forte and I am currently re-creating a pattern from a FO that is a friend’s heirloom doily. It wasn’t long ago that I had just picked up my hooks after a 30 year absence.
~Jack[/FONT][/COLOR]
Oh yeah, I remember … I learned to crochet when I was very little, over 40 years ago. I crocheted on and off during those years. I tried to learn to knit about 4 years ago and it was HORRIBLe!!! I was so tense and I couldn’t get it if my life had depended on it. However, I hated that it was “beating” me. Watching Knitty Gritty helped SO MUCH - that was before I found KH. After a year of practicing and finally getting comfortable with something other than garter stitch and purling now and then I started branching out to all kinds of things. I’ve learned so much and the inspiration here can’t be beat! I still haven’t made a garment yet … but I will - eventually!
Well, I totally remember where I came from. First thing I knitted was a garter stitch scarf. It was striped, so I tried to weave in all the ends, but they kept popping out.
First wearable garment was a sweater. The slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over (this is mostly used in the netherlands, I hadn’t found out about the internetpatterns in english, so I was knitting a sweater from a dutch magazine) is twisted, the increases are little holes (forgot to twist them) and somewhere in the pattern I made a mistake, so the shoulders are really small, but I’m still proud of it. The sweater was knitted flat with knits and purls and took me ages to finish.
Now, I’m knitting colorwork, cabling, lace and everything you can imagine. I’m much more confident and knitting a sweater like the first one now sounds to boring to survive, but I’m still proud of my first sweater with all its mistakes, because this first sweater made it possible to knit what I’m knitting now.
I think I’ve definitely come a long way since my first garter stitch scarf, but I still think I’m a beginner! I think I’m getting towards intermediate everyday though. I’ve been trying to be a little bit more adventurous with each project.
If it wasn’t for this site- I wouldn’t be knitting. I bought the “I Taught Myself Knitting” book from Wal-mart- but I didn’t really understand the pictures. I kept putting my needle in as to purl, like combined knitting to knit- and someone explained to me here that they knit combined, and how to change the decreases leaning, and I was like “what?!” Now I completely understand.
I also couldn’t bear to part with any practice piece or swatch because it was “my knitting” and I worked so hard at it. LOL not a problem now.
Same book I started with. I learned a little from it, but learned a great deal more here at KH
Learned to knit in 1970…at Manning’s Restaurant…I was the night shift cashier. My manager would knit behind the scenes when business got slow after 8 pm. When I expressed an interest in learning to knit…she handed me 2 semi-sharp pencils and a little ball of yarn…and taught me how to cast on, to make the knit stitch, and the purl stitch. She made it look simple, and I summoned up the courage to give it a go! She said all knitting is a combination of these two simple stitches: knit and purl…period.
I went to the craft store the next day and bought a pair of US8 straight needles, and yarn.
The rest is history.
PS: my first scarf was about 18" wide and 7 feet long! Looked more like a lapghan than a scarf! 
I still remember it…white with blue and red striping at each end!
I learned how to knit here and I knit every day. I’m so grateful for learning how and for the support I’ve gotten over the years. I’ll never forget Ingrid actually taking pictures of how she carries yarn in the back of a project and posting it so I could see.
PS. My first scarf looked like a triangle there were so many extra stitches. That was three years ago.
i’ve come quite a ways… my first project was the weasley sweater for my son (it still fits! he wears it quite a bit, sometimes when he’s cold he even wears it to bed LOL!) and now i’m doing graphs on washcloths… I still have a LONG way to go (like I want to do a double knit blanket with a rampant lion on it, I still have some intarsia to get better at and I have yet to do any stranding).
This thread is so nice. I just started knitting last week, so no problems remembering my first project - haven’t actually started anything but practice swatches! But I feel so inspired that someday I can be just like you guys!
LOL! I learned on pencils, too and a book named “Good Housekeeping Needlecrafts” at age 9 or 10… learned how to long tail cast on, knit and purl. I never ever picked it back up until 4 or 5 years ago and then just to make some dishcloths for gifts. I got bored with the dishcloths until I discovered lace stitches and practiced on more dishcloths. Everyone that I’d done “knit/purl” dishcloths for all of the sudden started getting Lace ones and they were so pleased. I practiced on those until my tolerance level grew and then did afghans and baby blankets.
I thought that circular needles were the most horrible things and hated them. BUT, disliked purling even more. Then, discovered felting and I just love bag making…there are about 15 completed felted bags in my storage box now! I went bag crazy!!! When I finally discovered KH, a thread posting on gardeningclub.com made by a close friend, whose a very active poster here and a total animal advocate, I was in love.
And I use DPNs and circulars mostly…funny how something you hate turns into an obsession!
There are so many friendly people here and so very helpful and I, in turn add a post to help when I feel confident enough to do so. I have come a long way and am thankful to all of you!
Okay, I’m off the soapbox! :yadda: :yadda:
It has been exactly 1 year since I learned to knit and I feel that I’ve come a long way in one year. When I look back at the first scarf I made with the uneven edges and stitches I cringe a bit. But then I realize that I’ve learned alot and gotten much better.
Its been a tough year in our family and my knitting has gotten me through some difficult moments this year.
I can only wonder what the next year will bring in my knitting.
Linda