Weeeellll, I’m still a newbie. Most of my first projects are hidden in the back of my closet. LOL.
A German aunt of mine tried to teach me when I was like 10 or 11, and it just wouldn’t click … even though I’d been crocheting since elementary school.
A year or so ago I watched a couple of episodes of Knitty Gritty on DIY and thought “I can do that!”.
Someday, I hope to really “do that”
So far, I’ve done scarves, a garter stitch afghan, a pair of really badly done mittens and a hat.
This week is my 2 year knit-a-versary! My mom taught me while DH and my dad were in the hospital exchanging a kidney (from dad to DH). She taught me with k1,p1 rib which made my head spin at the time. Looking back I’m glad I learned how to both knit and purl right off the bat (though it was a few days before I could tell which was which!)
First I made 2 iPod arm bands from one of the first issues of Knit 1. Then I made a poncho which I use every day at work (I get cold when I sit still at the computer). I had to pick up stitches for the border, which I did wrong! (and didn’t know it was wrong for almost 2 years)
Then I went through a Bernat Matrix phase where I made a belt for one friend and a kerchief for another. The kerchief was my first experience knitting up from one corner, increasing on each end to make a triangle. Then I made Clementine from 25 Bags to Knit, except I used navy blue simply soft and instead of embroidering the little flowers, I attached tiny picture frame charms. That was my first experience with seed stitch, which I love.
Then I made a bunch of things that I didn’t finish and ended up frogging, like the short-row v neck in SNB which I chose to make out of lion brand microspun - double stranded lime green and purple. It was awful, but I let it get to the 90% point before admitting that the colors were awful and it wasn’t going to work with that yarn ever.
Then I made the Shawl Collared cardigan from Vogue Knitting Fall '05 for my cousin. Then I made a cardigan for my mom with a pattern from Knit It (probably also Fall 05). I also tried to make myself a sweater from a 1980s Vogue knitting book, using mostly Noro Kuryeon with some Cash Iroha. It turned out too small for even our tiniest friend and had to be frogged. I am still trying to figure out what to do with that yarn.
I made a basketweave scarf out of Debbie Bliss alpaca silk, which became my all time most favorite yarn ever, even though it has no body and is basically just a pile of slime (soft slime though!) At the same time I learned a few lace patterns and made three cat’s eye pattern scarfs using size 2 needles. From that I learned never to make anything on size 2s because it just takes too damn long. I also learned that if you goof up in lace it is a huge deal, so you have to pay attention. I should have learned to make a lifeline, but I kept procrastinating and never got around to it.
Then I made my dad a sweater with Big Kuryeon and I made the same sweater for DH with Lamb’s Pride Bulky but princess and the pea finds it too itchy to wear.
Somewhere in there I also made three Meema’s Marsupial purses, one for a grandma, one for my mom and one for MIL. That was my “felting phase”. I also made a shawl for my grandma out of a rainbow ribbon yarn. Plus I made two sets of 4 “spa face cloths”, one in Berroco Cotton Twist for a friend and the other in Sugar N Spice for my other grandma. The cloths were: 1) garter, diagonal up from the corner with a yo border, 2) Seed stitch, 3) Basket weave and 4) Intarsia stripes … so intarsia was the lesson learned there (as well as the lesson that I hate sugar n cream yarn!)
That was the first year. Then, after making all those sweaters, this year I finally learned to properly assemble. I want to ask all those people for the sweaters back so I can re assemble! Every time I see them, I tsk-tsk myself for doing it so obviously wrong. This year I also learned to make hats - in fact, I adapted a flat pattern to DPNs (ribs and everything!) so I wouldn’t have to assemble.
This year, besides proper assembly, my main accomplishment was mastering bi-color brioche, though I haven’t attempted the increases/decreases yet. Nor have I learned to do it in the round as I wanted (nor can I tell the gauge, which is why I have stuck to scarfs in that pattern and not done the sweater I want to make). I also learned cables this year, and they were as easy as my mom said. A little disappointing. I actually find mock cables more fun and a little more visually interesting. I taught a friend of mine to knit and then to do cables, and then talked her into making a DNA pattern scarf using cables. It looks really cool, so I’ll probably try that myself at some point…
My next big challenge is going to be socks. A challenge because I want to do two at a time using the one inside the other method. I will probably use magic loop, which will also be new to me. I just have to finish the sweater I am working on for my mom’s best friend, finally weave all the ends in on my brother’s skully sweater, and make a little more progress on a blanket for a baby due in May and I will be all over it.
On the other hand, remembering all this has made me exhausted! Maybe I’ll just go take a nap (too bad I’m at work, lol).