Friday, August 31, 2007

Gettin' My Knit On

I tried to teach myself how to knit about two years ago. Here's the swatch I made back in ye olde 2005.

Knitting Swatch 1

It's not bad, but it's not great. And this is the only thing I made.

I just couldn't get the hang of it. It was too frustrating. It was slow, my gauge was inconsistent, and I couldn't easily fix mistakes. I put away the knitting needles and went back to my crochet corner where things were back to normal.

But look what I've done:

Knitting Swatch 2

I took out Stitch n' Bitch and finally - FINALLY! - learned how to cast on using the sling shot method. Why I couldn't do it before, I can't tell you. But now - I can cast on like lightening, though I tend to cast on too tightly.

I think this second swatch is a lot better than the first. I don't know whether it's due to the different kind of yarn or a renewed interest in learning or perhaps the planets were so perfectly aligned when I cast on the stitches. Let's hope I get further than just a swatch this time.

4 comments:

Lindsay said...

totally random (because i'm good at that) but have you been to a jhu cast off meeting? i keep thinking of going (one world is like 50 feet from my building) but i never remember at the right time. go me. :)

Sam said...

I never ended up making it to one of the meetings, mainly because lived outside the city when I was going to school. It should be a good group of people though. The organizer was very friendly when I emailed her as I set up the East Baltimore Cast-Offs. They should be active this time of year because classes have only just begun. :)

Tracie said...

Looking good! I've not ever tried to knit, but I know the library is hosting a "learn to knit" program in September. I may go to it for the fun of it, especially since I know the girl who'll be doing the teaching. I don't really want to learn to knit to the point that it takes over my crochet. I'd just kinda like to say "yeah, I tried it". Then when I ever get tired of crochet-as if--I'll at least have a start on its sister craft! :D

Sam said...

Yes, crochet will always be my favorite. I'm just looking to make some of the really cool socks and colorworks projects I've seen on Ravelry. I hope you have a wonderful time at the class!