I posted the other day that the “how to” booklet on knitting was “greek to me”. Well, yesterday I sat down with the yarn and the set of needles from the kit. I popped in the instructional DVD and watched the gal “cast on”. I had it down fairly quickly (the kids were cheering me on) so I moved on to the English Knitting Method. That too began to click and before I knew it I knitted about 5 rows of neat little stitches. I couldn't watch the DVD during quiet time to figure out the other methods (kids napping in that room) so I plopped into the recliner with my yarn, needle and instruction book.
Within minutes I figured out the Continental Method of Knitting. After several rows of that, I decided I liked the English Method better. While the Continental Method was supposed to require less hand movement, it required more left hand movement than I was comfortable with. It began to feel like carpal tunnel waiting to happen. So, I went back to practicing the English Method and found a smooth groove. Encouraged, I moved on to the English Method of Purling. I picked this up fairly quickly after deciphering the instructions. Since I wasn’t a fan of Continental Knitting, I passed on Continental Purling.
Things I learned yesterday:
o Casting On
o English Method of Knitting
o Continental Method of Knitting
o English Method of Purling
o You must count the stitches as you are “dropping” the old one or you’ll end up increasing/decreasing without realizing it.
o If you use the same piece of yarn over and over, it will begin to fray and make the process more difficult each time (I kept pulling it out and starting over and over and over to practice)
o It takes a bit to figure out tension and rhythm, so be patient.
o The Garter Stitch generates by repeating multiple rows of the knit OR purl stitch.
o The Stockinette Stitch is produced by alternating one row of knitting and one row of purling (this is actually pretty cool looking).
o I need to watch the instructional video to figure out the “Bar Increase” (attempted it but I don’t think I got it right)
So, I spent a few hours studying the art of knitting yesterday and I’d say it was a fairly productive venture. The plan is to eventually knit a pair of mittens (it’s a kit).