Learning to knit

So to give a rundown of where I've come from...

I started knitting in September of 2010. Which, by this point, means I've been knitting for about 4 months. Yep, thats it. Funny thing is, I've absolutely fallen in love with the hobby. I've always been a crafty type, having grown up doing almost every type of needle-art there is at one point or another. I know mom tried to teach me knitting and crocheting at one point, but she was never big in it - and so neither was I. My mom's a quilter, but I never could much get as into that hobby as she had. I loved her work - but sewing with a machine was never my forte. I prefer stuff that is mobile and more of "handwork" than machine sewing. I also very much like having something to do with my hands while I'm watching tv or doing other things that don't require me to do be doing much. I play table-top games with friends quite often, and when you aren't rolling dice - there just isn't much to do other than fiddle with things on the table. So why not put my hands to good use, right? Well sometime in September, some people started chatting over an email list I frequent about knitting - seeking out other knitters. I hadn't ever picked up the hobby, but seeing how many did enjoy it... I thought about trying it out. Perhaps it'd be something I could do while gaming or watching tv..

I started with a scarf, as all newbie knitters do. I learned the knit-garter stitch quickly, and then was ready for more! I must say - www.knittinghelp.com is an awesome website for learning how to knit :D Then I found Ravelry. Zomg. Sooo many patterns. So many yarns. I found a pattern for some fingerless mitts that I just had to try...

[insert screeching halt noise here]

Okay, so turns out those mitts were quite a bit above my beginner skill level. Thin yarn + cabling + lace stitches = difficult for someone who has only so far mastered... the knit stitch. *grin*. So drop the thin yarn (hadn't learned the term "frog" yet!) till I get some more experience.

Picked up a hat pattern that looked really pretty.. This time its a lace pattern through and through. But I didn't really know that at the time, I just thought it was pretty. So I give it a go. I learn what a purl stitch is, as well as a yarn over, a make one, and so on. Yay for knittinghelp.com. I got through a good bit of it, and actually had the triangular lace pattern going well.. and then I got lost. So I ripped out most of the stitches (or I may have started over, i can't remember exactly) and got going again. I had realized about this time that I may be working above my skill level again - but I was just going to finish this thing. It didn't take long before I realized I was off on the pattern again..but I just kept going. I did finish the hat (as you can see in my project page), but it did not come out with the lace pattern looking anything like it was supposed to. Instead its more of just a holey hat. Mom loved it though.. more because I think she didn't know what it was supposed to look like..or because she's a mom. Who knows. ((She has since asked me to make her a hat like that.))

Here's the finished beret:




















More to come..