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KNITTING IS HARD
Dec. 6th, 2010 10:18 pmI swear, I used to know how to do it! Kid has a Gryffindor scarf I made all by myself. And I know I made a baby bonnet for my niece.
I'm out of practice, though, because the last time I was knitting regularly, I tended to overgrip and aggravate my ulnar nerve, something I can also do by rolling out too much croissant dough or playing too much Guitar Hero. But I figure if I'm careful, I can probably manage it.
I taught myself out of a book, too. A book I still have. So I went downstairs and fished it out of the bins of sewing room stuff. (Couldn't find the needles and things -- suspect I gave that entire tote bag over to the kid, who prefers to crochet.) And tried to refresh my memory.
The diagram in the book for casting on didn't work the way it LOOKED like it should, but I eventually remembered the twining motion I'd used before, and re-established the knack of it. I think with some more practice, I'll be able to cast on without having the stitches spiral around the needle.
Then I tried to knit again. AUGH. I could have sworn that I taught myself ambidextrously last time. Well, if I did, it's not working now. I CANNOT enact the basic knit motion "right-handed." Screwing it up enough times let me remember how it FELT to get it right, so once I ditched the diagrams and started doing it left-handed, I got it.
This was AFTER switching from a nice sport-weight cotton/acrylic baby yarn (my project yarn) to a worsted-weight crappy acrylic that I'd picked up years ago with the intent of making a Slytherin sweater. If I'd had bigger needles to practice on, I would have switched to those, too.
But once I did all that, I even got the hang of moving the yarn from back to front and vice versa for rib knit, which is a thing I'll need.
And if I remember the reversals, I'll be able to consult the diagrams for the other important stuff like yarnovers and increases and decreases.
I have two nice long train rides tomorrow, so I ought to be able to get a nice start on the whole business.
I'm out of practice, though, because the last time I was knitting regularly, I tended to overgrip and aggravate my ulnar nerve, something I can also do by rolling out too much croissant dough or playing too much Guitar Hero. But I figure if I'm careful, I can probably manage it.
I taught myself out of a book, too. A book I still have. So I went downstairs and fished it out of the bins of sewing room stuff. (Couldn't find the needles and things -- suspect I gave that entire tote bag over to the kid, who prefers to crochet.) And tried to refresh my memory.
The diagram in the book for casting on didn't work the way it LOOKED like it should, but I eventually remembered the twining motion I'd used before, and re-established the knack of it. I think with some more practice, I'll be able to cast on without having the stitches spiral around the needle.
Then I tried to knit again. AUGH. I could have sworn that I taught myself ambidextrously last time. Well, if I did, it's not working now. I CANNOT enact the basic knit motion "right-handed." Screwing it up enough times let me remember how it FELT to get it right, so once I ditched the diagrams and started doing it left-handed, I got it.
This was AFTER switching from a nice sport-weight cotton/acrylic baby yarn (my project yarn) to a worsted-weight crappy acrylic that I'd picked up years ago with the intent of making a Slytherin sweater. If I'd had bigger needles to practice on, I would have switched to those, too.
But once I did all that, I even got the hang of moving the yarn from back to front and vice versa for rib knit, which is a thing I'll need.
And if I remember the reversals, I'll be able to consult the diagrams for the other important stuff like yarnovers and increases and decreases.
I have two nice long train rides tomorrow, so I ought to be able to get a nice start on the whole business.
