Knitting

In general, I love to craft. I'm not sure I'm very good at it, but I love it. I've made everything from candles, scrapbooks, cigar box purses, to  cake stands. Time, space, money and kids prevent me from working on any of these crafts without a lot of planning and prep.

Knitting, however, can be done for a minute or for hours on end, is totally portable, requires little prep or cleanup, and is extremely meditative for me. I love being able to pick my needles at any time I want or need to. And since I have trouble quieting my mind long enough to meditate in the traditional sense, knitting fulfills a much needed daily time of focus and calm…even when the world continues to swirl around me.

There's just something magical about taking a piece of string and turning it into something attractive and useful for someone you care about. My kids think it's just about the coolest hobby ever and wear my little creations with pride. Lucky for them, knitting as a craft is making a comeback of sorts and there are unlimited patterns and yarns available.

I knit, therefore I am? Or maybe, I am, therefore I knit.

Re: Knitting

Argh … I just wish it were easier to learn!! I try and try, and end up with the yarn so tight on the needles, they won’t move! I truly wish I were a knitter.

I did learn to single crochet once, and had a really nice, zenlike time making about 30 feet of chain. It’s sitting in a bag in my closet now, and someday I like to think I’ll make something cool with it. :-)

Re: Knitting

I also knit a lot, and find it excellent - it's a great way of making your intentions materialise!

Have you ever tried learning from the book called 'Stitch 'n Bitch' by Debbie Stoller?  It's very clear and approachable - and fun!

Another excellent source of help is http://www.knittinghelp.com/ which has 150+ online video clips that show you how to do each stitch and you can watch and copy the movements as many times as you wish until you have mastered them.

:)

Re: Knitting

Knitting is so very wonderful.  I just learned how to knit at the beginning of the year and I truly adore it.  There are times when it can be tough to understand all the movement and I'm unsure if I'm doing things correctly, but online forums have helped with that.  I look forward to joining in on the local Stitch n Bitch group in San Francisco.

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Yoko, thanks so much for the link to KnittingHelp! That’s a perfectly amazing resource. You’ve inspired me to buy knitting needles (again) and try. The videos make it all look very easy. Wish me luck, all you knitters! :-)

Victoria, welcome to the Pod!

Re: Knitting

Hi DG - thanks for the warm welcome.  It is an honor to be here.

On the same note, I'm a bit of a nut on keeping track of my favorite online links.  I've got a whole page on my server devoted to knitting, if anyone is interested.

http://victoria-e.com/doc/knitting.html