Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Shhhh! Let me finish this row!

Gosh it can be hard to multi task when you don't want to multi task at all, but you just want to get a few more rounds done on that hat. A few more inches added to that sweater. A few more rows on a scarf. I feel like somewhat of a horrible mom when I tell Julie to "hold on, let me finish this row" when she wants something to drink. She is 7 years old, mind you, and perfectly capable of pouring her own glass of juice, water, or mild, or piercing a straw into a juice box. But it's some kind of radar my children have. As soon as my addi clicks and cascade 220 are in my hands and ready to knit, that's when they need my attention immediately. Nothing can wait while my hands are busy forming stitches. Though I love knitting with a huge part of my heart, my kids come first, so alas, it has been taking me a bit longer lately to get through some of my projects. And of course as usual, I have found that I am spreading myself too thin.
Tonight I began a knitting class at church. This time when I go to knitting class though, I am the teacher and not the student. The class went extremely well and pretty much everyone was able to cast on and knit some knit stitches by the end. I was pretty proud of those first rows I saw growing on the needles. I hope that I can share the love of this ancient art with others and they find as much joy in it as I do. If you aren't a knitter but want to be, I'm going to start making notes here and there of tips that I think every beginner should know right out of the gate. I'll add to the list as time goes on but here's the beginning:

1. First and foremost, be patient with yourself. All skills take time to learn and it comes to some faster than others. Keep trying because that moment when it finally clicks and you are officially a knitter, it will be one of the most rewarding moments of your life. Seriously. I couldn't make that up.

2. Always...always...ALWAYS use yarn and needles that feel good in your hands. Use yarn that smells good. Use needles that sound good to your ears as they click together. If you love the materials you are using, you will love the result.


Since I have the attention span of a fruitfly, I'm going to end the post here and go work on a brioche scarf for awhile and enjoy some Peter Gabriel.


Click it good!