lunedì, settembre 18, 2006

I have been knitting lately

Knitting scarves, to be exact.
Now, this is quite a strange turn of events. I have always been a crochet person and found knitting quite dull. A dear friend is an avid knitter and though she couldn't talk me into liking it when we lived together, I have since tried it again and found it quite to my liking. I have found the trick is to buy fun, festive yarn.
My problem now is that I have at least 3 crochet projects going, 2 cross stitch projects and now I'm adding knitting to the mix. Hmm. Everyone will be receiving half finished Christmas gifts if I keep adding projects at this rate :)

4 commenti:

Leah ha detto...

I think it is very cool that you knit and crochet. They both look fun and like something I'd enjoy doing, and I actually do crochet a little- I've started a couple blankets and actually finished a couple snoods- but I can never seem to get the tension (is that the right word?) of the stitches right. I either hold the yarn too tightly or too slack and then my stitches don't come out right and I get frustrated. Watching other people crochet and knit, it looks effortless and fun, but I have a knack for turning it into a kind of agony, it seems. ;)

Do you have any advice??

Robin ha detto...

I can very much relate to the tension problem. I struggled with knitting way too tight and crocheting way too loose. This is something that beginners always have to deal with...and when learning a new pattern, even advanced knitters/crocheters take a row or two to "get the hang of it".
Anyway, one of my suggestions would be to try holding your yarn a different way. There is no "correct" way to hold it, it's all about what is most comfortable to you and what helps you achieve the tension you're looking for.

My only other suggestion would be to just practice it a lot. Start an easy pattern (like a scarf for knitting and a granny square for crochet) and think of it as practice, not as a project that must turn out exquisitely. :)

One thing that is confusing is that sometimes patterns will tell you to do something that ends up wrecking your project, for example: I just made a baby blanket for my friend in St. Louis. At the beginning of the pattern it says "chain 106 LOOSELY". Well, I did that and it turned out with the bottom several inches longer than the top. I ended up deciding that I liked it that way, but it was definitely not how the pattern was supposed to work. Trial and error, my dear! And remember, if you crochet tight like me, chain NORMALLY!

Let me know if you have any specific questions!

~Robin <><

Leah ha detto...

Hey Robin,
Thanks for the tips! It's nice to know that this tension thing is part of the learing process and not a problem specific to me. :)

Does maintaining the right tension eventually become automatic? Or is it something a person is always at least half way concentrating on? (A person that is knitting or crocheting, that is.) :P

Robin ha detto...

Leah dear,
I'm no pro, but even so I almost never think about my tension anymore while I'm crocheting. Knitting I think about a little bit, but definitely don't stress over it.
In short, this is somehting you should easily and shortly outgrow :)

~Robin <><