Little did I know

Little did I know I would get such a kick out of knitting! In March of 2010 some of my girlfriends were planning to get together for dinner and “knitting.” I told them I wanted to learn to knit. So they told me all I needed was #7 knitting needles and yarn. A couple days before we were to get together I went to the craft store and bought my yarn and needles. While there I came across a knitting instruction book, Learning to Knit in Just One Day by Jean Leinhauser. g g g I couldn’t wait. I was so curious, excited just to try. Stitch by stitch I learned first to cast on. Stitch by stitch I learned then to knit. And stitch by stitch I moved on to purl. What a riot. It was so fun to see the rows taking shape. At dinner my girlfriends taught me their tricks and encouraged me. g g g I then discovered Knitting Tips by Judy YouTube videos. She is a great teacher! Check her out for any stitches you want to learn or need to clarify. I was amused as I learned more and my husband would genuinely pat me on the back every time (yes, every time) I played “show and tell” with my new projects. g g g So, thank you to my teachers, my friends and my husband for sharing this joy with me.

g g “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” – Father James Keller g g

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Freestyle Pillow

I began knitting freestyle.  My first project was the pillow cover you see below. If you are just beginning, this is a fun way to start and you can learn as you go.  I had a small pillow form that I spontaneously bought one day while standing in the checkout line at a Swedish home products store in northern LA (you know the one).  After learning my knits and purls, I thought this would be an easy way to start and experiment.  

 I used two shades of green yarn.  A lighter shade is on the front of the pillow.  Here I just changed from knit rows to purl rows to create the texture.  As I mentioned, this was freestyle.  I had no pattern so I just kept laying my piece on the pillow as I went to gauge how many more rows I needed to create my design and cover my pillow.  

 I used a darker shade of green on the back, and here I used a moss stitch.  I picked up a small booklet at a large chain craft store (with great weekly coupons) in Goleta, CA (you know the one), with 26 different stitches (Knit Stitches, by Leisure Arts/little books).  The moss stitch looked the easiest.  No secret, it is very simple and a standard stitch.

 Multiple of 2 sts.
Row 1 (Right side): (K1,P1) across
Row 2: (K1,P1) across
Row 3: (P1, K1) across
Row 4: (P1, K1) across
Repeat rows 1-4 for pattern.

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