INSIDE: delighting in learning a new skill, beautiful imperfections, an intriguing puzzle to solve + your crafting triumphs.
You all inspired me to be brave this week!
In my poll about knitting and multitasking, most people were knitting and watching something. It blows me away how knitters happily do that!
So to keep things interesting while knitting rows upon rows of knit stitches, I thought Iād practice knitting without looking.
For those of you who do this already, no doubt itās just second nature!
For me, it was a sensory experience. I had to feel my way through creating each stitch. Luckily, the yarn I'm using is organic cotton with a dense structure and the loops on the needle feel solid and distinct.
Moving each stitch up on the left needle was easy enough. The tricky bit was inserting my right needle tip into the stitch on the left needle and not missing it!
So I practiced using the right needle tip to find the space between the first stitch and the second stitch on the left needle.
The connection of wood to wood had a āfeelā which helped me determine whether I was in the right spot. Iām using my Knitterās Pride Deluxe laminated wood needle tips, which have a smooth surface and I love the colors.
The tip of my right needle moves down and meets the bottom of the first stitch, and slides in. Then I wrap my yarn around the needle to create the new stitch and place it on the hand needle.
Itās like magic! The utter glee I experience knowing I can knit without looking is so uplifting! I can even āfeelā Iāve missed the mark and then I try again to create the stitch. Still without looking!
Itās slow going but Iām so happy to be doing this! Iām being kind to myself and not expecting speed.
I still look from time to time, to ensure Iāve not missed a stitch or dropped one.
Exciting times! I want to build my confidence in not looking when I knit.
The sleeves are next and as Iām doing shorter ones, they wonāt take too long.
Iām not up to watching a film at the same time yet! I could try, but that might result in countless mistakes, or missing half the movieās plot! š
For now, Iām gazing at the art Iāve created on my wall. It leads me to a calm state. The rhythm of my needles is meditative and Iām mindful of the sensations.
Ah, the joys of knitting. Blessed be!
And another question for you: If you're a ācrafter who doesnāt lookā, what tips do you have for beginners?
Press reply, or leave a comment!
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Mystery Quote Of The Week
"In knitting and in life, it's the imperfections that make things beautiful.ā
Which book is this from? Comment or press reply! No cheating! š
(Youāll find out if you were correct next week.)
Last weekās mystery quote authors wereā¦ Susan S. Izard and Susan S. Jorgensen, from their book, Knitting Into The Mystery.
Comment below if you got it right.
Crafting Trivia Question Of The Week
If a knitting pattern had this instruction: *K1, yo, K4, s2kpo, K4, yo; rep from * to last st, K1ā¦ What kind of pattern would it be?
And for a bonus challenge: what does S2KPO mean in knitting?
Whatās the answer? Leave a comment or press reply! No cheating! š
(Youāll find out if you were correct next week.)
Last weekās answer to: which crochet hook creates stitches that resemble rows of knitting?
A Tunisian crochet hook! Congratulations to Ana Torradinhas for being correct. Did you get it right? Leave a comment if you did!
Lifelong learning is so important to me, and expanding your abilities is one of the most satisfying parts of the making journey!
Whatās a skill youāve learned from your making youāre most proud of?
Leave a comment or press reply. Letās celebrate your crafting triumphs!
P.S. Be here at the same time and place tomorrow to cast your vote for who I should feature nextā¦
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Before you goā¦
I read aloud to my partner, who has very poor eyesight, and knit. Done this for years. I know when a pattern is difficult and involves lots of counting (lace or fair isle) because I pause more often. When I knit in a movie theatre though, especially ribbing or seed stitch, I realize from the errors I need to correct that ordinarily I take frequent quick glances at my work. Examining how this works, I read long phrases or sentences at a time, and thatās where the glances downward fit.
Slip 2, Knit 1, Pass Over Slipped Stitches. It's a centered double decrease. That paired with the YOs would make some kind of lace.
As for knitting without looking, I can do it very easily with plain stockinette, K1, P1 ribbing, or seed stitch. I can sometimes manage simple lace if I have enough stitch markers telling me what to do. Lately though, I've been trying to pay more attention to how I knit.