Gettin' My Knit On

The knitting hobby is totally under way. There are two "efforts" going on simultaneously, but I think it's time to lay the first one to rest. I learned with inkle weaving that I do, in fact, get better each and every time I do it. As I am not OCD, I have taken shots of these less than perfect efforts to show you my progression. Just think how proud we'll be when I actually knit something like a sweater. Then we'll all look back with nostalgia and laugh at these pitiful attempts.

Okay, the photo above bravely documents my first time knitting more than two rows without having to rip it out. Notice the scary holes in it. Notice the even scarier loopy, uneven edges. As you can see, I got the purl stitch down and utilized it here. The problem is, I can't seem to pay attention long enough to remember if I just purled a row or knitted a row. I haven't learned to tell the difference until I'm several rows out. I put the bottom needle into it to stretch it out and show you better.

Now for effort 2:

Progress was made in effort 2. My edges are a little neater thanks to a co-worker who taught me a cool end stitch. There is only one hole that I can see. The worst mistake would have to be that I knitted with my tail strand once or twice. D-oh! You can kinda see it on the left in the second photo. Gotta watch that. Now what is going on with the rounded edges? There may have been some angry knitting goin' on. But that is getting better, too.

May I recommend Debbie Stoller's book Stitch 'N Bitch if you're interested in learning to knit. Now these are instructions I can relate to! Ms. Stoller breaks it all down for you with a sense of humor and in plain English. I find it easier to understand than some other knitting instruction books I've read. She has at least two other books on knitting and one for learning crochet. Buy it, man!