Friday, November 26, 2010

Knitting - a beginning

Last weekend I had some free time so I taught myself how to knit. Or rather, the internet taught me. Learning new things is so easy with the internet - tutorials abound, especially ones with helpful videos. I'm self taught in all my crafts and I remember how it used to be, back before high speed internet - you'd have to go to the library and get a book to learn. And if something in the book confused you, well... too bad - try another book. Now, you get stuck on something you just do a quick internet search and within a minute or two you'll probably be looking at a video tutorial that clears everything up. It's fabulous!

So far I've found knitting to be easy - a little awkward at first, but not as bad as I expected actually! I did knit when I was younger, but not very much. I remember I was a very very tight knitter so I probably got frustrated and gave up. But I wonder if that little bit of experience during my formative years at least laid enough of a foundation that I find the movements of knitting familiar. Muscle memory is a beautiful thing!

I finished my first knitting project - a basic scarf and have already cast on for a hat. It's perfect timing for me to get some knitting experience because on today I leave for a week of vacation (volunteering here!) with my friend Kim who knows how to knit - so I figure I'll work on a project while she and I are traveling and she can get me unstuck when things go wrong! Always helpful to have someone nearby who can figure how what you did wrong and get you back on track!

I believe knitting brings me up to 43 hobbies. What will be next? :)

Sunday, November 07, 2010

Crafty ears

I've been playing around in my jewelry supply stash, which has been sadly neglected with all the attention I've been paying to fibre and sewing related activities! It was good to get back to it.

Whipped up a few pairs of earrings. Thoughts?