“I could never learn to knit.”
If you give up before you even start, then this is absolutely certain. You will never learn.
“It looks too hard.”
It only seems hard, because nobody has explained it to you. You can’t decide on something that is a hands on craft until you physically try it.
“Someone tried to show me how to knit once, I just didn’t understand.”
Well, you know what? Some people are crappy teachers. There. I said it. Lots of well meaning, nice people should never attempt to teach knitting. Not everyone is able to translate a technique into an understandable method. Doesn’t make them bad people. It just means maybe they shouldn’t try to teach knitting.
And sometimes, seeing it once isn’t enough. Trust me on this one! If you haven’t seen the first scarf I tried to knit, then you should take a moment and marvel at that monstrosity. So believe me when I tell you, seeing it once is usually not enough. I speak from experience.
“I just can’t do it.”
Not with that attitude you can’t!
And if you just decide you can’t do it, and give up, look at what you’ll be missing!
I mean, COME ON! How adorable is that? A girl and a dog both wearing knits? Would you believe me if I told you both of those items are the perfect beginner knits, and can easily be made in the first year?
Every single week people tell me they wish they could knit. I ask them why they aren’t doing it, and I generally get one of the answers above. And I think that’s so sad.
Because I know that anybody who really does want to learn CAN learn. And I can show them. And I know that with just a few simple skills, there are a number of cool things that can be made.
Today’s blog post is about the some of the cool things my photo assistant made in her first year.
When I first met her, she had wanted to learn knitting but had given up. She even had a great big bag of yarn from her great grandma who had passed away. The same great grandma had tried teaching her how to knit. It was a flop. And so Mackay decided she was the problem, and just assumed she couldn’t do it.
Her reasons for not knitting were numbers 2 and 3. So I spent 15 minutes with her, and got her going. And you know what? She’s still knitting. Some weeks more than others. It depends on how annoying the boys are that week. If they are especially aggravating, she spends a whole lot of time playing XBox and knitting.
Which is how this scarf came to be. The boys were a total pain for about 3 weeks.
We picked out this super cool extra chunky yarn and she held it double strands while knitting on massive needles. How amazing is this?
I’ve seen some very fashion forward shops selling this kind of thing. I’ve seen photos of fashionista types wearing them as they gingerly sip their half caff soy lattes from their to-go Starbucks cups while hailing taxi cabs, on the streets of New York City. Tres Chic.
And Mackay made hers in a couple of weekends last winter while deciding if she’d ever want to talk to boys again.
Knitting, honestly crafts in general, are really good for working things out. You can spend the weekend texting friends and binge watching Netflix, but what to you have on Monday morning? Nothing.
Because while technology is great, it can also be a huge waste of time. There, I said it.
Click To Tweet
When you knit, you actually create something with your own hands. That is AMAZING! You get to make something that is unique in all the world, and you have time to puzzle out whatever is on your mind. No therapist required.
And you can do this right away. It’s not like your dental insurance that has that waiting period before you can use the really good benefits. With knitting, you can get into the good stuff right away!
She also made this hat in the first year of knitting. This was done on a loom she picked up in the craft store. It’s awesome, because it allows knitting in the round right away without having to struggle through more advanced techniques.
Trying to learn too much too soon is the sure fire way to quit on something before you’ve given it enough time.
By using the loom, you can get right into making hats. It eliminates learning all the technicalities of knitting in the round and in getting the crown decreases right. You just loop the yarn over and under on the loom. It’s a great way to get started with yarn. It’s also rewarding to produce something that is successful right away.
Some people say loom knitting isn't real knitting. Those people are not invited to hang out with us.
Click To Tweet
Not everybody is supportive and finds joy in all manner of yarn crafts. If you want to know more about the depths the bitchiness can go, you might want to take a look at this.
But don’t worry, because nobody like that is going to be here. This is my room and only the coolest and nicest people get to hang out here.
Just because you don’t understand how to knit-in-the-round yet doesn’t mean you can’t make those super cool infinity scarves. Just knit a long rectangle, and seam the ends together. Voila. Instant Infinity Scarf.
You also don’t have to understand how to read knitting patterns to make this stuff, either. It takes a while before you can read and knit from a pattern. That’s totally normal. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start making cool stuff right away.
Mackay made all of this with minimal instructions from me. She picked out her yarn and needles and just start making stuff. And I am so very proud of her!
So how about you? Are you knitting yet? Would you like to get started? (Gosh I hope so!) I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’m working now on creating my first online class to teach knitting. It’s going to be project based, which means I’m going to teach you a couple of basic techniques, and with that small skill set, I’m going to show you how to make a TON of things. It’s going to be so much fun, and I hope you will be as excited to take the course when it’s ready as I am to be bringing it to you. I’m planning for a fall release for this.
In the meantime, you can sign up to receive my free KnitBox Getting Started Guide. It will help you to decide what you need to get your knitting practice up and running!
Follow me on my social media, and get in touch! Let’s talk about what you want to knit. And if you can’t knit, let’s talk about your reason(s). Above all, let’s get you past that so you, too, can make the dogs in your life as happy and handsome as my pal, Willie. ‘Cause who doesn’t want to do that?