Teaching knitting

[untonuggan]

So I've taught my mom how to knit (mostly) successfully. She's working on a hat for kids getting chemo. I'm so proud of her for attempting knitting in the round on her first project since she was six and knit a dishcloth in school. For those who are interested, she's using this pattern (without the color changes).

So far it's going well and she's enjoying it, despite a couple of false starts (one of which was my fault. Don't ask. It's still painful/embarrassing.)

Note to self though: If you're helping someone on their first knitting project while you are knitting yourself, it's easy to mess up the pattern every time said person goes, "Oh no! I think I might have dropped a stitch!"

I'm making a companion hat to my scarf, which is going okay so far, though I am still nervous about the size despite doing a swatch like a good knitter.

Comments

[syntaxofthings]

Ahh, but swatches lie. ;) I'm coming to the realization that everyone has different experiences with gauge. My experience is that I don't really need to worry about it for hats, socks, scarves, and other little things, but sweaters and I need to figure out a relationship.

[untonuggan]

There was a recent post on the Yarn Harlot's blog that showed someone who had knit two mittens with the same yarn, same needles, same knitter, everything. And they were two different sizes.

So far this one seems to be behaving. I can tell because I've tried it on (circular needles and all!).

[syntaxofthings]

Yes, exactly. Gauge is a fickle beast.

LOL, that's definitely the way to make sure it works!

[tarnished]

I don't know how to knit but it seems really hard. I keep sort of wanting to learn but ugh too hard. :) Good on you for teaching your mom how to knit! That's really cool.

[clayr]

I just started about a week or so ago and I found this guide really useful for getting me started. The knitting community is really fantastic in helpfulness as well.

[untonuggan]

Thanks! I'm still working on teaching her how to cast on and things, but she seems to have knitting and purling down pretty well.

I just learned myself, and knitting is kind of like magic. You wave too sticks and a ball of string around and *poof* you have a hat!

[clayr]

That hat looks pretty cool. My mum's now doing a garter stitch dishcloth by herself - I cast it on for her since she's been having a bit of trouble getting cast ons lined up and not in a spiral.

[untonuggan]

Aforementioned hat is being a bit of a pain in the arse at the moment, but I think I have nearly wrangled it into submission. (Really it's just I don't like having to pay so much attention to the pattern, and I misread it and had to pull about 10 rows of 90 stitches back.) Almost done though!

[clayr]

Good luck with stopping the yarn from trying to come up with its own pattern :p

I look forward to having the experience/skill to pull the exact number of rows that I want to back - I get very nervous of accidentally pulling the entire thing to fall apart and aarrrgh.