In two years, I feel like I have become a fairly accomplished crocheter. Complicated projects don’t scare me. I can read my stitches inside-out and upside-down. Learning to knit, for me, is completely different.
For a long time, I was too scared to try, especially intimidated by holding tools in both hands. Plus yarn. The idea still frightens the heck out of me until I actually start moving the yarn around with the tips. I’m not even remotely good at it yet. I can cast on, knit, purl, and awkwardly bind off. If I make even one mistake, I’m totally done and have to frog the whole thing and so I’ve only made swatches thus far. My next goal is to learn to read the knit, pick up a lost stitch, and unravel to a set point.
I am totally a continental knitter, sometimes called left-handed knitting or picking (as opposed to throwing). I think that it’s because I hold the fiber in my left hand when crocheting. If I had switched my yarn-holding hand when attempting to knit, it would have been just one more thing to think about while learning. And, learning I am… now and for quite some time in my future.
I have nearly enough motifs to begin crocheting together Mister Winter, which is Solveig Grimstad’s popular pattern, Flowers in the Snow. I made a mini version of this for my, ahem, cat last year. I really loved the design and decided to make a larger version for my sofa, in colors that remind me of winter in Sweden. I’m pretty firmly set on going with 192 squares. One of my favorite things about this design is that you don’t sew it together. The motifs are crocheted to one another. That said, I’m entirely ready to finish this puppy and get started on something new.
Like, maybe, knitting more than a swatch.
I have trouble believing that you have only been crocheting for two years. The photographs of your beautiful work had me thinking you were an expert all along!
I began making my first quilt over the weekend. It won’t be perfect but it certainly is made with love. (And it would be a lot farther along if I’d had a pattern to follow, but I failed to think about THAT detail!)
I feel the exact same feelings of trepidation about crochet! I am very comfortable with knitting( love it) but would very much like to feel some level of competancy with crochet as well.
O it is going to be so gorgeous all put together. I am doing a variation of this same pattern only after getting about 6 circles done, I go ahead and join them. It is looking like a small blanket so far. It is a nice treat to sit and crochet a few of these in between knit projects.
~Dawn
Such pretty pieces. Your work is so even too. I am sure you will be knitting in no time. I do both but knitting seems to go faster for me.
Darla
oh jodi, maybe you can lend me the confidence to start to learn to knit. why does it seem so intimidating? where did you start? I’ve been checking out some book from the library on it, but it still seems undoable.
I’m with you… knitting is so intimidating. I was fortunate that I have a friend who pretty much insisted that I learn to knit. She is a crafter extraordinaire. We sat in a coffee shop, and she cast on for me and then showed me how to knit. After that, I looked over loads of knitting videos. I found only about 10% to be helpful. I’ve been looking at books too, like Stitch ‘n Bitch and Knitting in Plain English. While there are somewhat helpful, I really need to see the visual movement. Thank goodness for YouTube!
Here are a few other links that I found helpful:
The free section of this site — http://www.knittinghelp.com/
Stitched Together’s Continental Knitting Videos — http://www.stitchedtogether.co.uk/2012/11/continental-and-combination-or-combined.html
How to frog to a certain point (still don’t grasp this) — http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter03/FEATwin03TT.html
Tutorial from Udemy — http://www.udemy.com/you-can-knit-combination-amp-traditional-wester-knitting/
I hope this helps, although nothing beats an in-person teacher! Good luck, Meg. :)