A Brief History of Knitting and Me

Knitting is new to me. Well, not exactly. I kinda sorta picked it up when I was about eight or so, but not really. I stopped so I could play with a Skip-It or Sit 'n' Spin instead. They don't make those for grown ups, do they? No? What a shame. I think I tried knitting a little bit as a teen, but never got further than a cast on. I bent the needle and broke the yarn, so whatever I did, it certainly wasn't knitting.

Fast forward to...well...lately. I've learned to crochet, which is awesome to no bounds. It's very free-form, which means I can make things up as I go. This means that sometimes I end up with something way cooler than what I envisioned. Oh, and if I make a mistake, I can just carelessly rip out those stitches and try again.

Then knitting came around. I don't really know why I started. Maybe I thought that since all my friends are doing it, I should too. Probably not, but it did give me a bunch of people I could go to for help when I was frustrated enough to throw my needles across the room. Really, I probably started because I wanted to make nice things to wear. Crochet hats are nice, and scarves, but crochet socks are too bulky to wear with shoes and as far as sweaters go, well, let's just say I don't need any help to look chubby. That's not to say there aren't lovely crochet sweater patterns out there, but hey. I'm a curvy girl, and I need some stretch in my wearables.

And thusly I began to knit, and it was not good. Not at first anyway. But I kept at it, and completed a few really small projects. First a wrist warmer (single, just the one, and I never wore it), two hats knitted on flat needles (which I wear regularly), and a basic garter stitch scarf (from which I am nigh inseparable). My knitting is much better now. I'm working on a pair of socks now that will probably be finished by Christmas (of 2010, if I work nonstop). I'm happy with it. I've learned.

I still get frustrated and throw needles, but now the ones I throw are dpns and probably made of bamboo, not aluminum. Then I pick up one of my crochet projects and let the knitting frustration melt away.