Knitting...what was I thinking...

I have always wanted to learn how to knit.  I can quilt, crochet, cross stitch (although counted is not my thing) and embroidery (although that is new to me too), but knitting was always something I wanted to learn.  Why?  because I wanted to make socks...I love the way they look and they just seem awesome to me. Well...that may be a long time coming.

I took a beginner knitting class at Joann's back in November.  I came home and tried and tried and thought I had the hang of it, until I went to my next class and realized I was purling wrong.  I thought it looked good and maybe I was doing a variation on the purl, but needless to say I was wrapping the yarn the wrong way. First class was a scarf...I ripped it out and started it over about 100 times, and was getting really tired of the green I was using.  It was free supplies so I wasn't going to pass up using free yarn.  Then the next class is simple little fingerless gloves.  Ok...no big deal...well once I re-learned how to purl I thought I was good to go...not.  I forgot how to cast on...check relearned that.  Then I decided I am not coordinated with k1, p1..took forever to remember where the yarn was supposed to go....I mean come on...front or back....don't forget the pattern...slipped stitches...and the hardest part...what the heck did I just do because I can't get it in my mind the way the stitches look.  I mean with crochet I can tell what stitch is what, the rows are easy to count, and if I mess up....a little tug and I can go back to where I made the mistake...ez pz....after another month of working on and off I was really sick of the green and couldn't figure out for the life of me how to pick up a sticking dropped stitch. So back to square one every single time.

Finally about a week ago I gave up,  on the green scarf (which was really just knit a row then purl a row), between dropped stitches and not being able to remember if I knitted the last row or purled the last row. I found another yarn in a different color and a very simple pattern.

My husband laughed at me every time he saw me unraveling the yarn again, finally he asked if this would be a world record for the longest time to make a scarf.  I can admit he almost had a size 10 needle somewhere stuck somewhere unsafe.

Now, I have different sized needles, a different and very simple pattern (not like the first one wasn't) and different colored yarn.  I am happy.  I even figured out how to pick up a dropped stitch, my first time, and I am really hoping it doesn't happen again soon, that might send me into a fit....

I am really hoping that with time I will find my rhythm soon, there are too many things that I would love to make.  I also love the fact that knitting doesn't hurt my hands the way crochet does.  With crochet I am only able to do it for 15-30 minutes at a time because it kills my thumbs.  I can knit for a long time, of course I go at a snail's pace because I really don't want to mess up..It is kinda of hard when you don't know how to fix it.

Moral of this story...I don't think socks will be on my list of things to do for quit awhile.  I think knitting is a snail sport for me...but I am not giving up...

I also decided that metal needles are very slippery, guess wooden ones will be on my list next time I am out and about. Now to figure out the best way to hold my yarn, Continental is a no go since I can barely handle English...even if they say it is easier to learn if you crochet....I would like their definition of "easier" for sure.


Off to work to do some inventory.

Have a wonderful day everyone,
Michelle