"Your grandma tried to teach me once, but I just couldn't do it. It's too hard. Here, let me teach you how to crochet."
So I dutifully learned to crochet, but I never really enjoyed it. My heart longed to knit.
My grandma had known how, but she'd had a massive stroke when I was just three years old. Her right side was paralyzed, and the part of her brain that controls speech was damaged. She was never able to use her right hand or speak clearly again. I thought about asking her anyway if she could teach me, but my mother was afraid it would make her feel bad if she couldn't make herself understood. I never asked her, but in retrospect, I wish I had. I tried to think of anyone else in my family that may know how to knit, but no one did. They all crocheted.
"Oh, I tried to learn to knit, but I couldn't. It's too hard. My fingers just weren't made for knitting. Here, let me show you how to crochet."
So I continued on with my crocheting, though I didn't really enjoy it. My heart yearned to knit. When I was in the Navy, I wanted to knit a sweater for my now ex-husband. I found some absolutely beautiful yarn that I just loved. The only problem was, I didn't know how to knit. Yeah, there are patterns out there for crocheted sweaters, but they just weren't what I wanted. They didn't have the drape of a knitted fabric. They seemed stiff as a board to me. So I crocheted him a huge granny square afghan. We were divorced before I finished it.
Even after I'd gotten out and returned home, the dream to knit stayed with me. I was talking to one of my dad's neighbors over the back fence and somehow the subject came up. I mentioned that I'd always wanted to learn to knit and she said,
"I tried it once and it's just not....It isn't....You'd be better off sticking to crochet."
Fast forward five years. It is 1998, or thereabouts. I was perusing the craft department at Wal-mart when I spotted a I Taught Myself Knitting kit. It had everything I needed to learn to knit except yarn, but I already had that. I decided I was going to buy it and I was going to learn to knit. Finally. After 30 years of longing, I was going to learn to knit.
I bought the kit. I got home and eagerly sat down and read the book. I got my yarn out and started trying to knit, and guess what...
It just wasn't working. My fingers didn't seem to be made for knitting. It was too hard. I just couldn't do it. Needles and yarn ended up stuffed in the bottom of a craft drawer, forgotten...
Until the day I was cleaning out my craft cabinet and found them again. I decided I would try just one more time. I don't know what was different, but that time it just clicked. It worked. My fingers seemed made for knitting. It was easy, and I could do it.
I was living my dream. I was knitting. And I've never looked back...
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3 comments:
It took me three tries to learn how to knit. My grandmother tried to teach me when I was eight and failed. Then my brother when I was ten. Failed again. Finally when I was about fourteen, grandma gave it another shot and that time it clicked. Except that I only learned how to knit squares. I did a couple of scarves and dropped it.
Then at 21, I found the most gorgeous skein of yarn you can imagine. Hand-dyed mohair in teal and blue and purple, with an easy-peasy sweater pattern - all stockingnette, very little shaping, no guage! (One size fits all, says the pattern) So I gave it a try. I agonized over that sweater. I learned a ton. 1) Dark blue mohair on blue needles is a BAD idea. 2) You can't frog mohair. 3) Don't believe "one size fits all". When it was all over I had a perfectly beautiful sweater - that fit my size zero friend. I could have cried - but I had learned that I could make a sweater.
I would love to learn to knit. I can crochet, but when I see certain things that have been knit, I yearn to learn. I saw a friend buy some amazing yarn to knit a shawl. It really made me want to knit.
Cindy, you were braver that I was doing a first project in mohair. So far, the only things I've knitted that I've kept are dishcloths/washcloths and a couple of pairs of socks. To me, it's the process rather than the product.
Lou and Patti, the best thing I can tell you is just to try. If you can find someone to teach you in person, that would be great, but even if you can't, there are tons of websites/books that have instructions. The best site is www.knittinghelp.com. They have videos that show you everything you need to know.
Patti, I remember our cross stitch parties in college. You, Jennifer and I listening to Mike Warnke tapes and cross stitching the night away. Ahh, the good old days. I gave up cross stitch a while back when my eyes got so wierd. I just can't see stuff that small any more. And like you, I never did learn to make a really good French knot.
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