Tuesday, March 18, 2014

How to Be Inspired to Knit

Inspiration for knitting can come from just about anywhere - but Pam is here to share a story of her most recent inspiration!

We were watching a TV show one night and I couldn't keep my eyes off a hat that one of the characters was wearing. It was an Aran ear flap hat! I thought to myself, "I know I have a pattern for something like that!" So I spent some time digging through my binders of patterns and found one. I decided to use some of the yarn that Lindsey spun for me at Kurth Valley Spinning Mills, it was some yarn from my white sheep. It's a great yarn and has some character to it. I thought this should be easy, it starts with casting on just 28 stitches! The problem was that every other row had cables. It had a chart but the chart was very hard to read so I had to use the written instructions. I spent many nights in my recliner working on one or two rows! Last week I thought maybe I should have written a chart that was easier to follow but I only had about 30 more rows to knit! Here it is mid construction. I decided not to add earflaps in the end!


 

I also find myself paying more attention to what characters are wearing than what they are doing in some TV shows. I also tend to find myself spaced out on campus, intently staring at someone who may be wearing a piece of knitting that I am recreating in my mind. Sometimes I worry that those other students will notice and think I'm a creep, but I think that is just the peril of being a Noticing Nelly Knitter!

Novice Knitters may need an extra push to be inspired to knit, but once you start knitting, it is difficult to stop. You may see someone in the grocery store, at work, or even in the car next to you on the interstate, and think - I wonder if I can knit that? For Novice knitters - don't be intimidated! If you see something cool, file it away, and some day you may just have acquired the skills to make it yourself! 


Or you could be like Matt, who wanted to do intricate designs his second project out of the gate! :) (Matt, while being a very skilled knitter and quick to learn, has since put aside the art. He says if he has to pick between the hobbies that will eventually give him carpal tunnel, he'll stick with video games.) Either way, don't be afraid to try something new. It is only in experimentation that we find our limitations!

No comments:

Post a Comment