Knitting!!
Well, very rudimentary knitting, but it's an excellent start.
A friend finally took pity on me and came over last weekend to teach me the basics. She's known about my crusade for a while now, and how I just haven't been able to find the time to load up the kid and drive an hour round trip to the knitting store. So she lugged her two over to my house instead.
She even put together a little knitting bag for me! It was full of awesome stuff- books, yarn, two sets of needles, a little bag for all of the little things, and a bunch of little things (that I don't even know how to use yet)! It was such an incredibly thoughtful gift.
We started with casting on, then the knitting stitch. I had no idea it would be so physically demanding- after just a few rows, I had to put it all down to catch my breathe! Only I would find a way to turn knitting into an aerobic activity. My hands were also pretty achy by the time we finished my first lesson, but that should abate with time. No pain, no gain!
And, um, NOT something I can do while watching TV, like I envisioned. I don't know what I was thinking. This knitting thing takes concentration! Though probably not the hunched over, rigid arm concentration I've been giving it. I'm sure that will lessen with time, too.
I've been trying to knit at least once a day, because I definitely need the practice. Badly. I'll triumphantly finish a row, thinking I've finally done it perfectly, only to find while doing the next row that I've dropped a stitch. Or added some. Or everything will look great and I suddenly let the yarn slip off the needle. I don't know how to fix any of these things yet, so back to the beginning I go, unravelling all the way.
With my latest attempt, I started with 30 stitches, and after only 3 lines ended up with 36! But you know what, I'm going to go with it. This has not been sitting well with the perfectionist in me, but I don't think I can bare to unravel it all again!
Despite my beginner's bumblings, I'm so excited to finally be knitting. There's so much to learn, and I can't wait to tackle each new thing. After I get through this first stage, of course. We'll see if Gabi has her doll blanket by her birthday in July.
K2 P2 K2tog...it's enough to bring on an adult tantrum! If you find a huge mistake at the completion of your project, just throw your knitting in the middle of the floor, stomp on it, then toss it in the back of the closet with the hidden drawing! Hang in there, because knitting takes scads of practice. So far it looks good!
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