Any knitters among us?

[Rusty Blade]

For the longest time I wanted to knit. I always thought it was cool to see someone knit, slow, methodical and turn a ball of yarn into something usable like a hat or scarf or sweater. So with this self isolation thing happening I decided to teach myself how to knit. YouTube is a wonderful resource to tap into if you want to learn. Or maybe you are fortunate to have a family member who can teach you.

So far I have turned out three hats, four scarfs and two washcloths. And if I do say so myself they all turned out really well. And now I am starting a sweater vest for myself. My plan is to knit a bunch of hats and scarfs and donate them to the local mens shelter in the fall.

In case you are wondering in ancient times men were the knitters in households and it was only in later times women took on the role of knitting for the family. When the soldiers were rehabilitating from their horrific injuries after WWI knitting and needlepoint were used to help rebuild manual dexterity for the men. Plus it was a stress reliever. And in many prisons knitting is used to help the men build skills and manage their stress. There are some great YouTube videos on prison knitting programs.

I find it very relaxing and it is actually very simple. Or I should say I pick very simple patterns for beginners.

So, anyone out there a knitter?

 

[MrLara]

I read that wrong. I saw "kittens" and said what?

 

[Rusty Blade]

I read that wrong. I saw "kittens" and said what?

The kittens thread is a different one...haven't posted that one yet. Looking for knitters.

 

[DocPapi]

As a kid, I knitted using a four post contrivance that simply put out a long knit rope. When it got long enough, I would sew the edges together so it made a round "disk." Depending on how long I let the rope get, it would be a place mat, a table cover, or even a throw rug.

Later, as a young man, while working in Chile, I got one of the Mamitas to teach me some basic knitting. I was able to darn socks, make a scarf, and a few other small tasks, but was never accomplished enough to do anything more complicated. I agree with you - it was quite relaxing, and seemed to free up my mind to wander, often down some productive paths. I've occasionally thought about picking it up again and learning more, but time is the issue. Maybe after I retire...

 

[joamo]

My grandfather took up making afghans after his leg amputation. He quite enjoyed it.

 

[brianw]

yup

 

[Rusty Blade]

yup


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Congratulations...that is a very nice piece. Did you knit the individual squares and then piece them together? How long have you been knitting?

 

[k2clones29]

I knit and crochet. I started out knitting a few winters ago when I couldn't find any of my winter hats. I decided I would knit a replacement. I now knit hats, socks, and scarves. I also picked up crocheting along the way. I crocheted little octopi for premature babies. I also crochet hats, blankets, and scarves.

 

[martym]

I crochet.

 

[brianw]

Congratulations...that is a very nice piece. Did you knit the individual squares and then piece them together? How long have you been knitting?

no, alternate knit purl for the checkerboard pattern. I use a knitting board loom. Been knitting for longer then I can remember, but stopped for many years because of arthritis. Started with a loom because I lost the ability to keep the right tension.

 

[T.Orso]

I'm a knitter too, with the good fortune to have a master knitter in the house to give me guidance and materials.

Over the years I've made sweaters, hats, gloves, socks, blankets, baby dresses. And, uh, bacon.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Thought about it, but haven't done it

 

[Neil-O]

My wife tried to teach me to knit years ago but with my big mitts I found it very tedious; anything but relaxing for me. I did learn to sew from her, and soon found a 1919 Singer treadle that I like to sew on.

 

[sdimartino]

I love knitting, but haven’t done it in years. With two toddlers and a full time job, there’s no such thing as free time in my life.

 

[Buster]

My wife is an accomplished knitter. She’s always got a few projects going. Last year she made me a sweater that’s so warm I can only wear it on very cold days. She showed me a new pattern for a sweater she’s going to start for me. my job is to roll the yarn into balls for her. I did that for my mom when I was a kid. I find it relaxing just to roll it into balls.

she really took to knitting after playing around with crochet. Good stress reliever and she’s quite talented. She knits in the Portuguese knitting technique mostly. She finds a lot of colorful projects on blogs and websites from the UK. I don’t ask how much she spends on fancy yarn and she ignores my spending on fishing tackle and Scotch.

 

[Shakey-and-twitchy]

How is Portuguese knitting compared to English?

 

[oc_in_fw]

Rosey Grier, one of the most fearsome people to play football, knitted. They say it’s quite relaxing.

 

[Rusty Blade]

Jacques Plante, the famous Montreal Canadiens goalie (1960s) used to knit. He even knit between periods during games to de-stress.

 

[Rushman2112]

Never tried, beyond a few minutes playing at it when my mother took it up when I was about 8. She wasn't very good and we dreaded each project and having to wear it in public.

The thread did remind me though, when I used to commute to London, a journey of about an hour and ten mins, there was a guy on the same train as me (although there was no reserved seating as such, regular commuters had a regular seat and woe betide any tourist or day tripper who sat in 'your' seat!) and he was a prodigious knitter. He'd already be on the train when I got on, and he knitted furiously the whole journey. Most mornings all I was capable of was a vacant stare out of the window(!)

 

[Buster]

How is Portuguese knitting compared to English?

I had to look it up because I’m not the expert. I’ve ordered her quite a few of the fancy pins for her. Some of them are like jewelry.

Knitting With Pretty Pins: Portuguese Knitting Technique

Have you ever been a creeper and stared at other people knitting, maybe in the airport or in a park? I have. Usually I'm staring at them because I'm checking out their awesome yarn or admiring the…

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