KNITTING 101

I started knitting 3 weeks ago. I have wanted to take knitting classes for quite some time and I finally started! I have read numerous books where the characters knit and they have so much fun :) Debbie Macomber has the Blossom Street books and Maggie Sefton has a murder mystery series.

My first project is a felted bag. I have picked up some tips for first-time knitters...

1. A felted bag will hide any flaws that you have made. You wash the bag and the yarn "felts" and blurs together. This is very helpful since my stitches are uneven!

2. Using a multi-colored yarn (where one color blends into another color)enables you to quickly notice any dropped stitches. For instance, when a red stitch is laying on a yellow stitch, you know something bad happened!

3. Using circular needles keep the needles in place so they don't fall on the ground.

4. A continental knit stitch is apparently a lot quicker and you notice progress faster. I am not sure what the English style involves but I probably have to learn that at some point.

5. There are a variety of methods to "cast on." I have only learned one so far and I don't really remember how to do it!

6. If you are taking knitting lessons, rather than sit for 2 hours working on one project (like my felted bag) start another project with new techniques. I can sit at home and work on the bag so in class I should utilize the instructor. This gets you more bang for the buck.