Purls of wisdom
Kath Garner casts on a challenge to channel her inner brave knitter
Ideas for what to knit often inadvertently come to me following a conversation with the Accomplished Knitter! She has no idea but her comments can set me on a course I hadn’t initially planned. This was certainly true with my latest project after she accused me of being lazy! I’ve been knitting for some time now but have not completed a major ‘grown up’ project or in her words ‘challenged myself’ to follow a pattern independently. Her parting words to me that particular day were ‘Pull your finger out, stop relying on others to tell you what to do and try following a pattern for yourself!’
NERVOUS KNITTER
Frustratingly she is right. I attend a fortnightly craft club where I rely on the ladies to sort out my problems, but this has made me hesitant to knit at home in case I make a mistake or just do the wrong thing. Her words stung though – ‘Pull your finger out...’ suggests laziness and that I am not. I’m a busy person and so by late evening I often just want to watch TV and not have to think. In reality I’m fearful of going wrong. The last time I dropped a stitch, I ended up pulling out the entire piece and starting again. If I happen to stop without writing down which line of the pattern I’m on there’s no way I can work it out!
IT’S IN THE BAG!
It was while walking around a local yarn event that I spotted the perfect project. It was a project in a bag – both pattern and wool in an organza bag which was the perfect size for carrying around. I already had the correct needles and, I picked a random bag which saved me from dithering as to which colour would be best. Back at home, I studied the pattern, deciphered the stitches, and then rewrote them on a piece of card, one section at a time. That way, I could cross o each line completed without spoiling my original pattern and thus keep track of where I was. As I have frequent gaps between knitting this would be very helpful.
LOOSENING UP
Beginning with confidence, I soon hit my first problem. The needles (3mm) are by far the smallest I’ve ever used and the wool, the finest. Sadly, it would appear that my eyesight is not what it was and knitting in the evening was just too di cult – I could barely see the stitches. (Memo to self – revisit the opticians!) Resuming in daylight, I eagerly tackled the first part of the pattern. I’ve always known I’m a tight knitter but this wool confirmed it! Within ten minutes, I’d snapped the wool in several places by tugging too hard. Initially frustrated, I decided to start again and snapped it several more times as I pulled out the wool ready to reuse. Taking a deep breath I began once more, remembering to knit loosely. Keeping a note of each line completed, I did surprisingly well, managing yfwd, psso and rep without issue. Increasing in confidence, I spent more time at my project and I can honestly say that I am proud of my e orts. The Accomplished Knitter was also dutifully impressed as my daughter modelled the completed garment – a beautiful fingerless glove, showing o her painted nails. I didn’t confess that there is currently only one fingerless glove and I have yet to find time to make its matching partner!
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