Knitting Observations of a Crocheter

Well, I have to admit, I am enjoying the knitting, but I have noticed a few things that I thought I would share for those crocheters out there who, like me, are intimidated by the thought of trying to knit:

1)  I've always said it is hard to learn how to crochet, but easy to make things; it is easy to learn how to knit, but hard to make things.  Especially in the round.  It's hard to perch 3 or 4 double pointed needles to try to get something going, when with crochet, you just need one hook.  But, again, the flexible fabric that results from knitting in the round is what is going to get me my socks!  It seems that the trick is to keep the yarn tight when crossing over from one needle to the next, so I give it an extra tug before moving on to the next stitches.

2)  Another hard aspect is undoing mistakes.  If you get distracted while knitting and make a mistake, it's not as easy as just pulling out a few crochet stitches and starting over -- you have to carefully undo the stitches and get them back on the left needle and then redo.  It's also important to be sure that the loops are turned in the same directions, or it really affects how the completed stitch looks.  I came across a book called Knit Fix: Problem Solving for Knitters that has been helpful in addressing the boo boos.

3)  Knitting instructions are even harder to understand than crochet ones!  Especially European instructions -- actually, I wouldn't even call them instructions, they're more like "guidelines."  But, in a way, they give you the freedom to experiment and make the project your own.

But, having said all this, I am really starting to appreciate how the differences between the techniques can enhance the final product, and I'm getting inspired to create some combination projects.  Stay tuned!

And Twas the Day After New Year's!

And I'm barely stirring...  I have tried to unplug again and am spending my time knitting (?!) and playing this addictive game on my iPad.  It's called "Found" and I justify it by saying that it is helping with concentration and eye-hand coordination ;-)  It's free in the iTunes app store, but don't blame me if you get lured in...

And, yes, I said it, I've been knitting.  Remember how, way back when, I said that I am determined to make a pair of socks.  Well, crochet socks are just not the same.  I think crochet booties for babies are actually better than knit booties because they aren't as flexible, so baby won't kick or push them off as easily.  But, the lack of "give" in crochet socks just don't work as well for grown-up feet, so I'm going to knit a pair.  Actually, I just want little ankle length "tennis socks" so how hard can that be?!  (famous last words...).  I've still got that beautiful yarn from the Metro Yarn Crawl last year, and I've got to finish it up before I can justify buying a whole bunch of new yarn this year.

Because I am still a crocheter at heart, I've decided to make "toe up" socks because it makes more sense to me.  I signed up for Knit Toe Up Socks on Craftsy (if you're interested, please sign up through my affiliate link above, thank you :-), and since Craftsy has a new iPad app, it's so easy to watch and pause to give it a try.  The course covers all aspects of making socks -- different toe and heel constructions as well as help on making other choices along the way.  I like the instructor too, I feel like she's really trying to anticipate your questions and answer them as she goes along.  Actually, I used her suggestions to start a knit baby hat from the top -- I figured that might be an easier way to get a feel for working in the round with knitting and using double pointed needles.

I will keep you posted on my progress!