After years of protesting that, although some people manage to make sweaters, the only thing I could ever make from yarn is a knot, I've broken down and started a knitting class. (Hi, my name is Clio, and I'm addicted to Groupons...) And let me tell you, I really feel like it's more boot camp than class, which is exactly what I need.
My instructor is Berta, and she wrote this book. She's rather fierce (I mean that as a compliment) and says she can teach anyone to knit. And by the end of the first class, all 10 of us students were, in fact, knitting!
In three classes - once a week at School Product Yarns right near the Garment District - I will knit two scarves and a hat. It's a very pragmatic class. And I'm laughing while I write this post because it's like being taught by your grandma or favorite Aunt. So far Berta is teaching us how to knit as opposed to spending any teaching time on terminology, how to read patterns, talking about tools or supplies (needles, yarn, etc). I have no idea if we will cover these things in future classes or not. There was no hand out or curriculum. It's instant gratification knitting for now. On Monday morning I couldn't knit a single stitch, but now here is almost 2/3 of a scarf.
It's done with puffy wool and enormous needles, which hides a multitude of glitches and gaffes. It's a fast and easy project to get me going. And on that note, I feel I should share my ulterior motives; what really drove me to knit. I've never really wanted to knit before because, well, I'm not really much of a sweater person. And how many scarves and hats does one person need? Not too many. But what I do love is socks: socks of every size and shape and color and texture!
A few months ago, I picked up these books on Half.com on a whim. And now I'm determined to knit, just so I can knit socks. Ridiculous? Absolutely! But my feet will love me for it.
Somehow, this approach to knitting oddly suits me. I don't know a thing yet, but, dang, I'm knitting and socks are in my future. I'd be surprised if there isn't some sort of reckoning or comeuppance for this wild approach. So stay tuned. It could get interesting.
My instructor is Berta, and she wrote this book. She's rather fierce (I mean that as a compliment) and says she can teach anyone to knit. And by the end of the first class, all 10 of us students were, in fact, knitting!
In three classes - once a week at School Product Yarns right near the Garment District - I will knit two scarves and a hat. It's a very pragmatic class. And I'm laughing while I write this post because it's like being taught by your grandma or favorite Aunt. So far Berta is teaching us how to knit as opposed to spending any teaching time on terminology, how to read patterns, talking about tools or supplies (needles, yarn, etc). I have no idea if we will cover these things in future classes or not. There was no hand out or curriculum. It's instant gratification knitting for now. On Monday morning I couldn't knit a single stitch, but now here is almost 2/3 of a scarf.
It's done with puffy wool and enormous needles, which hides a multitude of glitches and gaffes. It's a fast and easy project to get me going. And on that note, I feel I should share my ulterior motives; what really drove me to knit. I've never really wanted to knit before because, well, I'm not really much of a sweater person. And how many scarves and hats does one person need? Not too many. But what I do love is socks: socks of every size and shape and color and texture!
A few months ago, I picked up these books on Half.com on a whim. And now I'm determined to knit, just so I can knit socks. Ridiculous? Absolutely! But my feet will love me for it.
Somehow, this approach to knitting oddly suits me. I don't know a thing yet, but, dang, I'm knitting and socks are in my future. I'd be surprised if there isn't some sort of reckoning or comeuppance for this wild approach. So stay tuned. It could get interesting.
