Wizarding Times

I am a new knitter. I taught myself to knit over a year ago and am still finding out lots of things not to do while knitting. Most knitting columns tell you what, why, and how to do things. This column says what not to do when first encountering the exciting world of knitting.

Greetings, Knitters of all ages and experience. Yes, I capitalize the K of Knitters, because knitting is one of those things which is so deceptively simple that anyone can do it — but to do it well requires a degree of competence and accuracy and sheer genius that might well be the indication of an Einstein.

First off, allow yourself to be persuaded that knitting is fun and you can do it and succeed in creating wonderful scarves, mittens, hats, and other of the more simple designs for beginning knitters. (Yes, even these apparently simple objects can be made quite complex. I know a knitter who created a hat of such beauty — and complexity — that it is ooooh'ed and aaaaah'ed over wherever she goes.)

Which leads me to the original purpose of this column:

What not to do when knitting.

Once you have learned the basic stitches of knit and purl, your whole knitting world opens up into a galaxy of possibilities. The first thing to do: choose for your first project something that you can knit within a week or so.

The first thing not to do is this: do not choose something that is rated at anything more than "beginner" level. Choosing a first project that will take three or more weeks simply seems to guarantee that you will have a great tendency to put it aside after the first week and eventually forget it ever existed.

The second thing to do: choose something that has the simple basic knit stitch with no, or very little, purl stitch in the pattern. (Some folks call the "pattern" a "recipe." For some reason I tend to call it a recipe, so if later on I mention that word, be not confused!) Choose a pattern that calls JUST for knit stitch, or purl stitch, with no little instructions about switching directions, or turning mid-way down a row, or making lace patterns, etc.

Do not do what I did, which was find an absolutely beautiful scarf pattern that twisted in spirals formed of little triangles, and have to learn to make short rows as well as remember how to make a knit stitch.

The third thing to do: choose yarns and other items as close to the pattern's requirements and colours as possible.

The third thing not to do: choose a yarn totally dissimilar to that called for in the pattern. The bulk of the yarn, the feel of it, the colour, the material of which it is made — all of that combines into the appearance (and feel) of the finished product. I fell in love with a lovely floating swirlling scarf which floated down the front of the wearer. It was bronze-green and glimmery with highlights and totally gorgeous. I purchased a heavier, creamy and 'thicker' yarn, thinking of frothy shirt fronts of 18th century men's wear. I ended up with something that looked like one of the spiral noodles... before cooking.

So, to conclude this debut column of what not to do:

1) start with something that will take you months to complete (if you ever do complete it);
2) choose a pattern with so many abbreviations in the guide that you have to look everything up to figure out what it is saying;

and

3) never ever follow the guidelines of what kind of yarn to use.

See you next month with yet another column of "what not to do"!