Knitting ~ A new adventure

Knitting was something I never thought I'd take up; for some reason it just never really interested me. My mom was the knitter - I am a crocheter. It seemed to me that knitting was something that took one eons to build any skill at...and there was that dreaded dropped stitch...a problem you didn't have to deal with in crochet.

Simple knit dishcloths

Every once-in-awhile I'd see a lovely something knit by a friend and think to myself that maybe it was time to give it a try. The thought never really lasted for long. About two years ago I purchased Simple Knitting: A Complete How-to-Knit Workshop, by Erika Knight when I had a great Joann Fabric coupon. It sat in my sewing room pretty much untouched.

Two things made me jump on the knitting bandwagon. 1) The older I get the more my body stresses out when asked to do repetitive motions. It is becoming harder to crochet for long periods of time for weeks on end. 2) As we prepare to move I am making a serious attempt to clear out "stuff" and my yarn drawer was in need of a good purge. Over the years I'd amassed several balls of Sugar & Cream / Peaches & Cream cotton yarn. I've learned from past experience that I do not like to crochet with this cotton yarn and wondered how it would be to knit with it.

Colorful knit dishcloths

Small, colorful dishcloths seemed to be a great jumping in project! I can honestly say I am enjoying my foray into the knitting world, although I'm not sure just how elaborate I'll attempt to develop my skills. Each of these dishcloths allowed me to learn a different stitch, or practice a combination. The patterns are very beginner friendly. If you'd like to give them a try here's the details clockwise from top left:

• Periwinkle blue: Moss stitch dishcloth pattern found in Simple Knitting book
• Lime green: Easy Knit Dishcloth by instructables.com 
• Magenta: Waffle Knit Dishcloth by homespunliving.blogspot.com
• Aqua: Basketweave Dishcloth by TurtleRock Designs

Knitting needles I found in my supplies

At some point in time my mom must have taught me a little knitting because when I was attempting to learn how to cast on stitches I discovered I already knew how to do it. I am always amazed by muscle memory. I also think we must have had some knitting lessons because I found these needles mixed in with my craft supplies - they show signs of wear on the tips. I honestly don't remember ever completing a knitting project, so maybe I never got much further than casting on, knit, and purl.

Great texture!

It's been really satisfying to learn a new skill, and my wrists and hands are so happy with more variety mixed into the motions I'm asking them to do. The cloth created by knitting is so different than that from crochet and I like how it squishes and stretches. I'd say my venture into the world of knitting is off to a successful start :o)

What new skills are you learning? I'd enjoy hearing about them - leave me a comment :o)