Knit and Crochet Away!, tierneycreates

Knitting!

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

And now for something completely different…  – Monty Python’s Flying Circus

Let’s take a break from quilting and sewing and talk about KNITTING!

I have always wanted to learn to knit, I thought it was magical. My grandmother taught me how to crochet and crocheting is cool but there was something more austere and glamorous about knitting, not quite sure how to put it into words. Maybe it was because I did not know how to do it and it seemed so difficult that made it so ethereal…

15 years ago a I learned how to knit but I only learned how to make knitted scarves, I was scared to try anything beyond a scarf. After learning how to knit I became completely enamored with wool yarns. As a crocheter I had made numerous afghans with inexpensive acrylic blend yarns. I could not imagine buying expensive yarn for crocheting.

One of my first exposures to “high-end” yarns was at a yarn shop in British Columbia on a trip to Victoria. When we lived in Seattle, WA, Canada was not that far away and we would frequently go to Vancouver, BC. Every couple of years we would take the ferry from Northern Washington State to Victoria, BC for the weekend.

One trip to Victoria, we stopped at the Beehive Wool Shop. My first time to a yarn speciality shop, I was overwhelmed – so many colors and textures, and yarn options, and patterns, and, and, and (I nearly get short of breath and dizzy just thinking of that first experience).

They were so friendly and welcoming at the Beehive Wool Shop, especially when I told them I was a new knitter. It was as if I had joined a new family – The Knitting Family.

Displayed at the shop I saw the most beautiful scarf – a ribbed knit scarf made with this beautiful burnt orange yarn (I seem to have always had a thing for orange, see my posts Embracing Orange and Orange). I figured this scarf was way too advanced for me – I had only mastered straight knitting and straight purling, no combinations!

The kind and very encouraging shopkeeper at the Beehive Wool Shop told me that I could do it, found me the yarn, then gave me an impromptu lesson on how to create ribbing. She also wrote down the simple pattern for me.

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Here is the completed scarf – it is my most favorite scarf of all time (and I made it – yay)!

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Having conquered a semi difficult scarf, I set my dreams on someday knitting my own cap/hat.

Then 9 years later, while living in Central Oregon, my friend who is a very experienced knitter, knitted me my first handmade cap! Oh my goodness – I was so in love with this hat that his hat became my “security blanket” (remember when you were young and you had a “bankie” that you took everywhere with you?) and once the weather got slightly cold enough it was time to wear my hat!

Dec 2014 me
Me in my “security blanket”
My love for my hat grew to the point that I had to learn how to make such a hat, even if this sounded scary and beyond my reach. My friend Pam agreed to teach me how to knit a hat and she was very patient (very patient) as I made it through my first hat.

There are no photos to share of my first hat. It was wonderful to make a hat but it was rather small for my head, not sure what I was thinking.

I did not give up, the best thing after learning to do something is to try again, especially on your own, to cement your learning. I have made two more knitted hats since that time (same pattern) and I am currently working on a third. Eventually I would like one in every color of my wardrobe!

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My knitted hat collection (from the top): I made the olive green hat, my friend Pam made the purple variegated one, I made the blue one, the maroon one is in progress.
I may not work on it all the time but my knitting is very special to me. I like to take it on trips or to events where I will just be sitting around. I carry my knitting in a special bag – one that I picked up when I went on a trip with my father (who is no longer with us) to Williamsburg, VA. This bag reminds of the fun day I had, about 18 years ago, wandering around Colonial Williamsburg with my Dad.

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Every time I go to knit it reconnects me with that special trip.

Happy Crafting!

 

Published by tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Quilter, crafter, obsessive tea drinker and lover of all furry creatures (especially dogs and cats) - join me on my tierneycreates blog as I share stories from "A Crafter's Life".

17 thoughts on “Knitting!”

  1. Wow! You have an endless supply of talents! I love the scarf! And the cap is fabulous! I learned how to knit when I was little but I haven’t knitted in years. But I do watch the knitting show on PBS if that counts as a proxy!

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  2. Having a good instructor helps. I was lucky at the classes offered when I lived in Lafayette, IN. (River Knits). Lots of stuff like how to read your knitting (makes pattern knitting easier ) and how to fix mistakes. My enthusiasm comes and goes for it. but it is more portable than quilting.

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    1. Patterns other than basic still remain a mystery as far as knitting (not sure I will be making any Icelandic sweaters anytime soon, ha!) and I think I need to take a class to move off of scarves and hats.

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  3. Look at you all crafty and what not. I love that orange! The hats are adorable and I do think you need one in every color. Knit away…ps…I miss seeing your quilts…hint hint. You can quilt on knitting breaks and will have to call in sick for a few weeks to a month or so I can have my quilt fix. Just one quilt fix….come on Tierney. Just one!

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  4. Impressive! I also love the orange! (Have I ever mentioned I’m going to paint my living room a sort of burnt orange?). I, sadly, do not know how to knit. I can crochet a little bit. There is a knitting class at the Fulton County Public Library, but I am always working! LOL

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  5. I am a knitter too. My mom taught me when I was a child. I haven’t picked up my knitting needles in quite a while. I’m torn between my quilting arts and knitting. Often I think I should have a knitting project going to keep my hands busy when I’m sitting still. Perhaps this winter. Love the orange scarf!

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