I just want to vent about knitting

[winterlights08]

Hi, I'm a frequent lurker but don't post much . I've been crocheting for a year and a half now and it started off as a desire to learn how to knit. I wanted to make wool diaper covers/pants for my daughter who is cloth diapered. I knew there were more patterns available and I honestly liked the look of knit better. Well I gave up pretty quickly, after making one washcloth for practice. It took me all day to make one washcloth. You all know how many crochet washcloths could me made in a day!

 

Fast forward to this week. I got the bug again to pick it up again. I got myself some circular needles for the pattern I wanted to use and figured out how to use them. I practiced with some acrylic and thought I got the hang of ribbing. So the next day I set to work with my wool, and I must have cast on those 80 required stitches five times. I gave up the ribbing, decided to do an elastic waist. I couldn't figure out which were knit and which were purl stitches. I frogged about 20 rows of knit five times. Got to the part of the pattern that calls for short rows. Well forget it. My pants looked like c**p. When I was just doing rows of knit it looked good, but these short rows had me doing knit-2-together, and SSKs and I got the dreaded ladder and these big gaps. Not to mention the odd twisted stitch. And then when the body of the pants were half way done, some odd loop of a stitch just popped out about half way down. So I frogged once again.

 

Now I'm finding that I knit easier continental, but I can only purl English style. So that makes ribbing difficult. I tried again this morning to do ribbing, and do it all English style. Well my knit stitches were backwards. It requires so much extra thought (I guess it would become second nature one day) to think about what direction to wrap the yarn around!

 

I feel so bad because I feel like I neglected my family yesterday, including my daughter. Everyone ate dinner late and I ended the day in a sour mood.

 

Do you all think I should continue with it? I want to be one of those people who can both and . I am a self-taught crocheter, so why not a self-taught knitter. Or is my brain wired to do one and not the other??

 

The good news is, those adorable little sock point-protectors from AC Moore intended for knitting needles work great on my I hook to hold my crochet on the hook when I need to put it down

[Autumn]

When just learning, it is frustrating just to not being able to jump in and make 'complicated' items.

 

My advise, if you want to learn how to knit, as with anything, take it slowly.

[Michaels Gram]

Hi Erica,

I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice from others here but I have two suggestions for you, one is You Tube, google knitting, the stitch you need help with and request a video and they will show you exactly how to do the stitch. Second I'm not sure of what it is but there is a knitting forum just like this one for crochet and maybe someone else can tell you the exact name of it and you can probably get tons of help from there too.

 

Don't give up you'll get it and you will be so happy and proud of yourself for doing it. I do both and sometimes I still need help with one or the other and I've been doing it for many years.

 

Remember, How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall, Practice, Practice, Practice that's what I tell my grandson when he tells me something is too hard for him to do and the same goes to you, practice and eventually it will get easier. Oh and one other thing, instead of feeling guilty about neglecting your family next time try to walk away for awhile and then come back to it so you won't haave the guilties. Good luck and I look forward to your next post saying how well your doing.

[cat3crazy]

I learned to knit years before I learned to crochet but I find crochet easier and quicker.

 

When I picked up knittting :knitagain (several years later), I was informed that I was doing it wrong. I struggled to change but found that I would revert to the way I learned if I didn't concertrate. I taught myself the continental way and found it faster but, like you, found that purling was challenging. After a lot of pratice it got easier. Don't give up with knitting. Purling the continental way can be difficult but with pratice can be managed.

[beth eathorne]

youtube is a great tool. you can replay it as much as you need and no one will get tried and tell you to go away. also find out if there is a group meeting in your area of knitting and crocheting. they could be alot of help. in the end if you cant well it just wasnt meant to be. i have also started to try and learn to knit after crocheting for 38 years. i can only make the idots washcloth --knitted on the diagional and they are fun and no brainers. but i fear i may near get any further. but dont give up.

[teapot]

I'm just a crocheter too. But like you I want to knit and jump right in. I made a knitted scarf in highschool way back when, I won't say how far back lol....

So anyway I can knit and I can purl, I can slip a stitch, and yarn over I think. SO don't give up and try watching some videos online they help me alot.

I also bought a book, knitting for dummies, it really helps.

Teapot

[Cheeria]

Don't give up. Like you I taught myself how to crochet and I wanted to learn how to knit so badly that I ended up teaching myselft how to knit also. It took me some time and a lot of trials and errors before I knew what I was doing. I couldn't understand why my stitches was falling off the needles. It was through knittinghelp.com and also You tube that I finally got it. At first it was so very furstrating that I didn't pick up the needles months at a time. It was through joining a knitted dishcloth group and their love and patience with me that I finally learn. Someone already mentioned the importance of practice, practice, practice. Hang in there:cheer:cheer:cheer

[chrissyf]

I have tried multiple times to treach myself to knit ...and i have failed miserably...i cast on wayyy too tight to even make a first row. I just cant get my two hands coordinated:think...the good thing about this is that my sister just simply cannot crochet but she knits lovely:clap so the good thing if i see a knit pattern that i absolutely have to have she makes it in exchange for a crochet pattern she absolutely has to have. It works out well for both of us.

[DesertCrocheter]

Check out Annie Modesitt's site. She advocates an Eastern style of knitting she calls combined, in which purling is super easy because you "scoop" the stitches. This is the way my little Polish mother and grandmother and all the greats behind them knitted. It does require that you understand the differences in how you make the stitches cf. English style, because when you move on to more difficult patterns, the twisting of the stitches can make a difference in how your item looks. But if you're willing to invest some time understanding your knitting, and not just following a pattern, you may find a more nontraditional approach is best for you.

 

Having just taught myself English style (but still continental hold) this summer, I can say that I now understand why so many American knitters hate purling. As for English style holding the yarn in the right hand---watching my friend M purl that way is just downright painful!

 

And I seventh or eighth watching knittinghelp videos or other videos on youtube. I only really understood English style purling after watching it on knittinghelp about 50 times.

 

Good luck! Patty

[msrod1957]

I love to crochet but I am getting ready to learn how to knit. A friend and I decided we are going to take classes for it; hoping to meet new friends and others that enjoy to crochet AND knit as well.

 

I got this urge after reading several of Debbie Macomber's books, she has a series out about women who become good friends after meeting at a knitting class.

 

Linda

[eyrthmother1]

winter,

 

I only recently went through what you did. I have crocheted for about 36 yrs and wanted to try and learn to knit. i self-taught myself to crochet, but was unsuccessful w/ self teaching the knitting. I tried videos w/ no luck.

 

I'm not sure what styles of cast on, that I'd tried w/ the above methods, (the style names). I know 1 was the fig out how long a piece of thread you need, and work back w/ the remaining yarn .. confused devil outta me.

 

I was lucky enough this past june (2009) to get the opportunity to take a class through parks and rec. we were taught the french form of cast on.

 

then we broke everything down into small, bite size pieces. i mention this, because it's sounding like you are trying to learn ALL the steps at one time, and getting overwhelmed (again, i was like that and symphathize emmensely).

 

the 1st class, we learned to cast on and to do the knit stitch. thats all. classes were the 1st and 3rd thurs of each month for 3 months. so we had 2 wks to practice practice practice just those 2 steps (mostly the knit stitch) w/ making a scarf that was approx 6 feet long) (cast on 13 stitches on a size 13 needle. knit each row).

 

class 2 was learning to bind off. then a refresher on cast on, followed by purling. another 2 wks to work on the purling. or knit/purling if we wanted to alternate the rows.

 

3rd week was making a hat w/ decreases in it and double strands (1 ww n 1 fun fur) and to work on reading patterns.

 

4th week was a catching up day. if folks had problems w/ the hat and decreases, or questions; they got answered.

 

5th week we learned to make the idiots cloth w/ y/o increases.

 

 

6th and final class, we practiced in class, discuss some questions and begged for advance classes. lol. one woman needed help w/ the decrease part of her cloth, so the 2nd teacher showed the rest of us how to do cable.

 

ok, the reason i went through all that is to give you an example of how to break it down into more manageable skills. Our classes were from 1-3, and she recommended practicing for a minimum of 15 mins a night.

 

do keep trying. it is hard to learn new things, we want to do it right, right from the start; but we have to crawl before we walk...and walk before we run. it will come to you w/ practice.

 

and 2 more suggestion (other than as others have said, use youtube and knittinghelp.com) is to

1.start w/ smaller projects. I've been making TONS of washcloths/dishcloths to practice w/.

2. this worked for me w/ the purling stitches. I saw a youtube video from the pbs show,"knitting daily" where the woman held her yarn similar to how most do for crochet (continental technique) EXCEPT!! where we wrap it up and over between the middle and index, she went up between the thumb and index and over towards the middle. ive been doing that and it seems to be easier for me.

 

Sandy

[smokeyp81]

As others have said before me....knitting, as with anything new, takes practice. Knittinghelp.com is a great resource for videos on pretty much everthing you need to know. If videos don't work, take a class if you can. Don't expect to learn over night....and don't give up. Knitting is so worth it!

[Sylviaf]

I am not a knitter. I took a class, finally successfully made a swatch and then gave all the supplies I had purchased to my daughter who actually knits. However, if you want to learn to knit, perservere! There have been a lot of suggestions here, give them a try. I decided that I do enough crafts that knitting could survive without me, but I think I really lacked the desire to do it. You want to do this, so go for it!

[HomekeepingGran]

Ah, knitting. What an adventure. You've already had good advice to take it slow and practice, lots and lots. I'm going to give you a couple of links for purling ideas.

 

One is my own here at C'ville on the Beginning Knitter's Forum. If you have not joined either the Beginner Knitters Forum or the Experienced Knitter's Forum you will have to do so in your profile area. It's easy enough. Just click to join those Special Interest User Groups. My post has a few pictures of how I purl Continental and a bit of explanation about what is going on.

 

The other site I'm giving you is a wonderful companion to Annie Modesitt's Combination Method mentioned by Desert Crocheter. This site is Grumperina's Blog and she has great video tutorials for learning the "scoop" method of purling. At the bottom of this video page are links to several knitting styles. Check out the last on the far right, "Purl, Continental Hold, Combined Method", to see how she easily she does it.

 

The Combination Method is going to change some things. Combo Purling makes the knit stitch sit differently on the needle so that now the leading edge (the edge closest to the front of the needle) is on sitting behind the needle instead of in front of it. You typically want to knit into the leading edge so you knit straight into the stitch as it sits at the back of the needle. If you don't, your stitches will be twisted. Also be forewarned that the Combination Method changes how you handle decreases! Grumperina also has a clear chart, a Conversion Table, to tell you exactly how to make those changes to achieve either a left- or right-leaning decrease, but at this point in time, winterlights, you are basically trying to learn to purl without having to change up all those yarn handholds so you don't need to worry about that yet. Just be sure to favorite her pages so you can find them again.

 

This makes it all sound so complicated but it's really not hard. The Combo Purl is easy to do and makes a good-looking stitch if you decide to use it.

 

Good luck!

[darski]

 

The other site I'm giving you is a wonderful companion to Annie Modesitt's Combination Method mentioned by Desert Crocheter. This site is Grumperina's Blog and she has great video tutorials for learning the "scoop" method of purling. At the bottom of this video page are links to several knitting styles. Check out the last on the far right, "Purl, Continental Hold, Combined Method", to see how she easily she does it.

 

I am getting more and more convinced that this growing old thingy is not for the feint of heart. Her hands are the same coloour as the background and I can't see a thing she is doing with her hands or the yarn. It kind of reminds me of those "click to enlarge" photos that are not only the same small size; they are farther away than the original.

 

does anyone know of vids for this that are visible for older eyes?

 

I am always trying to improve my knitting skills. I like Continental but I am not happy with my version of purl. I am starting to think that I need a vacation from all things yarn but my hands would go crazy without something to do

[HomekeepingGran]

It is a little small and similarly colored, Darski. I wonder if there are some good videos on YouTube by now?

[smokeyp81]

I am getting more and more convinced that this growing old thingy is not for the feint of heart. Her hands are the same coloour as the background and I can't see a thing she is doing with her hands or the yarn. It kind of reminds me of those "click to enlarge" photos that are not only the same small size; they are farther away than the original.

 

does anyone know of vids for this that are visible for older eyes?

 

I am always trying to improve my knitting skills. I like Continental but I am not happy with my version of purl. I am starting to think that I need a vacation from all things yarn but my hands would go crazy without something to do

 

 

This is how I learned to "correctly" learn to purl continental style. I think that this video is pretty good and the backround color contrasts nicely with her hands and yarn. (I do wish the videos would come up full screen instead of that little box)I don't hold my yarn like she does, but I do push the yarn down to make the purl stitch.

[eyrthmother1]

This is how I learned to "correctly" learn to purl continental style. I think that this video is pretty good and the backround color contrasts nicely with her hands and yarn. (I do wish the videos would come up full screen instead of that little box)I don't hold my yarn like she does, but I do push the yarn down to make the purl stitch.

 

i went and looked. it will come to full screen. when you click to watch, a box comes up. in the lower RIGHT corner, there is a button w/ 4 arrows pointing out. click on that. it will go full screen.

 

Thank you for that so much. i loved seeing it explained.

 

Sandy

[_Stacy_]

Can I just say how much this forum rocks?! I came here to comment on how I tried to teach myself to knit, also, but I couldn't figure out the difference between knit and purl, and all of the different methods. I attended a knitting group for several months last year and still could not figure out the difference. I got so frustrated with making a knit-stitch only scarf that ended up being about 5 feet long...I just gave up.

Well, I just watched the video that smokeyp81 posted the link to, and it all makes sense! My lightbulb just came on. LoL It is bookmarked and I cannot wait to dig out my needles tomorrow and give it a whirl.

[darski]

i went and looked. it will come to full screen. when you click to watch, a box comes up. in the lower RIGHT corner, there is a button w/ 4 arrows pointing out. click on that. it will go full screen.

 

 

On my comp it plays with Quick time and there are no arrows. I tried clicking on the RP but it did nothing.

 

I did go to You tube and watched a couple of vids there. the combined seems to be a matter of TBL for knit and purl. I tried a swatch and it is approximately the same as TFL knitting.

 

I spent some time after that with a knitting (my way-contintental) and I have decided that I am just as happy with my casual method of doing purl and I will just go with that.

 

I do like the fact that there are so many ways to get knitting done. I also love all the resources we have these days to learn and challenge ourselves.

[smokeyp81]

Can I just say how much this forum rocks?! I came here to comment on how I tried to teach myself to knit, also, but I couldn't figure out the difference between knit and purl, and all of the different methods. I attended a knitting group for several months last year and still could not figure out the difference. I got so frustrated with making a knit-stitch only scarf that ended up being about 5 feet long...I just gave up.

Well, I just watched the video that smokeyp81 posted the link to, and it all makes sense! My lightbulb just came on. LoL It is bookmarked and I cannot wait to dig out my needles tomorrow and give it a whirl.

 

So glad I could help! I am left handed, and it took me forever to figure out how to purl "the right way"! LOL Do you right handers know how hard it is to watch a rightie knit, and then try to figure out how to do it left handed?!? (I do know that if I searched around a bit I could find left handed videos, but I just like the ones at knitting help)

[catdragon]

So glad I could help! I am left handed, and it took me forever to figure out how to purl "the right way"! LOL Do you right handers know how hard it is to watch a rightie knit, and then try to figure out how to do it left handed?!? (I do know that if I searched around a bit I could find left handed videos, but I just like the ones at knitting help)

i am self taught but was very much like the person who cast on so tight i couldn't knit that first row. i had a friend who knitted and asked for help so she "taught" me how to knit. i am right-handed and she is left-handed and learned from her mother who is also left-handed and she knits left-handed so it was so entertaining to watch a leftie knit and figure out how to do it rightie:hug

 

(this was before internet)

[winterlights08]

I decided to move on to something a bit simpler, the Curly Purly diaper soaker. I didn't do the short rows, I instead focused on learning how to rib, knit, and purl. There were decreases which I had to figure out, and did. I also learned how to graft using the Kitchener stitch. I haven't done the leg cuffs yet, but I'm proud to say that there are no twisted stitches and the finished product looks pretty darn great! My daughter is wearing it now, just with unfinished legs . I also learned exactly how to put the stitches back on the needle so that they aren't twisted. If I had learned how to do that in the first place I wouldn't have wasted so much time!

And it didn't take that much time. I started yesterday morning and will finish today! It's not as slow moving as I thought it would be . I'm going to make her another one in a larger size next, I don't know why I made a medium. Oh well!

[eyrthmother1]

:cheer:clap CONGRATS!! and see, now i'm jealous because i've not learned how to do the kitchener stitch.. lol. there may be more than 1 way to decrease (since more than 1 way to increase), but i learned the "k2tog" way. it annoys me, lol, w/ how the stitch gets stiff w/ the 2 st's on the needle to draw the yarn under.

 

don't look at your 1st experience as wasted time. it was a learning experience. you have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. it was just your crawling time

 

Sandy

 

I decided to move on to something a bit simpler, the Curly Purly diaper soaker. I didn't do the short rows, I instead focused on learning how to rib, knit, and purl. There were decreases which I had to figure out, and did. I also learned how to graft using the Kitchener stitch. I haven't done the leg cuffs yet, but I'm proud to say that there are no twisted stitches and the finished product looks pretty darn great! My daughter is wearing it now, just with unfinished legs . I also learned exactly how to put the stitches back on the needle so that they aren't twisted. If I had learned how to do that in the first place I wouldn't have wasted so much time!

And it didn't take that much time. I started yesterday morning and will finish today! It's not as slow moving as I thought it would be . I'm going to make her another one in a larger size next, I don't know why I made a medium. Oh well!

[winterlights08]

:cheer:clap CONGRATS!! and see, now i'm jealous because i've not learned how to do the kitchener stitch.. lol. there may be more than 1 way to decrease (since more than 1 way to increase), but i learned the "k2tog" way. it annoys me, lol, w/ how the stitch gets stiff w/ the 2 st's on the needle to draw the yarn under.

 

don't look at your 1st experience as wasted time. it was a learning experience. you have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. it was just your crawling time

 

Sandy

 

I found the tutorial for the kitchener stitch on knitty.com to be *really* easy to follow. I tried to follow the instructions from the original pattern I was attempting, and then tried another website. Made no sense to me . Found the knitty.com site and it was clear as day. I just finished my second soaker, I'm so happy I figured this out! Of course I'm not giving up my crochet, I have like four projects lined up!