knit-wit

I've taken up knitting...again. I bought a book, yarn and knitting needles a little over a year ago. I managed to learn the 'cast-on' and 'knit stitch', but that was all. I quickly became frustrated at how sloppy it all looked. That and the pictures for the 'cast-off' were so confusing they could have been hieroglyphics for all I knew.

When I decided to take up the skill I had a romanticized idea of what it would be like. I would catch on quickly, read the pattern well, zip off a few practice squares and be sewing cute hats for my kids in no time at all. Heck, they would be so cute people would start buying them! The perfect fool-proof plan.

I should know myself by now. James does! James is well aware of this trait in me and refuses to contribute vast amounts of money to my crafty whims. I do this all of the time. I'm not much of a 'band-waggon' type of person except when it comes to crafts. I get excited about learning new skills...is that so bad!??!

I woke up yesterday morning and decided to start again. This time it would be different! It would come quickly, I would understand the instructions, I would zip off a few practice squares and start knitting some cute mittens for the kids. EASY! Hmmmmmm.

I scrounged through the back of a cupboard hoping to locate my unused knitting supplies. BINGO! Yarn-check. Book-check. Knitting Needles-One. What!? What the heck am I going to do with one!? I rummaged around the house some more and was able to locate the next best thing...drumsticks. So, I sat down and tried to re-learn the two things that I had learnt a year ago.

I read the 'cast-on' instructions, looked at the pictures and made my attempt. I again read the 'cast-on' instructions, looked at the pictures and made my attempt. I, for the third time, read, looked, read then looked, read and looked...looked then read...read...looked...attempt...NADA! I think that I sat for 45 minutes trying to figure it out. Praise the Lord for online knitting tutorials because after an hour of failing miserably at making a simple knot with a stick I was ready to hunt down the author of the 'New Knitter' book and murder them with a drumstick. Haha...I'm kidding (but...not).

I've got the 'cast-on' and 'knit stitch' down but they both look very sloppy. I'm sure this is partially due to the fact that I'm using drum sticks for knitting needles. I am determined to learn, it just might take some time...a lot of time.