Knitting!

A while ago I bought a book on Amazon called Knitty Gritty (Knitting for the absolute beginner) by Aneeta Patel, and a set of bamboo knitting needles.





I haven't had much spare time for crafting recently, but I have been trying my hand at knitting, when I've found a few minutes to spare, and I've become a bit obsessed.

The book is really simple to understand and has loads of photos which are easy to follow... And I have managed to successfully make a scarf and some baby booties!  I am ridiculously proud of myself and have even had an offer from someone to buy the baby booties!

 For the scarf I probably made it too wide, but the extra stitches made for good practise (and I can now use it as a small blanket if I want).  I didn't follow exactly what the book suggested as I wanted to practise purling as well, so I used 3 balls of XL cotton (made by DMC).  I did normal knit stitches (with 6.5 mm needles) for the first and third ball, but for the middle one I did purl stitching.  It looks quite nice, I think, and the purled part of the scarf is stretchier and feels somehow softer which is great as it's the part that touches the back of the neck.

Then I tried my hand at the booties... I was really surprised how easy I found these to make and managed to do each one in an evening, so having made a nice little set of booties in just two days felt very rewarding.  With this one I learned how to decrease, how to do a garter mattress stitch and practised the backstitch, which I had only done with thread and material before.  It was also an opportunity to use smaller sized needles too (4.5 mm).

And speaking of the needles, I really like the bamboo ones I got.  I tried knitting years ago when my mum showed me how to do a basic knit stitch, but I never managed to make anything.  Back then I used metal knitting needles and I can really see that bamboo is easier to work with.  The wool doesn't slide off as easily which I think is really helpful for a beginner, and I just prefer the way they feel, with a little give in them.

So all in all my knitting adventure has been a good one so far!

I've now got my hands on some crochet hooks and a book on crocheting, but so far my efforts haven't borne any fruit. I also want to try some sewing, but I need to invest in materials and am going to wait a while to start that project.

So I'll leave you with one recommendation if you want to try your hand at knitting for the first time (or have forgotten how to since the last time you tried), buy Knitty Gritty... It's an excellent book!  And invest in some bamboo knitting needles.