Knitting - Do you? I do.

[Berta]

How many of us knit? It's a craft that I love, my grandmother taught me and I can still hear her voice as she patiently recited The Knitting Nursery Rhyme whenever I do a basic knit stitch. I usually have a large (long-term) project and a small, quick and portable project on the go. I also have a shameful quantity of wool in my "stash".

[Kidless]

Oh Berta!  I don't knit.  I have tried and tried and it's just not my thing.  However, I do crochet.  My grandmother taught me when I was 8 years old with all her love and patience.  Like you I have long term projects going as well as short term so it feels like I am accomplishing something.  Thrift stores are great places to pick up extra yarn. 

[MaryB]

   Me me me!!  I love to knit, although not very good.  I can make hats and scarfs and blankets (simple) so I have made a lot of them.  I wish we lived close so you could teach me.  I would love to master the thumb to make gloves to go with the hats and scarfs.  haha  I have had to make fingerless gloves. 
 

[MaryB]

Please share the rhyme!!!   

[Pat]

I knit most days and I love it - it keeps my mind lively working out the patterns and calculating stitches for different sizes etc. I try to learn a new skill every few months and recently have learned mosaic knitting. I love colorwork knitting but found my stranded knits (fairisle) just pulled in to tight and spoilt the garment. Mosaic knitting is the easiest colorwork method that Ive found and I'm addicted to it now.


I knit toys and gloves and cardigans. But my favourite thing of all to knit? SOCKS! Two at a time, in the round (and now with mosaic colorwork).

[Berta]

@kidless - now you see? I can't get the hang of crochet. I can do a little, some knitting projects use crochet edgings and certain cast-on techniques start with a chain of crochet. But crochet fascinates me - one stitch on the needle where I sometimes have over 200!


@MaryB - yes, thumbs can be fiddly, especially preventing a hole in the "v" of the thumb. I learned to pick up a stitch from te row below to stop that hole. I'm certain I found that tutorial on YouTube.

I'll find the rhymes and post them later.

[Berta]

@Pat - I agree that knitting is also a good mental exercise. Sometimes there's quite a lot of math involved. Your comments about mosaic knitting have intrigued me - I'm going to explore that.


Socks - yes, I love doing them too. I always have a pair on my needles. I find them a useful "break" if I'm knitting a large item. Also, they're very portable.

[Pat]

Mosaic knitting is much easier than the finished work appears. It's basically knitting stripes and slipping stitches. Here's a pair of socks that I'm going to make next, the pattern is by Twist Collective :

[Berta]

@Mary B - Here are rhymes to teach the knit stitch and the purl stitich :

Knit Stitch


In through the front door
Around the back
Out through the window
And off jumps jack.

... and another for the Knit Stitch

In through the rabbit hole
Round the back of the big tree
Up through the rabbit hole
And off goes she!

Using the first example, (with casting on included) explain how to knit like this :

IIn through the front door.
(Put the needle through the first loop/slip knot).
Run around the back.
(Place the thread of yarn between the two needles by running it around the back).
Out through the window.
Gently pull the loop and right hand needle down and out through the loop on the left hand side).

(Stop here if you are "casting on" and continue until you have as many loops as desired)

And off jumps Jack.
(Gently drop the loop as you transfer the "new stitch" on the right needle).

For the Purl Stitch :

In under the fence
Grab that sheep
Out of the fence
And off we leap.

There are videos which explain these rhymes better here : Mama Lisa's World

[MaryB]

@Mary B - Here are rhymes to teach the knit stitch and the purl stitich :

Knit Stitch


In through the front door
Around the back
Out through the window
And off jumps jack.

... and another for the Knit Stitch

In through the rabbit hole
Round the back of the big tree
Up through the rabbit hole
And off goes she!

Using the first example, (with casting on included) explain how to knit like this :

IIn through the front door.
(Put the needle through the first loop/slip knot).
Run around the back.
(Place the thread of yarn between the two needles by running it around the back).
Out through the window.
Gently pull the loop and right hand needle down and out through the loop on the left hand side).

(Stop here if you are "casting on" and continue until you have as many loops as desired)

And off jumps Jack.
(Gently drop the loop as you transfer the "new stitch" on the right needle).

For the Purl Stitch :

In under the fence
Grab that sheep
Out of the fence
And off we leap.

There are videos which explain these rhymes better here : Mama Lisa's World

Oh my goodness, Berta, thank you!   I had no idea what I was asking for to ask you the rhyme!  Thank you for taking the time to write all that out!!!  ((((BIG HUG)))))
I'll tell you, if someone would have taught me that it would have helped me so so much!  Still will!     What a lovely teacher you had. 

[MaryB]

Mosaic knitting is much easier than the finished work appears. It's basically knitting stripes and slipping stitches. Here's a pair of socks that I'm going to make next, the pattern is by Twist Collective :

Pat, those are beautiful!  Just beautiful!

[Pat]

Thank you @MaryB - those socks were a plure pleasure to make. They look complicated - but they're not. I got the wool from two old jumpers I bought at a garage sale. I often find great quality wool at such sales - I unravel the garment and make my own balls of wool. The two jumper made two unique pairs of socks - all for $3!