The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => Wild Card => Topic started by: jay-ell on August 15, 2007, 03:07:31 am
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Does anyone else knit? I learned about two years ago and after the initial obsessive phase broke I still enjoy it immensely. I bring it up now because I am working on a pair of socks (http://www.interweaveknits.com/images/backissues/toc_fall07/snowflk_socs.jpg) for my mom's Christmas present and they are really advanced so I basically want an excuse to brag.
Alternatively, who is working on an artsy-craftsy type of project right now? There's got to be someone out there who sews, or scrapbooks, or paints Warhammer models, or something. For some reason I'd peg linnea as a paper-crafter? I don't know why? And AugustWest as a model-train guy? (For the record I think model trains are incredibly cool, although I am aware that this opinion puts me in the minority.)
I am also "working" on a scrapbook (in other words, I did one page and it's still in my free tote bag from Archiver's) chronicling the story of my courtship with Pedro, up to and including his marriage proposal. I am one of those scrapbookers who buys materials and has Big Plans but rarely actually Does Things. I enjoy doing it, but it takes a lot of effort to get things out and to put them away again afterwards, whereas knitting is sort of a "pick it up and take it with you" kind of hobby. Much better suited to a busy mom's life.
So...who's doing things? I'm curious to see what y'all do when you're not posting here.
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OOOH!! Great thread, JL.
I'm not a paper crafter, but I love knitting and crochet. I do like drawing, though, and that's paper. ;) My ex used to play Warhammer and I painted a squadron of Adepta Sororitas although I found the Byzantine rules of the game way too boring to actually play a game myself. Sadly, I think I threw my squadron away after we broke up because i found it too painful to look at. Whenever I would read through my friends' Warhammer magazines, it seemed like quite often it was ladies who would win the convention painting contests for the best painted figurine. Our two friends who got him into Warhammer are a couple, and the girl was an incredible painter. As luck would have it, when we broke up they went with him and have cut off all contact with me. I still have dreams about hanging out with them, because I loved them so much. Sigh. Anyway, I'm sure I'll make better friends, but I miss them a lot. Even though it's been three years since I've seen them or heard from them.
Probably my most complex project was when I knitted Kellichou a bag from Stitch n' Bitch and felted it. I'll have to get a photo of it. Kelli said that two adorable 4-year-old twin girls were enthralled by it at a restaurant. One of the girls grabbed her mom's hand, pointed, and said in a stage whisper: "Mommm! Her purse is SO FUZZY!" Kelli thought it was super-cute. The purse has a "K" on it for Kelli. I'm supposed to make similar purses for my mom and younger sister, but genius me did not put the yarn in my yarn tote. It is in a box somewhere in storage. Good job, Somebody nice. I'll have to go dig it out.
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I have always wanted to learn to knit. I have a pair of socks my grandma knitted for me when I was about 12 that are still the best damn socks I own. They were a little big on me then, but now they fit me perfectly. I try not to wear them too often, because I know there's no more where they came from.
I used to quilt, but found it really bad for my back - I totally hunch over my lap, and no matter how I try otherwise this is the position I want to be in if quilting. I'm descent at sewing, but don't enjoy it. It's a chore, not a passtime.
My general crafty passion is seeking out and re-purposing/restoring old stuff. I have a love of old-house salvage shops. I picked up an oak cabinet with orange glass doors from a place called "this old house" that fits like a glove in our half bath. I particularly enjoy refinishing wooden furniture. I have a beautiful mirrored dresser (circa 1940-something) covered in about 1/4 inch of white paint given to me by a dear friend many years ago. This friend passed away last year, so I treasure it even more now. I'm greatly looking forward to stripping it, but took the time to learn what I was doing on several smaller, less important pieces. I can't wait to see the wood underneath. I think this project is for next summer.
My best project so far is a large antique dried plum crate that I had a nice piece of pine cut to fit as a a lid. I had the SO attach some nice strap hinges to connect the lid to the crate as I still strip most screws I meet. I stained the lid a rich ebony that really shows the grain and matches the black labelling on the crate which reads "Preserve Plum" and has a bunch of funky emblems and the address the plums came from on China. It serves as both a hamper and an end table, and everyone always asks where I bought it. They're stunned when I say I made it. I have a couple chairs, including the one I sit in right now that have great lines but are in desperate need of refinishing and reupholstering. The local leasure guide offers reupholstering classes, and I'm certainly toying with the idea.
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And AugustWest as a model-train guy?
Uh, no.
But I do play Railroad Tycoon a lot.
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I have never made anything that didn't come out badly. This is due to a combination of lack of interest, and utter lack of hand-eye coordination. My wonderful friend Erin made me a scrapbook for graduation, and I love it. The best detail is a lovingly crafted replica of a famous Gatorade Bottle Top-- due to Parents, though, the replica is inexact, as the inscription on the top only says "****!" rather than the true word itself. (FUCK!)
Um, the only thing I have made is my lego White Stripes man (http://flickr.com/photos/theinevitable/740861687/) (on top of the bookshelf at an awkward angle.)
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I have never made anything that didn't come out badly. This is due to a combination of lack of interest, and utter lack of hand-eye coordination. My wonderful friend Erin made me a scrapbook for graduation, and I love it. The best detail is a lovingly crafted replica of a famous Gatorade Bottle Top-- due to Parents, though, the replica is inexact, as the inscription on the top only says "****!" rather than the true word itself. (FUCK!)
Um, the only thing I have made is my lego White Stripes man (http://flickr.com/photos/theinevitable/740861687/) (on top of the bookshelf at an awkward angle.)
There is a Famous Gatorade Bottle Top? Did you talk about it on the boards, or is this some kind of cultural phenomenon that I missed?
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oh, no. I was being facetious. One time, in like 8th grade, she wrote "FUCK!" on the top of a gatorade bottle, and when she wanted to curse she would just flash it. It was funny because, you know, she is cussing in front of her mom, and her mom doesn't know.
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Probably my most complex project was when I knitted Kellichou a bag from Stitch n' Bitch and felted it.
I made that purse for my mother-in-law for her birthday one year! Hers, of course, has a "g." It was my first felting project (aside from some practice potholders, which didn't turn out so well considering that I didn't read the label properly and tried to felt superwash wool...). She uses it regularly, which makes me really happy. If you liked making it, I recommend a book called Pursenalities (http://www.amazon.com/Pursenalities-Great-Knitted-Felted-Bags/dp/1564775658), which is a bunch of felted bags -- totes, clutches, pocketbooks, the works. It has about twenty patterns in it, and a lot of them combine wool with novelty yarns so you get the felted look with, like, marabou edging, or a little shimmer in the body. I just love projects where gauge doesn't matter. I'm obsessed with socks lately, though, I don't know why. I've been knitting a lot of newborn-sized diaper covers, too, for some reason. ;)
I knew I had it all wrong when I started trying to guess people's hobbies. I just had to give it a go, anyway. To prove that I'm not right about everything all the time?
Pedro plays Warhammer, and I painted parts of his Tau army before my son was born. But, like scrapbooking, it became a thing where I only have fifteen minutes here and there to pursue hobbies, so anything that involves set-up and take-down wasn't feasible anymore. So he did some, and paid a friend to do the rest for him. He only has about a 1000 point army, so he just does skirmishes and pick-up games. He competed in a league one year but it was too time-consuming. Plus, as one of the newest players in the league, he got his ass handed to him so many times in a row that I think he got frustrated.
I have always wanted to complete the dollhouse my parents made me for my sixth birthday. It has wallpaper and flooring in some of the rooms, but others are bare. I played with it and loved it just the same -- but now that I'm a grownup I'd love to finish it as an heirloom for my own kids. The parts for it are hard to find, though, because it's an unusual scale -- most are 1:12, but this is 1:16. It is a huge dollhouse, a mansion, really -- the base is a full-size sheet of plywood -- and it's a gorgeous near-reproduction of the house I grew up in (which my Dad also designed and built). And I have no idea where it's going to go when we move, because there is no place in the apartment to store such a thing. I'm hoping my in-laws can take it, since they still have my brother-in-law's air hockey table. I think the two would make a nice set in their third-floor playroom. ;)
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I have been known to stitch one on...
Beanie Hat -
http://raindog.net/ljimages/beanie1.jpg
The matching scarf that I'm working on (Ravenclaw colors...cause... I'm a sad little man)
http://raindog.net/ljimages/scarf2b.jpg
http://raindog.net/ljimages/scarf020606.jpg
The Cunning Hats I knit for a couple people as modeled by the ladyfriend and the boy-
http://raindog.net/jayne/jayne1.jpg
http://raindog.net/jayne/jayne2.jpg
I got sidetracked about a year ago, when I had to pack up the entire house and move to Portland. I need to seriously finish my scarf.
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Awesome, smick! I did Hogwarts scarves for my friend and her daughter -- Ravenclaw and Griffindor, respectively -- for Christmas last year. They were the "wide stripes" variety, although honestly I prefer the look of the one you're doing, with the thin stripes, instead. I promised Jough a Slytherin scarf at some point, but told him it would probably be a year before I even cast on for it. I had to do my friend's scarf in a horrible cheap worsted-weight acrylic because she's allergic to wool, but for Jough's I was thinking Lamb's Pride bulky. They have very Slyther-ene shades of green.
What kind of yarn did you use for the Ravenclaw scarf? The blue looks just perfect.
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I'm using the Lion brand Wool-Ease. The colors were pretty spot on.
And yea, I liked the thin striped scarves myself. I'm doing this one on circulars, so right now it's one big tube. I don't think my home town will ever get cold enough for it though.
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Awesome toques smick!
JL, I have a total doll house obsession. My mom wouldn't let me have one when I was little, so it's become a fixation. I even walked for a total of 3 hrs round trip to get to a dollhouse shop in a city I was visiting one day. I don't own a doll house, but I've always wanted to. I think it's the reason I got into theatre - my love of replicated worlds. Would it be creepy and weird for an adult with no children to have a doll house? Yes.
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I have done all kinds of crafty things on and off in my life, but never any of the yarny activities. Knitting seems quite miraculous to me, that you can take string and turn it into an almost solid object using nothing other than two needles. It's not a craft, it's some kind of magic.
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OMG. Smick. Maximum cuddles. However, I can't see the pictures you posted for some reason.
I'm reminded of my favorite commercial of all time, (http://crackle.com/c/Commercials/yahoo_quilting_superbowl_2000/412734#ml=o%3d7%26fk%3dyahoo%2520quilt%26fx%3d&vt=1) where a cute punk boy is caught quilting by his punk roommates, who start laughing hysterically. He gets on Yahoo and finds an awesome quilting group.
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Would it be creepy and weird for an adult with no children to have a doll house? Yes.
There are lots of adults who make doll houses as a hobby. Have you ever looked at the prices of the really fancy stuff? You'd never let a little kid anywhere near it.
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Ditto wombat. Plus, if you just want to get your feet wet, you can do miniatures in shadowboxes, and claim that they are "decorative."
Smick, I found tube scarves to go faster than flat ones. I don't purl half as fast as I knit, and without regular end-of-row opportunities to put the darn thing down, I found I was knitting longer at a sitting. Plus, with a double layer you can get away with working them on bigger needles so that they are be extra-drapey without sacrificing warmth. I love wool-ease -- my son sometimes sleeps in a pair of experimental wool-ease toe-up ankle socks -- but my friend has a bad reaction to anything with any animal fiber in it at all, including Merino wool, cashmere, or alpaca. It makes me sad for her. Never will she know the joys of a brioche-stitch neckwarmer knit from the undercoat of a baby camel.
wombat -- knitting is magic. I know how it works, and I am still amazed. I also love the fact that each individual stitch looks something like a tiny heart. I have a friend who spins, and that is even more incredible to watch. She prefers a spinning wheel, but for small amounts of yarn or spinning on the go, she uses this drop spindle that looks like a finial from the top of my parent's old four-poster bed, and she just sort of pushes wool around until it makes yarn. Then she dyes it herself and knits the result. Amazing.
She knows a lady with a farm, so periodically she comes back from a visit to her parents' house in the mountains with a big garbage bag of sheep shearings. She also goes to thrift stores and salvages old sweaters, cuts them apart, and cannibalizes the yarn to make baby clothes. Often, if the original sweater was factory-knit, she has to spin several plies together to make it thick enough for handknitting, but she is really amazing when it comes to recycling. I have a ball of purple fingering-weight cashmere/merino that she plied and beaded, and I am waiting for my muse to bring me the perfect project for it.
Oh, darn you, internet, for making me expose the degree of my yarn geekitude.
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Oh, I forgot. Knitting isn't just making objects from string - you really start with piles of sheep fluff.
Piles of fluff turned into sweaters. Seriously, I would be afraid of being burned at the stake.
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How would you suggest someone learn to knit?
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Piles of fluff turned into sweaters. Seriously, I would be afraid of being burned at the stake.
Would you be afraid of getting a can?
AW, I would suggest to someone who wanted to learn to knit to find someone who knits and ask them for a lesson. We knitters tend to be pretty obsessive and like to share our obsession with others.
Barring that, find a locally owned yarn store and ask anyone who works there if there are knitting groups in the area. Show up with needles and yarn and someone will be glad to show you the basics.
Once you can cast on, knit, and purl, get a good book. I mean, a *good* book. Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears (http://www.amazon.com/Knitting-Without-Tears-Easy-Follow/dp/0684135051/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0336738-7109622?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187210139&sr=1-1) is a classic. I've also heard good things about Knitting in Plain English (http://www.amazon.com/Knitting-Plain-English-Maggie-Righetti/dp/0312353537/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0336738-7109622?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187210090&sr=1-1) by Maggie Rhigetti. Or you can go online and watch video clips of stitch techniques at http://www.knittinghelp.com/ (http://www.knittinghelp.com/). (That's how I learned almost everything.) But it's best to learn the basics from someone in meatspace, so that they can tell you how very, very wrong you are when you start out.
The most important thing about learning to knit is to choose your first project carefully. It should be something somewhat smallish, so you can finish it someday, but more importantly it should be something you're motivated to finish. A hat, a pair of fingerless mitts, a baby sweater for your newborn niece...David Demchuck has a great article to this effect over at knitty.com: LINK (http://www.knitty.com/issuespring07/FEATspr07KLM.html). Stitch 'n Bitch (http://www.amazon.com/Stitch-N-Bitch-Knitters-Handbook/dp/0761128182/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/002-0336738-7109622?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187209981&sr=8-3) (as well as Stitch 'n Bitch Nation (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761135901/sr/ref=pd_cp_b_1/002-0336738-7109622?ie=UTF8&qid=1187209981&sr=8-3&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_r=18B8YZ8C1AEGWQ3RWSPC&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=252362401&pf_rd_i=0761128182)), Last-Minute Knitted Gifts (http://www.amazon.com/Last-Minute-Knitted-Gifts-Joelle-Hoverson/dp/1584793678/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-0336738-7109622?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187210160&sr=1-2), and Weekend Knitting (http://www.amazon.com/Weekend-Knitting-Unique-Projects-Ideas/dp/1584792914/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0336738-7109622?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187210160&sr=1-1) all have good, smallish, but interesting projects that work well for beginners, as does the Lion Brand Website (http://www.lionbrand.com) (you'll need to sign up for an account but they won't spam you).
My goodness. Do I ever stop talking?
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The most important thing about learning to knit is to choose your first project carefully. It should be something somewhat smallish, so you can finish it someday, but more importantly it should be something you're motivated to finish.
My first projects were all swatches... then I realized, if I adjusted the scale I could be knitting a blanket. I found the chunkiest yarn, and the highest gauge needles available to me, and I knit a blanket on a pair of size 17 needles (really, they're more like short swords) with some "Thick 'n' Quick". It still sits on the back of our couch.
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The Cunning Hats I knit for a couple people as modeled by the ladyfriend and the boy-
http://raindog.net/jayne/jayne1.jpg
http://raindog.net/jayne/jayne2.jpg
I got sidetracked about a year ago, when I had to pack up the entire house and move to Portland. I need to seriously finish my scarf.
Ok, Smick. You're either a Firefly fan or a member of the Brewing Network. Which is is?
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Ok, Smick. You're either a Firefly fan or a member of the Brewing Network. Which is is?
Firefly... those are replica cunning hats, for some friends that had moved away, one moved to Portland, where I am now, and the other Chicago. I imagine the Chicagoan gets more use of his.
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How would you suggest someone learn to knit?
Dogg, do not let me think of you knitting. For some reason it would burst a neuron to see big frank esq. talking about crochet in that kentucky accent.
When I returned to my all-dude high school for some kind of recent alumni brunch, we toured the classrooms and I immediately denied any future donations to the place when I saw, literally, a knitting circle of high school dudes in the corner of a classroom. Apparently one of the sisters thinks its cute to require the young men to knit for her class. God help us.
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Dude, you need to broaden your mind regarding gender roles.
I actually asked because I've been trying to get my daughter to learn to knit. But I've considered taking it up myself. Something to do with ones hands whilst watching football.
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Dude, you need to broaden your mind regarding gender roles.
I actually asked because I've been trying to get my daughter to learn to knit. But I've considered taking it up myself. Something to do with ones hands whilst watching football.
Besides drink beer, eat junk, and masturbate furiously? That's why football has so many beer commercials, food commercials, and cheerleaders, respectively.
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Besides drink beer, eat junk, and masturbate furiously? That's why football has so many beer commercials, food commercials, and cheerleaders, respectively.
Oh, of course. But I'm getting tired of being drunk, fat and blind so I thought I'd try another option.
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Dude, you need to broaden your mind regarding gender roles.
Before now, I didn't understand why people seem a little put off by A-CAP. Suddenly, I get it.
I actually asked because I've been trying to get my daughter to learn to knit. But I've considered taking it up myself. Something to do with ones hands whilst watching football.
Your daughter is...twelve now? IIRC she was about ten when Pearce was born? I would suggest starting with crochet if she is less than into the idea. Crochet is less versatile, but it gets one accustomed to handling yarn, it's easier to learn (IMHO), and one's work tends to "grow" faster -- read "less frustration, more gratification". Plus, picking up knitting is easier if you've got a little experience with crossover skills like gauge, reading patterns, etc. Linnea, would you agree?
I have personally taught kids as young as four to crochet. I view it as a gateway craft. Both knitting and crocheting are a great things for kids to learn because they both teach patience, perseverance, math skills, creativity, problem-solving, and following directions. I plan to teach my son when he's a little older.
However, if you or your daughter have a particular type of item in mind you want to make, figure out the best technique for that item and go with that. Don't feel like crochet is a prerequisite to knitting. They're quite different crafts. I learned to knit first, and picked up crochet because I had a pattern I really wanted to make that was knitted with a crochet border. Now I can do both interchangeably, and I often add crochet borders or other embellishments to knitted items.
Hats and scarves can go either way. It's possible to crochet socks, but knitted ones are more traditional. Lacy things are considerably easier to crochet; colorwork is easier in knitting. I generally prefer the look of knit sweaters, although there's nothing quite like a crochet cardigan for warmth. Afghans can also go either way, although having done both I would choose crochet over knit for a project that large any day of the week.
I've not done a careful study, but based on my experience I feel that in general knitting requires more math, while crochet involves a greater degree of intuition. Most people who do both have a preference for one over the other. I'm primarily a knitter; my grandmother was an avid crocheter of lacy things (think doilies, bridal dresses for Barbie dolls) but "never could get the knack" of knitting. So if you try one and don't like it, don't give up. You might be a natural at the other.
Let me know how this goes. I wish we were local to each other, I'd teach you both myself.
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Your daughter is...twelve now?
Actually, 16 and 14. The 16 year old is the one I want to learn. She likes making hemp bracelets and stuff like that so I thought this would be a good progression.
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Dude, you need to broaden your mind regarding gender roles.
I actually asked because I've been trying to get my daughter to learn to knit. But I've considered taking it up myself. Something to do with ones hands whilst watching football.
Dogg, knitting is exquisitely soothing. I highly recommend it. I enjoy listening to music or watching TV while I knit. I have to look down a lot but I'm getting better at not watching my hands quite so much.
And JL...I think that knit v. crochet is pretty much six of one, half a dozen of another. Regardless of which one you pick up, the other is gonna come easier because you're down with the yarnly arts. I taught a little girl in Alaska how to knit and she had never crocheted before. Side note: I only taught one kiddo because I made the mistake of offering a knitting class at our community center during the summer...DOH. 5 little girls signed up but only one of them showed up every session. She loved me because I would let her turn on the TV and we'd watch Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.
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Not to knock anyone's hobby, but performing a 'soothing' activity while watching a football probably wouldn't work for me. I could probably stand to be physically soothed, but, well, who wouldn't. Even then, though, don't pop up between me and the screen...
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Actually, 16 and 14. The 16 year old is the one I want to learn. She likes making hemp bracelets and stuff like that so I thought this would be a good progression.
Oh, I feel old. So old.
Okay, here's a knitting book that might inspire someone in that age set: Charmed Knits (http://www.amazon.com/Charmed-Knits-Projects-Harry-Potter/dp/0470067314/ref=pd_bbs_8_s9_rk/002-0336738-7109622?ie=UTF8&s=books&s9r=8a5801be1145d828011174eff2d50705&itemPosition=8&qid=1187300008&sr=8-8), a book of Harry Potter projects. (Yes, it has Mrs. Weasley's housecoat.) I want a copy of this. I only became cognizant of its existence thirty seconds ago and now I must have it.
There are also some "just for teens" books and DVDs (http://www.amazon.com/No-Rules-Knitting-Teen-Knit-Leisure/dp/B000RT42I0/ref=sr_1_42/002-0336738-7109622?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1187300143&sr=8-42)on the market, but I tend to think that they are usually dumbed-down and written in a grown-up, bastardized version of hipspeak. Plus they assume that all teenagers who want to knit are shallow, fashion-obsessed females. (Knitted lip balm holder? I wish I were making that up.) But they do take an interesting angle in that there are knitting projects (iPod cases, et al) that make great quick-to-make gifts for friends, which I suppose is the idea behind hemp bracelets and such. That angle might appeal to your daughter.
If that's the case, find free patterns online, or get a copy of Stitch 'n Bitch Nation (http://www.bust.com/knithappens/). That book is still dumbed down, but at least its slangy writing style is in earnest and it's aimed a few years older, towards hipsters living in a material world. Stoller also has a crochet book, The Happy Hooker.
Linnea -- you're probably right, I've taught some very young kids to crochet, because the two-needles thing is a little daunting. But to an older kid to adult student, it matters significantly less, I believe.
AD: I knit during hockey games. Believe me, it's easier to not be insane while Detroit loses when I'm knitting a red and white toque. My friends think I'm nuts, but I probably miss less of the game than they do, since I'm not jumping up and down and screaming at the screen.
I have been known to drop stitches when somebody scores, though.
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Oh, I feel old. So old.
Okay, here's a knitting book that might inspire someone in that age set: Charmed Knits (http://www.amazon.com/Charmed-Knits-Projects-Harry-Potter/dp/0470067314/ref=pd_bbs_8_s9_rk/002-0336738-7109622?ie=UTF8&s=books&s9r=8a5801be1145d828011174eff2d50705&itemPosition=8&qid=1187300008&sr=8-8), a book of Harry Potter projects. (Yes, it has Mrs. Weasley's housecoat.) I want a copy of this. I only became cognizant of its existence thirty seconds ago and now I must have it.
There are also some "just for teens" books and DVDs (http://www.amazon.com/No-Rules-Knitting-Teen-Knit-Leisure/dp/B000RT42I0/ref=sr_1_42/002-0336738-7109622?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1187300143&sr=8-42)on the market, but I tend to think that they are usually dumbed-down and written in a grown-up, bastardized version of hipspeak. Plus they assume that all teenagers who want to knit are shallow, fashion-obsessed females. (Knitted lip balm holder? I wish I were making that up.) But they do take an interesting angle in that there are knitting projects (iPod cases, et al) that make great quick-to-make gifts for friends, which I suppose is the idea behind hemp bracelets and such. That angle might appeal to your daughter.
If that's the case, find free patterns online, or get a copy of Stitch 'n Bitch Nation (http://www.bust.com/knithappens/). That book is still dumbed down, but at least its slangy writing style is in earnest and it's aimed a few years older, towards hipsters living in a material world. Stoller also has a crochet book, The Happy Hooker.
Linnea -- you're probably right, I've taught some very young kids to crochet, because the two-needles thing is a little daunting. But to an older kid to adult student, it matters significantly less, I believe.
AD: I knit during hockey games. Believe me, it's easier to not be insane while Detroit loses when I'm knitting a red and white toque. My friends think I'm nuts, but I probably miss less of the game than they do, since I'm not jumping up and down and screaming at the screen.
I have been known to drop stitches when somebody scores, though.
I really love the Stitch n' Bitch books. However, the book that I used to teach myself to knit was this one (http://www.amazon.com/Comforts-Home-Simple-Knitted-Accents/dp/1564773353). The illustrations are spot-on and very clear and easy to read/understand. Plus they're gender neutral projects, although many of the ones in SnB are as well. I think that SnB was geared more towards a female hipster audience, but being a female hipster I might be biased.
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Oh, I feel old. So old.
Yeah, tell me about it.
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I really love the Stitch n' Bitch books. However, the book that I used to teach myself to knit was this one (http://www.amazon.com/Comforts-Home-Simple-Knitted-Accents/dp/1564773353). The illustrations are spot-on and very clear and easy to read/understand. Plus they're gender neutral projects, although many of the ones in SnB are as well. I think that SnB was geared more towards a female hipster audience, but being a female hipster I might be biased.
To clarify, I love the patterns in SnB, but feel the writing style tries too hard to combat the "old-ladies-knitting-doilies" stereotype. Methinks Ms. Stoller doth protest too much. Knitting is the ultimate in female geek chic. It's almost anti-technology. That's part of the appeal, at least for me -- making something you could easily buy. Why spend $20 on yarn and 50 hours of effort to knit a pair of socks by hand, when you can get five pairs for ten dollars at Wal-Mart?
Well, because handknit socks are beautiful.
Fun fur scarves? Not so much.
I think Stoller tries to take the nerdiness out of knitting, and I think that that is a shame. But I do like all her books, in terms of what patterns she offers. SnB Nation also offers a great beginner's guide to adapting patterns for one's own body type, as well. So while I find her style grating, I do recommend her books for their content.
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Dude, you need to broaden your mind regarding gender roles.
I actually asked because I've been trying to get my daughter to learn to knit. But I've considered taking it up myself. Something to do with ones hands whilst watching football.
Dude, don't do it. I tried to do cross-stitch while watching football - and understand, I really like to cross-stich, because it's so regimented and arrayed and shit. But you might as well sit in front of the TV and stab yourself with a fork.
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Yeah, but knitting needles aren't nearly so pointy.
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I am not saying anything here Re: Feeling Old.
Um, I am at the beach and have very limited internet access, so, I am going to respond to something pretty far back-- yeah, I have some old Warhammer guys somewhere, and I made them look kind of semi hot. I could never put any of the tanks or anything together, though. those guys looked kickass, but I realized that all of my allowance was going to little plastic dudes.
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Dude, don't do it. I tried to do cross-stitch while watching football - and understand, I really like to cross-stich, because it's so regimented and arrayed and shit. But you might as well sit in front of the TV and stab yourself with a fork.
I would love to see what kinda stuff you've turned out in the cross-stitch arena. My little imagination is already chuckling at the awesome, subversive, badass designs that you might have created.
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Yeah, but knitting needles aren't nearly so pointy.
I just never could get the hang of giving enough attention to the project. When I'm watching football, I am enraptured (have I mentioned how sincerely happy I am the season is back?) - and if it's a program I don't have to give as much focus to, I figure why bother watching.
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I just never could get the hang of giving enough attention to the project. When I'm watching football, I am enraptured (have I mentioned how sincerely happy I am the season is back?) - and if it's a program I don't have to give as much focus to, I figure why bother watching.
The thing is, if you're good enough at knitting, you don't have to look at your hands.
My best friend cross-stitches, and we constantly debate the merits of our individual crafts. She admits to envying my ability to pursue mine without missing Angel.
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The thing about football is the action comes in bursts. Normally I do crossword puzzles during football games. There are clumps of action every 30 - 45 seconds then 2 or 3 minutes of commercials. I get bored if I don't have something else to do.
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The thing about football is the action comes in bursts.
That is a massive understatement. I believe the average NFL game clocks in at around 16 minutes. However it takes about 3.5 hours of TV-time.
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The thing about football is the action comes in bursts. Normally I do crossword puzzles during football games. There are clumps of action every 30 - 45 seconds then 2 or 3 minutes of commercials. I get bored if I don't have something else to do.
The thing about football is that it has a seven month offseason. I have to squeeze every ounce of football out of each broadcast. I ain't missing a second of it.
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My gifted class teacher taught her students to cross-stitch in the first grade. It was part of a project to create a quilt of memorable historical events. My panel was on Wrenn's Mill (http://photos.historical-markers.org/main.php?g2_itemId=7849). The quilt itself ended up in the collection of the Isle of Wight Museum. So, yeah, my childhood art is museum quality, bitches.
I must've peaked early, because I have no talents in the art/craft field now.