Oh my gosh! I have knitted a swatch!

I was going thru some yarns in a container and I came across two
knitting needles that my friend gave me. So....I decided to try to
teach my self to knit again. Well, I have managed a small swatch
using worsted weight yarn. Red Heart. Took most of the evening. I
have some trouble with tight stitches and I am dropping a stitch here
and there, BUT I think I am getting it! I know it will be a long time
before I can really make something, but I guess it is a start.

What is frustrating me is that I am sort of a perfectionist, and I look
down at my work and can't understand why I can't get my hands to do
what my mind knows what should be done. Grrrr. I know Rome wasn't
built in a day and I won't learn to knit in one day. I guess I am too
excited.

Guess what I will do after the kids go to school tomorrow?

Any suggestions on a nice yarn to work with for beginners and what size
needles? I am using Susan Bates size 9 straight needles with worsted
weight at the moment.

Thanks,
Diane

Congratulations!

Can you go to a regular yarn store and play with the needles and yarns, and
see what feels good to you?
I'm going to guess that the best yarn to work with would be worsted weight
wool (not acrylic)--unless of course you're allergic to wool. It's soft,
springy, and thanks to the wonders of modern science, often machine
washable. If you can play with the needles (at yarn stores, they will let
you do this, and advise you--maybe even help you cast on if that's a
problem), you can find out whether you want slick needles (like aluminum or
that pearly stuff), or ones with a little more drag (like wood or bamboo),
or a lot of drag, like nylon and other "space age" materials.

Have fun, and give us a report!

Georgia

wrote in message
ups.com...
I was going thru some yarns in a container and I came across two
knitting needles that my friend gave me. So....I decided to try to
teach my self to knit again. Well, I have managed a small swatch
using worsted weight yarn. Red Heart. Took most of the evening. I
have some trouble with tight stitches and I am dropping a stitch here
and there, BUT I think I am getting it! I know it will be a long time
before I can really make something, but I guess it is a start.

What is frustrating me is that I am sort of a perfectionist, and I look
down at my work and can't understand why I can't get my hands to do
what my mind knows what should be done. Grrrr. I know Rome wasn't
built in a day and I won't learn to knit in one day. I guess I am too
excited.

Guess what I will do after the kids go to school tomorrow?

Any suggestions on a nice yarn to work with for beginners and what size
needles? I am using Susan Bates size 9 straight needles with worsted
weight at the moment.

Thanks,
Diane

Hi Georgia,
Thanks for all the suggestions. Will the needles with a little "drag"
halp prevent me from dropping stitches so much? I think that is my
biggest problem, they are slipping off while I try to do a purl stitch.

Thanks,
Di

Diane: You sound like me! I had tried to learn to knit a few times before
but gave up. I recently tried again and, by jove, I think I may be getting
it this time! Anyway, I'm trying to learn to do this and that. I got a
pair of plastic size 13 U.S. (9.0 mm) needles and I can hold them much
better than the metal ones.

Brenda
wrote in message
ups.com...
I was going thru some yarns in a container and I came across two
knitting needles that my friend gave me. So....I decided to try to
teach my self to knit again. Well, I have managed a small swatch
using worsted weight yarn. Red Heart. Took most of the evening. I
have some trouble with tight stitches and I am dropping a stitch here
and there, BUT I think I am getting it! I know it will be a long time
before I can really make something, but I guess it is a start.

What is frustrating me is that I am sort of a perfectionist, and I look
down at my work and can't understand why I can't get my hands to do
what my mind knows what should be done. Grrrr. I know Rome wasn't
built in a day and I won't learn to knit in one day. I guess I am too
excited.

Guess what I will do after the kids go to school tomorrow?

Any suggestions on a nice yarn to work with for beginners and what size
needles? I am using Susan Bates size 9 straight needles with worsted
weight at the moment.

Thanks,
Diane

they probably will help with that. They may also make the stitches tighter
in general. If that is a problem, experiment with ways of holding the yarn
to put less tension in each stitch (hope that's intelligible, because I have
no idea how you're holding the yarn, and can't remember what the way I knit
is called, if it even has a name).

Georgia

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi Georgia,
Thanks for all the suggestions. Will the needles with a little "drag"
halp prevent me from dropping stitches so much? I think that is my
biggest problem, they are slipping off while I try to do a purl stitch.

Thanks,
Di

hi ya
Well, you've done your swatch, now you work on perfecting it, so that you
get the tension right and no dropped stitches. It all takes time, but worth
it in the end. Good luck, you've done very well so far, it's just a case
of being at ease with it all.

Hugz Cher

In article . com,
wrote:
I was going thru some yarns in a container and I came across two
knitting needles that my friend gave me. So....I decided to try to
teach my self to knit again.

Congratulations. Is this a case of "it didn't work the first time"
or is it just "it's been a really long time"?

snip

Any suggestions on a nice yarn to work with for beginners and what size
needles? I am using Susan Bates size 9 straight needles with worsted
weight at the moment.

As Georgia said, go to the yarn store and try out the different yarns.
To start with, you want a smoothly finished yarn with a consistent
thickness and a tight enough twist so that it doesn't split easily.
Leave the slubbies and the novelty yarns for later.

Unless you are allergic, I would recommend wool simply because it is
really very nice to knit with. It has a natural stretch and resilience
that makes it easier to make stitches. (I say that as an acrylic user.)
There is some nice acrylic around, too, and wool blends have the best
of both worlds. I would advise against cottons or silks because they
don't stretch; knitting with them takes more care, but blends with some
wool in them are easier to use.

Size 9 needles are probably a good size to start with; they should help
prevent you from knitting worsted-weight yarn too tightly. For hats
and mittens I prefer sizes 6 and 8.

=Tamar

Hi Brenda,

I don't remember your name, Dixie Sugar so welcome to this great group
and do come back again and tell us what you are knitting.

Nora

Good Diane!
I am sure you soon are an expert! ;-))
Aud;-)
skrev i melding
ups.com...
I was going thru some yarns in a container and I came across two
knitting needles that my friend gave me. So....I decided to try to
teach my self to knit again. Well, I have managed a small swatch
using worsted weight yarn. Red Heart. Took most of the evening. I
have some trouble with tight stitches and I am dropping a stitch here
and there, BUT I think I am getting it! I know it will be a long time
before I can really make something, but I guess it is a start.

What is frustrating me is that I am sort of a perfectionist, and I
look
down at my work and can't understand why I can't get my hands to do
what my mind knows what should be done. Grrrr. I know Rome wasn't
built in a day and I won't learn to knit in one day. I guess I am too
excited.

Guess what I will do after the kids go to school tomorrow?

Any suggestions on a nice yarn to work with for beginners and what
size
needles? I am using Susan Bates size 9 straight needles with worsted
weight at the moment.

Thanks,
Diane