#2kcbwday2

[dauntingwalnut]

I'm participating in the second annual Knitting & Crochet blog week over on my website!  Check it out!

[tangledinwordsandyarn]

Skill + 1UP - 2KCBWDAY2

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?.

Despite having knit for 20 years, 10 of them consistently, I really gained an immense amount of skills over the past year.  More specifically, the past several months, after a kind friend sent me a gift certificate for a variety of different kinds of yarn that I never had a chance to use before.  These are the skills I have learned (seems like a lot, but often several of them were for one project):

Long-tail and knitted cast-on.

Turkish bind off.

Socks: Cuff Down

Socks: Toe-Up

Magic Loop Method

Blocking.

Color stranded knitting.

Lace.

Picot edging.

[tabikat]

Skill + 1UP

This is a post about my previous projects this past year. I don't really want to list them all since they've actually been a lot (probably more than I will have this year or maybe less the way this year's chaiping up already) Anyway, you can see some of my past projects in my knitting page

This time last year I believe I was making my first or second hat, which I still need to pu tthe pom pom on.

I think this year I've learned soooo much about knitting it's just crazy!

So I'm going to just talk about the things that I think are the most important knitterly things I've learned:

I've learned the impoartance of knowing the differences between animal fibres, cellulose fibres, and synthetic fibres and which ones I need for what projects. It has helped a lot to create items I'm really proud of.

I've learned how to turn a heel on a sock! It may have just been a sample, but learning how to use short rows and the importance of closing up those gaps has helped me a lot when discovering mistakes in projects! (yeah I've started knittin gin the wrong direction before, not fun when counting rows and you find one side is completely lopsided!!)

I've also learned sweater contruction in pieces. That was probably my biggest and most fulfilling project when it was done! It was like I conquered a mountain. however, it has made me a bit scared to start another sweater project becasue of all that work that goes into one. Plus, I'm afraid to fall out of love with a sweater by the end of it and then never actualyl wear the darned thing!!

Lastly, my most favourite thing that I've learned to do was knitting lace! It's gorgeous and I can't wait to make my first shawl for me! I'm thinking of starting with a shawllette, because actual shawls aren't really popular to wear around...so I'll have to find the perfect colour that will go with a lot of outfits and I'll still love to knit with so that when I wear it it won't look lame.

Anyhoots, those are the things I am most proud about my knitting, I'm pretty cocky sometimes, but I'm always looking for constructive criticism when it comes to my skill. It's probably the only thing I'm not offended when someone says they don't like what I'm doing (unless they say that knitting is a waste of time or useless...then I get mean)

Tootles