#beginning knitters

[professorpski]

The beginner usually makes a ‘first garment’ in stockinette stitch—knit of the right side, purl on the wrong side— and if it comes out not too many sizes too big or too small, and does possess two sleeves more or less the same length and width, she gains the impression that she learned to knit. Alas, she has not— not yet. She has begun to learn to knit.

Barbara Walker, A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns (1970). I read this and thought, How true. I always describe myself as a beginning knitter despite my creation of a pair of sweaters as I am well aware of the many, many lovely things that I would like to make, but I am not yet able. Barbara Walker was one of the grandes dames of knitting and the author of several books of treasuries of knitting stitch patterns.

[professorpski]

Knit Simple, Holiday 2019: It’s October, Get Knitting!

The one problem with deciding to make gifts is that you often run out of time. I sent a winter scarf in May of this year that I had started in November. So, Knit Simple helps out by telling us to get started NOW and by offering up some small gifts, both these adorable hats and sweaters for little people, plus accessories for adults. There is a feature on doing simple embroidery on knitted garments like the hat and scarf on the cover, as well as on accessories for adults. You can try color work on a small scale with the Yoked Sweater by Sandi Rosner made of DMC Wooly which is a merino, or the Reindeer Mittens by Amy Bahrt made of Cascade 220, or cables for the red baby ensemble in Plymouth’s Worsted Merino Superwash by Jil Eaton.

There are several sweaters for women including this Sideways Cable Pullover by Laura Zukaite which is made of Encore Starz, a blended yarn with glitter. While there are 33 patterns in here, the most challenging item is the Lacy Scarf by Deborah Newton made of Sugarbush Yarns Drizzle which is one of those lace kid mohair silks. If you are new to lace, try the pattern first in a nice wool worsted as frogging (i.e. undoing) a knitted laceweight kid mohair yarn is pretty much impossible, as all the little fibers catch each other and won’t let go (although rumor is freezing the yarn helps).

This being a magazine for beginners, there is a Q and A column, nice BIG instructions and pictures of basic knitting techniques, plus regular pages on new products and new books and whether they will suit the new knitter. You can find it in your local bookstore or newsstand, or online here: http://www.knitsimplemag.com/