Having never knitted anything before, the idea of making my own knitwear for the winter was exciting. I practiced just plain knitting with super chunky wool and comically large needles for a while to get the hang of it. Upon looking at a knitting pattern I felt at a loss. I couldn't understand it at all. I had no idea what any of the terminology or any of the abbreviations meant and I quickly became disheartened. However modern technology came to save the day, and I remembered that Youtube exists and it is full of content. That includes knitting tutorials.
I spent a couple of days watching a range of tutorials for some items that seemed relatively simple and easy to follow. Eventually I decided to knit myself some fingerless mittens. I bought a ball of yarn in the recommended size and the appropriate needles.
I had to restart 4 times before I got the hang of it and didn't mess up the ribbing. I had no idea what purling was so I had to watch a video on that too. I also very quickly learnt that it takes a lot longer to knit something of a substantial size with thin yarn. It would take me hours to add a few centimetres to my mittens! But I stuck at it and got there eventually. I'm glad I did because I can now say that I made my mittens myself when people ask about them, a great feeling I wasn't anticipating so that was a nice surprise.
If you're thinking about taking up knitting, I would recommend it. It's great to do when you're watching mindless TV shows or listening to music or an audiobook. Watch lot's of videos and practice first. It is also a great mindfulness exercise, bringing your attention to what's in front of you. Especially when you're just starting out, it keeps your brain occupied for hours at a time as it takes a lot of concentration.
Here is a link to the video tutorial I followed to make these mittens.
I spent a couple of days watching a range of tutorials for some items that seemed relatively simple and easy to follow. Eventually I decided to knit myself some fingerless mittens. I bought a ball of yarn in the recommended size and the appropriate needles.
I had to restart 4 times before I got the hang of it and didn't mess up the ribbing. I had no idea what purling was so I had to watch a video on that too. I also very quickly learnt that it takes a lot longer to knit something of a substantial size with thin yarn. It would take me hours to add a few centimetres to my mittens! But I stuck at it and got there eventually. I'm glad I did because I can now say that I made my mittens myself when people ask about them, a great feeling I wasn't anticipating so that was a nice surprise.
If you're thinking about taking up knitting, I would recommend it. It's great to do when you're watching mindless TV shows or listening to music or an audiobook. Watch lot's of videos and practice first. It is also a great mindfulness exercise, bringing your attention to what's in front of you. Especially when you're just starting out, it keeps your brain occupied for hours at a time as it takes a lot of concentration.
Here is a link to the video tutorial I followed to make these mittens.
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