Knitting Reflection.

How does one work through a complicated knitting project without becoming frustrated?

Recently I had the opportunity to take on the challenge of a knitting project that is a step beyond my experience level. Actually it was about 5 steps beyond my experience level. I love the challenge and this is probably as much fun to me as I can have without a party hat and cake.

Written instructions have always been like a knitting class to me. To the credit of the editors and writers of these instructions, they take one step-by-step through the process in almost all cases.

Start by skimming through the instructions to get a general overview of that which you are getting into. Then, with the correct supplies and materials on hand, begin at the beginning. If you take your project one step at a time, the impossible can be accomplished. You know the old saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

And as you walk through each step, your confidence will grow for the next project.

But in fact, some projects are more complicated than others. My most recent project is one of these. After 25 years of knitting, I jumped into the mother of all knitting challenges.

This project included short rows, steeks, intarsia, and unusual shapes and assembly. In truth, the concentration needed made this a really intriguing process. It was interesting and absorbing from the start. Straight knitting can be relaxing, but at some point I begin looking around for my cross stitch. Not so with this. My interest never flagged.

But at certain points, when a new technique came into play, I would feel befuddled. As much as I wanted to charge ahead and “getter done”, I found if I set the work aside for several days and go into my imagination to play out in my mind what the instructions were telling me to do, I could more clearly picture what needed to do. I would imagine the result if I did one technique, then another.

My apprehension lessened as I relaxed into this imagining. I would go back and unconcernedly reread the instruction, avoiding pressure. I was simply interested. Then I would take the instruction into my mind, and quietly work away on the process in imagination.

Without causing myself frustration, at a certain point I felt confident and I also had several courses of process mapped out from which to choose. The instruction was a kind of a guideline upon which my own expertise could be worked.

This was a very pleasant interlude in what was a deeply challenging but also deeply satisfying process. The reflection about the project simply removed frustration and provided the room to relax into day-dreaming the process that would work for me.

Having spent far too much time in a competitive and goal-oriented work life, this different approach was like a breath of fresh air. And the knitting project is coming along beautifully.

Remember, this is the fun side of your life. If approached like a meditation, the outcome is derived in a peaceful and fun manner.

Hey, wait a minute; what would happen if I approached my work life this way?

　

The Fascinating Knitting Needle

I’ve been familiar with crocheting and the associated crochet hook from the earliest years of my recall.  Crocheting is almost a passion of mine, but not quite.  My early years included memories of my mother, mother’s friends, grandmother, aunts and cousins crocheting.
I found myself married to a man who was also surrounded with the mothers, sister, and aunts who crocheted, and interestingly called it knitting.
I became a crocheter by default.  My association with knitting was similar to the women of my acquaintance;  it was that of a hungry person standing outside a restaurant, watching the fortunate people within satisfying their appetite.
Familiarity with crocheting encouraged continuation of this craft, as I went off to work to fill the immediate necessity of supporting myself.
Recently, working on a knitting project, the equipment required was a 29” circular Size 1 knitting needle.  Wanting to start the project immediately, I went in search, doubting I had this item.  I didn’t wish to travel the 15 miles or so to purchase a new needle, but I couldn’t begin my interesting new knitting adventure without it.
To my surprise, buried among my stash of knitting needles I found a Susan Bates 29” circular Size 1 kitting needle still in the original package and never having been used.  The price was $1.65.  I didn’t remember buying this in some wistful past before I had begun my knitting journey, but it was probably from a strange little discount store from our region back in the ‘60’s called Philadelphia Sales.  It was a very long and rambling building that carried almost everything at supposedly discount price. Included in this establishment was a really well-stocked sewing department that displayed knitting, crocheting, embroidery, quilting, and fabric.

 

On a day off from work I would wander through this department with no cash in my pocket and dreaming of the activities that would fulfill me.  If I had a spare couple of dollars that wasn’t needed for rent, gasoline, or food, I would buy a feel-good item for the someday in which I could enjoy that which fulfilled me.
Today, after years of devotion to the needs of others, I’m beginning to have the ability to pay closer attention to my own needs.  The 29” Size 1 knitting needles I had bought so many years ago would finally be of use. 
Today, the character of knitting needles is virtually unlimited.  I’ve seen wonderful sets of needles with interchangeable tips, all nicely housed in nifty containers.  We can find beautiful wood needles that work so well with yarn of little resistance such as silk.  The man-made materials can be so slick it is a joy working with nubby wools.  Tips can be blunt or sharp according to need. 
Researching the various types of tools for knitting can be almost as enjoyable as the process.  Knitting is a very personal pursuit, and finding precisely what suits you is a journey in itself.
Once upon a time I barely had time to knit.  Now I have the time to relax into this wonderful craft, research that which is available, and play with the process.  This is a gift of age I had dreamed of for years.  I often wonder if I was smart to put on hold the deeply satisfying interests of my life, in order that I could fulfill the responsibilities of a career serving the needs of others.  A different path would have suggested a more modest lifestyle without the intense responsibility, but with more attention to the joys of my soul.
The bad news is I will never know.  The good news is, I’ve remembered what is the joy of my soul before I am too old to enjoy them.
A very simple idea to personalize knitting needles is to purchase the dowels found in craft stores.  A tip can be sharpened in a pencil sharpener, sanded to requirement, stained as desired, and with a knob at the top that can be a wood or jewel bead. 
This would at one time have been a silly waste of my time and energy.  Today, life has slowed down enough to allow for play.  I had forgotten play.  I almost forgot laughter.  Blessedly, I never forgot my dogs.
 I could continue working at a job that demands what I know to be senseless.  I’m fortunate to have chosen to let it go while I still have time to remember what life really

Mend Knit-In-The-Round Twist.

Most knitters have made the mistake of twisting stitches on circular needles when casting on.  The best solution is to catch the twist immediately; and after casting on, if you’ve twisted, simply untwist at this point and your work will be very close to perfect.
Recently I discovered the twist in an intricate pattern after knitting about 10 rows of 450 stitches in the round in an intarsia design.  A more patient person would have started over, but I chose to come up with a method of mending the twist. 
After day-dreaming for about 24 hours about the possible methods, I cleared a long afternoon to work on this mending in peace.  A quite acceptable mend was accomplished, at least for my less than perfectionist personality. 
I had recently knit a sweater that included use of the steek technique.  This provided the inspiration and confidence to mend my twist.
Steeking is accomplished when after knitting the body of the sweater without openings for the armholes, you then sew along the area that will accommodate the sleeve, and hand sew using sewing thread to secure the knit stitches so they won’t unravel.  I used my own steeking technique of deciding the area to place the armholes, and knitting in waste yarn for the width of the armhole I wished, and picked up the stitches of the sweater before I removed the waste yarn.  This precluded the need to cut the yarn and use sewing thread to secure the cut area.  It also created a seamless transition from sweater body to sleeve.
To get back to the current twisted knit-in-the-round piece, I chose the beginning of the row, which of course included the circle of stitches coming around so the end of the row abutted the beginning.  This is where the beginning marker is.  You can actually isolate any place in the piece, and need to separate 2 stitches that are side-by-side, pulling gently apart to expose the little strand of yarn that connects the 2 stitches.

 

My plan was to leave the original cast-on row alone, because this would be easier and it seemed less dangerous to the project.
Using a sewing needle and thread, I sewed up each row from bottom to top, starting near the undisturbed cast-on row, and securing each stitch from row 1 through row 10.  After knotting and cutting the sewing thread on this secured row 1-10 on one side of the between strand, I did the same procedure on the end row 1-10 that abutted the beginning row 1-10 that was just mended.  Remember, this is my personal project so you may be working on row 1-3, if you’re lucky.  Or you may be working on your row 1-25.  It depends on the number of rows you’ve knit before you discovered the twist.
With sharp scissors, I snipped each little piece of yarn between the 2 rows, stitches had been secured using the sewing thread, as described in the previous paragraph.  I untwisted the work, being sure the entirety of the 450 stitches were straight.  Remember, I had left the cast-on row intact.  This piece wasn’t going to be perfect, it would be mended.
I then cut off a piece of wool yarn from the skein of each color involved in the mending, with a length of about 8 inches.  Using a large round-tipped needle, I worked an embroidery stitch to connect again the knit stitch on each side of the snipped piece of yarn.  Leaving the tails of each color loose, I used the 8-inch yarn of each color in the appropriate rows. 
Again, using a sharp needle and sewing thread, I went back and secured the ends of the 8-inch yarn pieces and snipped off the unused tails at a length that feels comfortable for the strength of the knit material.
I would have preferred to have worked the cast-on correctly in the first place.  But after knitting 450 stitches per row for 10 rows on size 1 circular needles, this option was a good second choice.
I hope this inspires someone else to bravely make your knitting your own.  Life ain’t perfect and neither is my knitting, but it’s mine.