THOUGHTS ON KNITTING

Thoughts on Knitting

First of all...thank you so much for the encouraging comments that so many have made. 

I so feel part of a community.

I didn't know that there were so many people who enjoy what I do

I find it quite exciting meeting you all!

I really enjoy knitting and knit my first jumper when I was about 12.  It was in royal blue with a cable down the centre front and back.

I have found over the years that I really enjoy the challenge of knitting the Aran patterns.

As I mentioned in my first blog, my mother was staying with me last week.

 

She, too, is a great knitter and, in the war, used to knit her dresses and coats

I thought that you might enjoy this picture, taken before the war, of Mum with her younger brother.  I think she is wearing one of the many dresses that she knitted!  As an aside, I am scanning a lot of early photos from my mother's photo album and so enjoying learning from her who is whom.  I think all too easily we don't ask and then it becomes too late! 

My mother brought with her last week a mohair cardigan that she had made over 20 years ago and it still looked good on her!!

I really regretted all the mohair jumpers and cardigans that I had knitted and given away.  I wonder how many others feel like I do?!



I'm at 'that stage' again.  You know....you find the wool you really like...find a pattern that will go with it.....knit day and night as if you had a deadline to keep...and then......the dreaded time...you have to make it up!

I don't know if you are like me in this but I can really enjoy knitting and then comes the time to make it up and there is excuse after excuse.  I have been known to give away all my knitting..(and wool is expensive) because I just don't want to do it!  I have even told my aunt (who did all sorts of knitting for Save the Children) that I had been given it for her to sell.... confession time!!  She died not so long ago having raised over £50,000.00, in 20 years,for Save the Children! Mind you it wasn't just my left over wool that made the money but many other things including picking daffodils for sale .....the Local paper printed an article on the 'Daffodil Lady' (I just felt I had to put that in in case you thought that it was all my unfinished articles!)

I have made a promise to myself this year that I will not start another garment until I have sown up the last one I have knitted....very hard when there is so much I want to do!

I started the year finishing off knitting a cardigan in the most delightful shades of blue (Escape by Sirdar)  It was so beautiful and really my colours but I gave it someone who needed it more than I did....besides it gave me the chance to start another! 

I discovered 'Crofter' by Sirdar, in January, and the Fairisle look is very good!  I had started knitting myself a cardigan and then went up to the Midlands to see my mother and she really liked it.  Mum used to make the most delightful true Fairisle jumpers and cardigans when she was more able.  I have one somewhere.  I'll look it out and put it on here sometime.  Anyway, I ended up unripping what I had done and making her a jumper with my wool.  She is really delighted with it.  Someone at her Bridge club asked her if it was authentic and she said ' Well it's hand knitted'

I also made her some fingerless gloves with the remains of the wool....gotta keep her trendy!!

Here she is wearing it when we took a drive, last week, to Caerfai Bay (near St David's)

When I finished that jumper I had new wool to make myself a cardigan but my husband told friends, who came to lunch, that I never knitted him anything(by the way I have and can show the photos to prove it) so I started the jumper above..  I have to say that I have kitted a lot of chunky wool in the past but have really not enjoyed knitting this wool.  Have any of you experienced the same?  When I had finished the back I thought that it  was too long for him so I ripped it out and started again...oh joy!  Now I only have to sew the jumper up and pick up the neckband and I am so longing just to leave it and start on my cardigan....the wool is waiting!...will I finish this one.....?

Which wool do you think I'll choose....the mainly red or the mainly blue?

I just can't wait to start...also I enjoy knitting DK wool!