My first knitting anniversary

Wow, I can't believe it's a whole year (give or take a few days) since I started knitting! It feels like five minutes and forever all at the same time. I've never had a hobby that's become so addictive, so obsessively long lived, and that I've happily spent huge* amounts of money on!

Having said that, I may celebrate it by not knitting...I seem to be going through a patch where I can't concentrate on anything. I've not knitted anything successfully for a few weeks now. I've either not bothered picking anything up, or just not got into any of my projects. There are so many things I want to make too, it's frustrating, but this feeling isn't confined to my knitting, I'm feeling the same way about everything at the moment. There's a lot going on for both me and the people around me, it's a strange time and one that's got my mind in some kind of close-down.

I even tried to teach myself to crochet a few days ago to encourage myself to perk up a bit. There are loads of great crochet patterns that I'd love to make. I can crochet free-style, by which I mean I can make things that are about the right shape to match the pictures in my head (I've made a pot and a peg bag), but don't know what the stitches are called and can't follow a pattern. Armed with a learn to crochet book, my trusty laptop, and a pattern for a felted skull, I gave following a pattern a go. I started off OK, but things went down hill quickly, and rather than take up the challenge like I normally do, it became clear that I didn't have the energy, and I gave up. I'l try again when I'm in a better frame of mind.

Anyway, enough of that. I thought I'd write about what started me off knitting. It seems like such a tiny spark of a non-event, it's amazing really.

It all started with this



my then new phone, which didn't come with a cover and was rattling around in my bag. I wasn't too keen on that idea as it had cost a lot of money, so I hit eBay looking for a suitable, protective case. I found this



an innocent, fluffy, hand knitted cover. I liked it the best out of the covers available, nothing more than that. I bought it, chose the colour out of the options offered, and someone made it and sent it to me.

Unfortunately, when it turned up, I realised that my phone was a bit bigger than average and the cover didn't quite fit...



I was disappointed, but it was my own fault for not checking the size. I thought about emailing the seller and asking for a price for them to make a bigger one for me, but didn't get that far. As it happened, I was heading to my parents house that weekend, as I showed them the comical cover, a thought crossed my mind. A phone cover would surely be quite easy to make myself, there's not that much going on...is there? I found myself saying 'Mam, would you teach me to knit?'. And that's what she did. She'd not knit herself for years**, but dug out some needles and yarn, taught me to cast on, knit, purl, which side was which so I knew which was a knit row and which was a purl, and I was off. When I got home, I headed off to Hobbycraft after work the next day, bought some supplies - needles, a few different yarns, and made myself this



The phone cover I was after. I think beginners luck had a lot to do with it working out so well. The flap is shaped into a triangle shape through casting off, rather than a more knowledgeable decrease - but how fabulous! I made it (I still use it everyday, even though it's starting to fall apart).

From that point, I started buying books, and needles, and yarn, and yarn, (and a bit more yarn). I was off. I devoured new techniques, experimented, worked out how to follow a pattern, read blogs, looked for help online. It's been great, it had been years since I lost myself in anything like that.

I'm very proud of myself, I can properly knit! I'm quite surprised to find that I seem to be quite a fearless knitter. I'm generally quite willing to try things that sound difficult, work things out, make changes to patterns, or rewrite something completely to suit my needs. I've mastered all kinds of techniques, although still have a lifetimes worth to learn. The most pressing technique for me to improve is the weaving in of ends. I've tried a few different ways but I've not found anything that looks ok, those horrible little ends always seem to poke themselves out of the right side after a while - not a good look. I'll sort it though at some point soon.

It's all so amazing when I stop and think about it. I know my current blip will pass and I'll be knitting again very soon. In fact...maybe I'll just go and have a tinker now...


*huge is likely to be poor estimate, in reality, huge doesn't cover it. A more accurate term is perhaps immense, but lets not dwell on it...
**knitting seems to be contagous as my Mam has started knitting again, or at least picking it up now and then, making kids jumpers for charity - one and a half so far, but she gets me (me!) to do the sewing up.