SP11 Contest #4

The newest contest for SP11 is to show a picture of our first FO and our last FO and tell how we have changed as a knitter. To be honest, I don't even remember what my first FO was. I've been knitting almost 40 years and I think it was a scarf but I don't have a picture of it. The socks I finished and blogged yesterday is my latest FO.

How have I changed as a knitter? I've become much more confident. When I first learned to knit my mother was still alive. Whenever I wanted to knit a sweater I would call mom up and tell her what I wanted and she would tell me what to do. She would tell me to cast on so many sts, work so many inches, decrease for the armhole, keep decreasing until you had so many sts. etc. I never used a pattern. Mom would just give it to me from her own calculations. Most of the sweaters were raglan sleeves. When my mom passed away I had to learn how to read patterns. Now I change most of my sweaters to knit in the round. I can't remember the last time I knit a raglan sweater and I use patterns as guidelines as opposed to rigid rules.

I've learned to knit socks. That's something I never would have thought of doing in my younger days. I've learned to knit lovely lace. As a matter of fact, I've become obsessed with lace and socks. They are my two favourite things to knit. I've learned I don't like colour knitting. I never used to do it. I did only aran sweaters and the like but about 11 years ago I took a class on colour knitting at a LYS and I made an intarsia Mickey Mouse sweater for Joseph. The sweater was never finished. I hated intarsia and I don't like fairisle any better. I admire people who can do that, but it just isn't for me.

Years ago I never would have bought a book that wasn't in English. Now trying to figure out puzzles is so much fun. I've learned to read charts. Not only did I learn to read them when I did my first Rose of England, I now prefer charts. Rose of England is from The Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting by Marianne Kinzel, for those of you that would like to know. It is a great book to start with charts because either that of her First Book have charts as well as a written pattern so you can follow the chart and if you are unsure of something you can go back and check out the written pattern. As far as I know both of these books are error free as well.

Now I'm spinning too but that's another story altogether.