Thursday, February 12, 2009

Some Questions For All You Knitters

I don't knit, but it's one of those things that I would like to learn how to do someday.  I know a lot of bloggers knit and a lot of knitters blog, and I always read about folks that have unfinished projects lying around that they don't think they'll ever finish (I believe these are known as UFOs-UnFinished Objects), and that got me thinking about two things.

1.  Is there a book that any of you would recommend for a first-time knitter who is totally new to the scene?  I'm talking about total self-teaching here.  I just read a post by Annika that mentioned Stitch and Bitch-any input on that one?

2.  Would it be a worthwhile project for any of you knitters out there to trade your unfinished projects with other knitters who would be more likely to finish them?  What if there were a big database of unfinished projects-hats, mittens, scarves, sweaters, socks-that you could all choose from?  It would be sort of like a gift swap, but, you know, with half-finished products.  Maybe someone has a sweater that just needs arms and they hate doing arms and somebody else is good at arms.  I guess perhaps the technical term here would be "sleeves."  LOL.  Or maybe somebody wants a pair of mittens but hates starting them and someone else has a pair languishing at the bottom of their knitting bag.  I don't know.  I have no idea if this would be worthwhile or not, that's why I'm asking all of you.  If so, is there anyone that would want to coordinate that?    

3 comments:

Meryl said...

I've only flipped through the Stitch and Bitch book, but it looked like it would be suitable for a beginner. What actually really helped me was taking a class. At the very least I would try to find an experienced knitting mentor--it's really nice to have someone to go to when you've done something wrong and you don't know how to fix it.

As for trading projects, I think that would be hard. As an example, my knitting group is in the process of making a blanket where each member makes one strip and then you sew them all together. We tried to make sure everyone's knitting was fairly even when we started, but, even after doing that, all of our pieces are just a little bit different sizes. One friend knits really big, a few are in the middle, one friend's knitting is very tight and small. So, although you could pick up someone else's UFO and finish it, you're taking your chances that the result might be wonky.

S said...

I found the book "Basic Knitting: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started" very helpful. It has color photographs that were easier for me to follow than the images in Knitting for Dummies. It's by Stackpole Books, website www.stackpolebooks.com

Dreamybee said...

Meryl-Yeah, i can see how having someone on hand that you could go to would be beneficial. Some things you just can't get out of a book. That's a good point about the UFOs; I hadn't thought about that. I guess if you were willing to have an "interesting" finished project rather than a "wonky" one, it might be ok. LOL.

S-Thanks! I'll have to check that out.