Knitiversary!

One year ago this month I took my very first knitting class. To commemorate this momentous one-year knitiversary, I decided to pull out the very first pattern that I ever knitted and knit it again. It amazes me how far I have come as a knitter in one-year's time.

I remember sitting at the first day of class, struggling just to cast on 30 stitches. Seriously, I think it took me 15 minutes. Then we started to knit. My hands just didn't seem to want to move the way the instructor was telling me to move them. After about 15 more minutes when I was completing my third knit row and just barely getting the hang of it, I was taught how to purl. "What? Now I need to make my fingers move that way?" Then the instructor began talking about the pattern we would be working from.  In the back of my mind I had been thinking a washcloth or maybe, if we were daring enough, a scarf. But she pulled out the Knitting Pure and Simple Roll Neck Sweater pattern and I think my jaw dropped.  There was absolutely no way I would learn to knit and have time to make a whole sweater! Granted, it was a toddler sweater for my 16-month old baby girl, but still, a sweater!

The instructor assured me that I would be able to do it as long as I put in the time and paid attention to what I was doing. After three weeks of class I'm pretty sure I hadn't even started the sweater yet. I was still learning basket weave, k1 p1 ribbing, increasing and decreasing and so on. At the very end of the third class I finally cast on for the sweater. I surely did not feel comfortable about it, but I brought it home and tried my best. I think I ripped it out after four rows and started over about 10 times. By the next class I was feeling a little more comfortable, but there were only 3 classes left and it wasn't really looking at all like a sweater to me. I had to go in for "extra" help mid-week to divide for the sleeves and that's when I finally saw it. It really looked like something and I had made it!

After many trials and tribulations, picking up stitches (and dropping some stitches, oops!) I knitted my very first project. A whole entire sweater, with only two sleeves (the same length) that actually fit my beautiful daughter, and it only took me 7 weeks!! Let's take a journey back in time shall we? The finished sweater and original blog post can be seen here. (Yes my friends, new and old, I have unblocked my private blog for you to take a gander!) Isn't my baby girl just so precious?

So what has changed in a year? I picked up that pattern and re-read it and the first change I noticed was that I did not feel intimidated by it at all. I went to one of my most favorite yarn stores, Patternworks, and found the yarn in no time at all. When I got home I wound the yarn and cast on in less than fifteen minutes!

After only three days of knitting I have already finished the body. What once took me seven weeks will now be finished in less than one. I only cast on once and (knock on wood) have made no errors...yet. My stitches are looser, the armpits don't have holes, all the stitches are even. Wow! What a difference a year makes. It also helps that I am now sharing my knitting experiences with people I love and who love me back.

I plan on making another sweater this weekend for my son in a similar, more..ahem..manly color, just in time for the first day of Fall and in time for our favorite NH fair. I see a Christmas photo opportunity in our future!

Happy Knitiversary to me and happy knitting (and creating) to all of you!