Knitting is my latest craft. I have been crocheting for many years (although I'm not too good at it), but I have always wanted to learn to knit. Around Christmas I visited The Yarn Garden knit shop in Lawrenceville and I signed up for a basic class. In the class we learned the two main stitches....knit and purl. We learned to cast on and cast off. My favorite thing to knit is scarves. I guess I like scarves because they are fairly quick. I am also one of those A.D.D. crafters who has to have umpteen things going at the same time, so I have three or four scarves as well as a shawl and an afghan in process. I knit on one until I get bored and then I move on to the next for awhile. There are many things I enjoy about the knitting process. I like that it is a "small" craft project as compared to scrapbooking. I can fill my entire SUV with supplies for a weekend of scrapbooking, but I can take one small bag for a weekend of knitting. It is also a "lap" craft; something I can do while watching TV, I can do it during my lunch break, I can do it on a long plane trip and I can do it in my hotel room when I'm bored and lonely. It is a great stress reliever and it keeps my hands busy. Even though I quit smoking long enough ago to be considered a "non-smoker", I still have days when I miss it. This occupies my hands and my mind.
These pictures show one of my baskets of yarns. I love pretty yarns. I am also showing my Boye electric yarn winder. I love this tool. I enjoy knitting so much more if my yarn is "center pull". The winder takes a skein of yarn like the blue one and winds it into a perfect center pull ball like the one next to it. I purchased the winder from Michaels. It retails for $90, but I used a 50% coupon and got it for half price.
There are several nice yarn stores in metro Atlanta. I like the Yarn Garden in Lawrenceville (on the square) and the Needle Nook in Atlanta (located at the intersection of Briarcliff and North Druid Hills). Both stores are run by people who know their business and are willing to help a newbie. While teaching classes is a part of their business, they will always help you if you need help learning a particular stitch. .
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ReplyDeleteSuch pretty colors in those yarns.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you can take crochet hooks and knitting needles on planes now. Check out the TSA website, Melissa. They were banned for a while after 9/11 but became allowable several years back. You can actually take scissors with metal tips that have blades less than 4 inches now in carry on baggage.
I love that you've taken up knitting and I need some lessons from you! I can crochet pretty well but I always thought knitting looked so much better. My mom was quite the knitter!