Learning to Knit...

Ok so one of my Norway bucket list items was to learn how to knit.  Yes, the thing you only hear about grandmas doing.  Guess what I found a group of ladies who knit, can you imagine where…you guessed it Facebook.  Someone posted on the expat page that they wanted to purchase some Selbu socks.  Then someone replied to the post, I can teach you how.  Let’s just say that opened up a can of worms, the thread had 50+ comments.  The lady who said she could teach, Tracy, I had already met through Little Stars.  She also heads up a sewing group on facebook, she offered to start us slow with a hat, then socks and eventually selbu socks.  She offered to purchase everyone a “starter kit” who was planning to attend the meeting.

Its the design…not the type.

So we had our first meeting, there were about 15 people, give or take a few.  She had a couple other EXPERIENCED knitter join us so she wouldn’t be swamped with all of us newbies. 

I can sew, but knit it was going to be a struggle.  I could crochet a single “rope” when I was a child but nothing since, we are talking 30+ years ago.  Tracy included in our kit a 7mm & 8mm round knitting  needles, and 2 packs ( I still don’t know the proper name)wool.  I picked red…this hat was suppose to be for Jan. 

So I gave it whirl, and that’s about all I did.  I went home tried it some more.  Then my brilliant husband decides he will show me how to knit too.  Yes, he knows how to knit.  Everyone in Norway learns how to knit in grade school, it doesn’t mean they retain it but they learn.  So my hot shot husband ends up doing something with my wool and makes a huge knot!!  It takes me forever to get it out.  Then I continue trying to knit.  He looks at me and said…umm that’s not how the ladies on the ferry do it, you are making it look so difficult. 

I try again the next day and continue but it just looks like a mess.  Probably more like a rat’s nest than anything.  So I contact Tracy, she agrees to meet with me to help me out of my mess.  I told her I was fine starting over from scratch, she said oh no, we can salvage this.  I laughed…she tries…guess what??! Nope she can’t help it and suggests we start again.  I did the cast on and then I let her do the ribbed part, I wasn’t getting the purl stitch at all.  So I finally completed my hat.  Poor thing I don’t think it will ever be worn on any persons head.  It might be worn on a doll or stuffed animal but never in public.  It has holes throughout the hat, I just laugh everytime I see it.  But I think there is a learning curve, right???

I was good at the knitting part.  So I while I was out alone on Mommy time, I went into a yarn shop…I asked the lady if one of the sample hats was easy to knit…she said yes, its just a knit stitch.  So I bought some yarn…no I haven’t made this hat yet.  Then while Rebecca and I were exploring on or own I found a neighborhood yarn store.  She had told me she wanted me to knit her a hat so I let her pick out the colors.  Then another day exploring she picked out the two flowers that completed the hat.  I might have a fashionista on my hands ;-)  It turned out so pretty. 

The beginning of Rebecca's hat

The finished product 

yes, the photo is blurry

But in the meantime we started learning how knit socks.  Let me state, my purl stitch has improved dramatically.  I’m so excited.  But I’ve since given up on the sock for now, but I will come back to it later.  I want to get better at knitting first.  I have a ton of projects on my to do list, now.  I hope I can get to them. 

I have met quite a few friends through this knitting group.  We have gone a road trip to the yarn outlet about 30 minutes away.  Its a fun group of ladies.  I'm looking forward to learning new stitches and building friendships, there have been a lot of laughs so far...