As this is my first article, I thought it might be best to introduce myself a little bit to you, to give you an idea of where I come from and the beginnings of my experiences as somebody who knits and crochets.
I suppose you could say I began knitting when I was a little girl. I remember I asked my mother how to knit, I believe it was around the age of 7 or 8 - give or take a few years. I had a pair of what seemed like three-foot long aluminum needles in my little hands, and some blue acrylic wool. I sat in the kitchen with my mom and she taught me how to cast on, make a knit stitch, and how to cast off. That was pretty much that. I knit a few rows, put it down, and didn't pick up another set of needles for ten more years.
Then, when I hit 18, I decided to give it another try. To tell you the truth, I can't remember exactly what caused me to give it another go, but what my mom had taught me had stuck. Now, even as little as five years ago, knitting was not as popular as it has grown into today. The websites with instructions how to knit were sparse at best and mostly without photographs or illustrations. It didn't even occur to me to try to look for any books to show me how to knit, and since I was living 900 miles away from my mother, I was on my own. I've always been good with my hands, and I sort of made it up as I went along, building on the three foundation steps my mom had taught me. I ended up making myself a simple scarf, two shades of green in garter stitch, about seven feet long that I still own to this day (and wear sometimes despite its haggard appearance).
From that point on when I picked up those two tiny pointy sticks again, I was in love. I stuck with it this time, and felt a little pang of anger with myself for not sticking to it from the first time around - just think of how many years of experience I could have had! However, since we can't go back in time, I started learning to make up for those 10 years of lost knitting time. As the months went by I began learning the sister craft to knitting - crochet, I started noticing a huge surge of personal websites dedicated to knitting, I discovered books upon books being published filled to the brim with patterns, tips, and instructions that would foster my knitting. I found forums of like-minded people working through their garments one stitch at a time, looking for help and camaraderie. Eventually I even found podcasts with people's stories and experiences ranging from beginners to experienced knitters. I knew that I wasn't one lone knitter in a big world; there was an army of us, all equipped with our yarn and needles, from all walks of life and from all parts of the world.
I don't know if knitting has changed my life - but there is a sense of satisfaction and peace when I knit or crochet, one that I share with thousands of other people in the world, and one that does affect my life. Working with yarn is not a way of life for me, but it is a wonderful pastime, and with this section here at Suite 101, I hope to share those experiences and tips with you. Please don't hesitate to contact me via email or the discussions available through this site. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you, and hopefully you sharing your thoughts and ideas with me.
© Kelly Gilliam, text and images, 2006. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
Kelly Gilliam - I'm a photographer and art department person by trade, but by night I knit, spin, and garden like crazy. I'm a prairie girl who found my ...
