Knit Whit?

Hi, my name is Whitney and I am a knitter.

I didn’t think this whole domesticated adventure would be complete until I tried some kind of grandma-like craft.  But surprise, surprise, knitting is actually pretty amazing!

My mother-in-law is the one who got me started.  According to Timothy, she is a knitting fanatic!  She has some serious skills with yarn and knitting needles.  Timothy told her that I had been wanting to get into knitting, so she bought me a skein of yarn, two knitting books, and two pairs of knitting needles.  Isn’t that sweet of her?

So one day I sat on the couch with my supplies and determined to not get off the couch until I was a knitter.  It took me forever to get started!  Usually I learn well by reading books, but I just couldn’t understand the knitting books.  So what does any 21st Century girl do?  Check out YouTube of course.  YouTube was my best knitting friend!

This was my first knitting masterpiece.  Don’t get jealous of my skills.  I even learned how to make big holes buttonholes!  Timothy told me that it would make a great peep hole.

After I made this square, I wanted to get started for real.  There are all kinds of knitting resources online – you can find free patterns galore!

This was my first real project!  You can find the pattern here at Untangling Knots.  The talented lady who created this pattern writes a great blog with all kinds of knitting inspiration.  Be sure and check it out if you’re interested in knitting!

This headband was really fun to make.  Since it was my first project it took about a week, but I think an experienced knitter could make one a lot more quickly.

Since I want everyone I know to be successful knitters, I have two big tips for you.

1) FOLLOW DIRECTIONS!  It said to knit a section for a certain amount of inches.  Well, I didn’t have anything to measure it with so I just guessed.  Big mistake.  It ended up two inches too short and the headband is so tight that it leaves marks on my forehead. Attractive, I know.  At least I look cute as I die of forehead strangulation.

2) BE CAREUL WHILE KNITTING IN A CAR WITH THE SUNROOF OPEN!  Yes, this is an important one.  Our church youth group went to a service in Illinois and Timothy and I had a backseat full of some amazing teenagers.  We were driving down the highway and waving at another car with more young people in it.  For some reason that is yet to be understood, I held my semi-complete headband up through the sunroof to show them how far along I was.  (Like they cared.  I am a knitting grandma. ha!)  Well, the wind grabbed the yarn and somehow it got caught on the sunroof.  It literally took a half hour to get it untangled.  At one point we were driving down the road with my head out the sunroof and one of the young ladies’ head out the side window trying to get it untangled.  Please, do not repeat my mistake.  It will just make you a source of ridicule and leave you with a huge grease stain on the side of your headband.

But all that is in the past!  I wore the headband at a hayride and have loved it ever since.

I am now working on another project, but I can’t give you any details because it’s a surprise present for my mom!  Yes, she sadly knows that I’m knitting her a surprise because one day I was too excited to keep my mouth shut.  And now I talk about it all the time.  Oh well, at least she doesn’t know that it’s socks!

Oh man.

Haha!  Just kidding.

Possibly.

~Whitney