Knitting is Hard?

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david-first-project-scarf1

Knitting is hard, well yes, sometimes. Kim (a dear friend) taught me to knit about 5 – 6 years ago (maybe longer), at the time she living in San Diego, we would visit amidst the doldrums of winter in Ohio. Such visitations are the perfect tonic for the long Ohio winters, a nice respite as it were, but alas Kim now resides in Utah where she gets to experience a proper winter herself and I no longer have that much needed break. Kim was so very patient, seemingly every other row I would encounter some blunder or other, requiring assistance to undo and repair. I would leave inquiring notes for her to fix a mistake in my knitting, as she would retire for the evening before I would, while I toiled at the work at hand. There was only a day or two before Anne’s return from a knitting conference, not a lot of time for me to absorb the lessons or time to practice. Learning to knit for me is not unlike my abysmal sense of direction, I can literally drive somewhere (GPS assisted these days) and upon leaving not remember if I should turn right or left to return home. Only by repeating again and again does the instructions become attainable, oddly enough location directions and knitting are very similar in this respect. Can not think of anything more in life that presents such tangible difficulties, fortunately it is possible to overcome with repetition and persistence. I should say this was to be a surprise birthday gift for Anne. Keeping such a secret when you spend all of your time with your wife save a few hours after she has gone to bed is not a trivial task. Where do you hide this secret project, as I have no real space of my own in the house to conceal such things. All I had to reference at the time were some iPhone video I captured of Kim’s brief tutorials, I watched these over and over to gleam some semblance of understanding, but proved somewhat futile. Even my knowledge of knitting terminology was lacking. Each overnight I would knit away, often becoming frustrated as I could not correct my mistakes, nor adequately fudge. Of course I continued to knit despite the accumulating errors. The resulting scarf from this first project was shall we say unfortunate, replete with drop stitches, uneven rows, simply a disaster. Not very gift worthy I should think, but Anne accepted this unexpected surprise most graciously, and really appreciated the effort.

david-first-project-scarf2

Hoping to blog more this year, aiming to do so weekly. Next week considering writing about my experience of reading/knitting patterns.

38 thoughts on “Knitting is Hard?

  1. Oh, David, how nice to hear from you! I have no doubt that Anne received your knitting efforts with grace and charm, and what a lovely thing you did, to surprise her with it! The colors are lovely, and if there are mistakes…well, love conquers all, right?!

  2. You definitely chose a lovely yarn for your first project, David and I’m sure Anne treasures every stitch, properly placed or not!

  3. Knitting for a knitter is like cooking for a chef… Use good ingredients and they will always appreciate the effort because those fellows understand the time and love that is poured for the final result.

  4. Dear David, it was lovely to hear from you, and even lovelier that you knit this beautiful scarf for Anne. She, above all, would know the struggles you experience w/knitting. To surprise her w/a scarf of your own making, is a gift to be treasured.
    I do hope we hear from you more frequently. It is your gift to the Knitspot community.

  5. Dear David,
    I loved your post. My mother, a knitting teacher in her heyday, taught me to knit when I was a kid. But your comment about driving directions – remembering them, reversing them – rang a loud bell with me. I am directionally challenged to say the least. My happiest direction years were my time in Manhattan, a city built on a grid. I could ascend from the subway, turn a 360′, spot the Empire State Building, and know exactly what to do next. (Lower Manhattan not included, where it goes all curvy.) Sigh….. Now I live in Richmond, Virginia, where it took me ten years to find my way to my closest friend’s house. And 12 to find my way back.
    Your knitting is beautiful – keep it up!
    Mary S.

  6. David, this is so much fun to read, and the scarf is gorgeous. We love your knitting adventures. Please post more often!

  7. Each and every stitch was done with love, a true gift from the heart. How could she not love it?

  8. Love this post! And a sweetheart knitting for their sweetheart always gets me. So glad to read your post, David! Keep up the lovely work.

  9. I’m sure Anne couldn’t love it more! It’s a truly perfect gift from the heart, which is where the best gifts come from.

  10. What a treasured gift this will be for Anne. As knitters we classify our friends and family into those who are knit worthy and those who are not and I can’t think of anyone more knit worthy than Anne.

  11. What a wonderful gift from the heart! I think this scarf is just beautiful, just beautiful. You should be very proud of your work and I am sure Anne treasures this gift from your heart.

  12. David, your post bought tears to my eyes and a smile. You are such a good man. I betcha Anne will wear the scarf proudly and especially close to her heart. I sure would! Keep up the good work.

  13. Oh David, what a treasured first gift for Anne! The colors are perfect for Anne, and the love with which it was made is so evident, even more so reading about the process. I hope we will hear from you more often.

  14. Hi David!
    So happy to see and read your blog post. What a wonderful birthday gift to Anne. To be treasured for sure!

  15. Hi David: My husband has the same problem with directions. He’ll go into a shop in a mall and then go the wrong direction coming out. He doesn’t knit, so I don’t know if it carries over. Nice job on the scarf! – good choice of color and style – simple but with some texture and “design elements”. For sure Anne knew and appreciated all the love that went into your effort! Glad to see you are continuing to knit…it is relaxing, frustrating, challenging, creative and fun!

  16. It’s so nice to read a blog from you David. Hope you find the time to write more often. I totally forgot about the scarf you knit for Anne when we were chatting last evening. Anne is very lucky to have you in her life. A wonderful gift to be treasured.

  17. David, if my husband had made me a scarf like that, I would have burst into tears of joy that he had tried so hard to master something that I loved. On the other hand, you are such a wonderful photographer, and my pictures are a family joke.
    And I have no sense of my body in space, at any level: I walk into door frames in my own house, and I am frequently and dramatically lost (Once driving home across my neighboring state of Wisconsin, with my husband fast asleep, I missed a turn and ended up quite close to the shores of Lake superior…instead of in Minneapolis!). Even with GPS, I have problems: I swear the woman lies!

    I grew up in Kent OH, my best friend lived in Canton. When the package arrives from Knitspot, with your name on it, I feel like a little bit of my old home has re-entered my heart. (Naturally, it’s always Kent DK). We will all look forward to seeing you here more often.

  18. David, your fledgling efforts I am sure were appreciated by someone who has been down that road. And since those early days of knitting you have gotten better and better!

  19. aww, my scarf gift was a labor of love and that’s what I love about it! your hard work was worth it. you’ve come such a long way, too; your stitch work is quite beautiful now

  20. David, thank you for your post and sharing the photo of your loving gift to Anne. As such it is perfect as it is. It also has a flair worthy of a European catwalk! Think of all of the arty thick and thin yarns created on purpose to knit up, when thick, with bumps and lumps, and when thin, to look like drop stitches!

    I hope you will write to all of us more often; you are an intrinsic part of Knitspot.

  21. I was driving my sons to college in Charleston, South Carolina from New York City, crossed the George Washington Bridge as directed and then somehow was well on my way to Canton, Ohio. Stuff happens. Glad you are still knitting despite trials and hope to see more blogging…

  22. That is so awesome….you put so much love into that scarf! I look forward to reading more of your blog posts.

  23. Well, it’s beautiful. And so artistically draped upon the model. When you feel discouraged, just remember how many times it took Edison to perfect the light bulb. That’s what I tell myself, anyway!

  24. Hi David! I think it’s a lovely scarf. Knitting projects, like people, needn’t be perfect to be beautiful and well-loved. Looking forward to reading future Mr. Knitspot blog posts!

  25. David, this gift is so incredibly thoughtful and truly beautiful. We all know that each stitch, dropped or not, represents a moment in our lives that we dedicated to others. I can’t imagine that anything could be more precious to Anne. I look forward to reading more posts from you.

  26. Your knitting is lovely, David, and what a precious gift Anne has from you. I know she will treasure it as she knows the love that went into every stitch. You are an amazing man.

  27. It’s beautiful, David, and the yarn is gorgeous. Thank you for sharing. You and Anne make a great team!

  28. David, it’s a lovely gift. Every single knitter starts right here, with dropped stitches and uneven rows. None of us spring from the womb knowing how to do this. It gets better and it does get easier.

  29. Ha!!! Best post of the year! I loved reading this David, and only you and I know about the “blunders” going on!! You did a fabulous job and you were so tenacious!! I can still see you sitting on your perch in my persimmon chair The perfect spot for the new knitter! You were a great student David, and I’m quite proud of the way you’ve “turned out” as far as your knitting goes! I still treasure the wedding pillow you made for me to match the wedding blanket. Thank you dear friend!

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