golden cozies

Posted on Posted in Bare Naked Wools, book reviews/events, designing, food and garden

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fall color came on a little later than usual this year. we didn’t see much of a foliage display at rhinebeck and even after we got home, the leaves clung stubbornly to their summer greens—fine with me, since the weather was also miserable and it was not worth a look out the window.

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but this past week, they have offered a truly spectacular change and with sunny, warmer days, my very favorite color combinations were painted across the sky. i just adore that vivid contrast of orangey gold against a sky so blue, it appears almost purple. it makes my heart beat fast just thinking of crisp air and sun, cozy knitted sweaters, and cable-y goodness.

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perfect then, that my current projects are all-fall, all the time. my secret projects are so huggably soft and squishy and full of fall fun, that it’s a daily battle to keep them to myself. thank goodness i have this twill and cable cardigan on the needles to share.

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the current project is the cardigan version of that twill pullover i knit back at the end of the summer (above), in kent DK color mussel shell.

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while the pullover is man-sized, this prototype is my size—and not just because i coveted one for myself, but also so that i could make sure that the cables would fit and look right on a smaller canvas. i think they look fine, but they won’t fit on a size smaller than this, especially where they converge at the shoulder.

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i finished the left front last night and started the right front this morning; between my morning class and watching the shop while erica had a day off, i’ve completed about six or seven inches. i love my fingering weight sweaters to pieces, but it’s always fun to knit one in a heavier weight because it goes so fast. plus, i don’t own a sweater in kent and i’ve always wanted one; this one will not become a shop sample, haha.

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i’m knitting the cardigan in the same kent yarn, but this time using the driftwood shade. oh, the lusciousness. as you can see from the photos, this color has a wonderful mix of gray and brown romney fiber and the underlying white merino really allows the glossiness of the longwool to highlight the cables. it’s soft and squishy and delicious, sigh. i think this will be vary quick knit . . .

well, actually it has to be; we need this sample for the fall/winter ensemble, which we will be photographing at the end of the month. no problem; i am in a “making” mood since i got home—a symptom of fall nesting or cocooning or whatever we want to call it.

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i know most people have put their gardens to bed for the year, but i just can’t do it yet—ours is still producing so much abundance—even the zinnias are still flowering. and anyway, let’s be honest—that’s a job that david will probably do, so it’s up to him to decide when.

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but i think he agrees that as long as we are picking stuff, those parts of the garden stay. the fall garden certainly looks a lot different than the summer garden did, but is no less beautiful or productive.

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it’s true that our okra grove has finally dropped most of its leaves and stopped producing pods—really, just in time since they were getting so tall that i could barely reach high enough to pull the tops down to get at the okra, haha. i think they stand about seven feet tall right now. i’m wondering if they will dry and harden enough over the winter to use for a pea fence next spring (or support some other vining plant) or do they get mushy and weak when they freeze? they are certainly spaced evenly enough that with little string or light fencing material, they’d be a very pretty support. i’ll have to consult with mister knitspot.

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our greens are nothing short of astounding—the chard is as beautiful this week as it’s ever been and so prolific.

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all the asian greens i experimented with are also producing beautiful, crisp leaves and stems; if only i could keep up with them enough to pick them at their peak and use them in every meal. sadly, i don’t have time to cook every day (oh, how i wish!), nor am i cooking for a large dormitory of lumberjacks, so we just can’t seem to make a dent, haha. but i do make an effort to use them often.

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and the black kale is just loaded with leaves, ready every day of the week to be part of our supper. i’ve made several batches of soups and things, but i’ve yet to make kale chips with it. i’ve got that on my list, for whenever i have some free time this week. i’ve heard that this type of kale (lacinato or cavalo nero or black kale) is the best for chips. i know i love it best and i don’t grow other types any more because i favor this one for the types of dishes i cook.

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we also still have loads of great sweet peppers; i’m kind of playing weather chicken with them this week because i want them to turn the maximum redness and sweetness, but also because once i pick them, they will need a spot in the fridge.

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same with the eggplant, which are still flowering for heaven’s sake. and while the fruits are smaller at this time of year, they are for the most part, still very beautiful, though even more susceptible to the effects of frost. i know i should pick the more delicate vegetables this weekend; today it was 34 degrees when i woke up and bret’s roof was covered in frost. but our garden is rather protected and everything out there was fine. still, the day is coming . . . and soon, i know. it is, after all, november. sigh, i can’t complain; we’ve been incredibly lucky this year.

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i mean, i am still cooking heavily with ingredients that i picked within hours of preparation; it doesn’t get better than that.

and for sure the greens will last a while, even after the frost. the kale will actually be even better and the chard—well, we were still picking fresh chard in january this past year, so i’m hopeful we’ll be as lucky this year. hard to tell with the winter predictions being so dire, but maybe we will even experiment with covering them or putting up some sort of hoop house.

oh man, let’s get back to a warmer subject, haha!

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i had a chance or two to wear my dock and cabin cardigan at rhinebeck, having attached the buttons late on the night before we travelled. and i love the way it feels; it will be even better once it’s broken in.

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but for now i’m keeping it as pristine as possible til after the ensemble photo shoot. this weekend i’m working on getting the pattern out to the tech editor for sizing.

but my friend nancy planted a seed—well, actually, she out and out told me—that this cardigan fabric would be perfect for a blanket design as soon as i had the time to write one. and as soon as i read her comment, i knew she was right—we do need a blanket in this fabric; i love this idea. only in stone soup DK weight, softer and squishier to knit on bigger needles.

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yes, like this, yum. i knit these swatches in river rock (front) and slate (back) right around the time we went to the michigan fiber show, so they are all set; i just need to put a pattern together and figure out how to get a sample knit. maybe my next project? it’s been ages since i knit a blanket but i suddenly have a desire to do one and maybe that would be a good project to travel with over thanksgiving. if anyone else wants to test or sample knit this one, let me know; that will give me a goal for getting the pattern ready.

i think the twill and cable fabric would make a great blanket, too . . . just saying’.

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i missed buying a copy of nora gaughan’s new knitted cable sourcebook at rhinebeck, so when i got home i ordered a copy. wow—this arrived right at the perfect time of year, just when my attraction to cabled fabrics is at its strongest. there are some wonderful new stitch patterns and panels in this book—look for some of them soon in my knitting.

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i was sent a review copy of this adorable picture book—a hat for mrs goldman—from Random House Children’s Books and i want to share it now because some of you may have a young knitter in your life who will appreciate receiving a copy.

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it’s a wonderful illustrated story book about the bonds that form when a child learns to knit from someone they love. i won’t show you lots of pages as i usually do, because it would give away the story in this case, but it’s very nicely done. i’ll be sharing my copy with my nephew amad, who is learning to knit now; he reads well above the age level for this book, but i think he’ll enjoy reading it to micah.

and lucky for us, sterling has offered a giveaway copy of a hat for mrs. goldman to our readers! if you’d like to win a copy, leave a comment at the end of this post telling me who taught you how to knit. i will close comments on tuesday night at 9 pm EST—a little gift for getting all of us through election day without killing someone, haha.

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and with that, i think the sun has set on this post; see you again soon!

91 thoughts on “golden cozies

  1. I learned from the mother of one of my dad’s childhood friends. She remarried after her husband died and her new husband was a fiddle player. He needed someone to play with and that was my dad (her grandkids couldn’t keep up with his off the cuff playing style and he wasn’t patient when it came to music). I was in my early 20’s and had just moved back to Colorado, so I joined them a lot, since I hadn’t made friends yet. One day, Donna brought a blanket that a granddaughter had started and left behind. She told me she she thought I should learn and since we weren’t doing anything but listening to old-style bluegrass and singing, I agreed. I made it all the way across the row, then had to wait a month to figure out that all I needed to do to continue was turn it around…I still haven’t finished that blanket (ran out of yarn), but I have definitely knitted many more items and never stopped.
    I love the previews of this book, and I’m intrigued that you plan to share it with your nephew. I have two nephews and love to read to them to get them ready for bed. I’ll definitely check it out, even though they are still a bit young to learn to knit.

  2. I had begged my mom to learn to knit from the age of three. While watching Elizabeth Zimmerman’s busy knitter of PBS when I was five – I finally convinced my mother to teach me and I dove write into a vey mis shapen norweigan sweater. Gauge has been kinder and now I knit exactly what I want thank you knitting gods.

    My mother who is now 92 still knits hats for babies and the homeless. She has knit for eighty years. She learned in school from a German sister so we are both pickers….

  3. I am a self-taught knitter, from that little green Coats and Clark “Learn How Book” that you got at the dime store. But I had great inspiration from my mom, who was not a knitter, but crocheted – tablecloths, runners, dishcloths and potholders – that are still in use 40 years later. She also baked, sewed and created other crafts – beaded jewelry, sequinned and beaded flowers, embroidery, holiday wreaths and candles; anything by hand she enjoyed. Happily, that love of creating something delicious, or lasting and beautiful with your own hands has been passed down to her succeeding generations.

  4. My college housemother was my first knitting teacher. She was a brave woman: when I came and showed her the vest pattern my fiance had picked out, which started at one asymmetric point of one vest front and continued up, with horizontal knitted stripes and vertical purl-gutters for stitched-in vertical stripes, I told her I had one question: “How do you make a purl?” After she got some color back in her face, she sat down with me and gently began teaching me how to knit. And, to her credit, the vest was a success.

  5. My mom helped me start knitting. I had a Barbie doll and there were knitting patterns for making skirts and tops when I was in about 4 or 5th grade. I learned increases and decreases pretty fast, but they were small projects so as a child I didn’t get tired. In the 80’s my husband and I were stationed in Germany and I was invited to join a group of German and Danish women who met weekly to knit/spin/talk. That’s when I saw (and learned the advantage of) holding the yarn in my left hand and honestly I don’t think I can even knit with the fiber in my right anymore…or at least it is VERY SLOWLY.

  6. I was a quilter. My children were in grade school and we lived in the sweet hamlet of Rhinecliff – right below the beloved Sheep and Wool fairgrounds. At that time there was a wonderful yarn shop in town which I passed on the way to work each day. On the weekends I would pass by on my way to the bagel shop. I kept telling myself that there wasn’t enough time to learn another ‘craft’ – that I barely had time for quilting. But the yarn used its siren song and one day I walked in and registered for a class – a birthday present I told myself. I was 35. I was hooked. I would sit up in bed at night from a sound sleep trying to remember a stitch that I’d learned. I’d be knocking on the shop’s door before work for help with a dropped stitch! I was in trouble. Glorious mayheim. I didn’t quilt again for at least ten years.

    Now that the children are grown – I’ve found time for it all. I am a switch hitter – quilting and knitting. Love.

  7. My mother knew very little about knitting, but for some reason when I was 8 she showed me a half hitch cast-on (the only one she knew) and the basics of knit and purl. However, it didn’t stick and I never knitted again until I was about 16 and had a friend who was knitting. She got me started again, and I figured things out from patterns after that. I remember how surprised I was to learn that there were other ways to cast on! As a generational note, I am 69 and knit; my mother was born in 1919 and barely knitted; and my maternal grandmother, who was born in 1891, apparently did not knit at all.

  8. Both of my grandmothers were knitters and crocheters but neither was a great teacher so I didn’t learn from them and one died before she knew that I had learned and fallen in love with the craft. I learned in college and got credit for learning – not only did I learn to think, I learned a craft that gives me zen and helps my mind be clearer. Wind across the board!

    My class was taught by other students and what I remember is that there was no fear and that it was fun – we started wirh mittens or a hat and then made sweaters. As a beginner no one told me that doing colorwork should be hard so I did colorwork on a boxy lopi sweater that I no longer own. I followed it up eith more colorwork and have always had a project of some sort going. Knitting got me through a thankless job in NYC after graduation and through two graduate degrees. I’ve taught myself cables and socks and am no longer daunted by lace. Thankfully my yarn choices have improved I’ve tried time AND I have learned to make sweaters that fit me a bit better than that first one ever did!

  9. My mother taught me to knit. Funny I was thinking about her this morning, recalling the time we spent together with our needlepoint or knitting projects in our laps. She passed away in 2003. I was thinking how much I missed her and the time we spent sharing our love for crafting.
    PS Don’t choose me for the book giveaway, unfortunately I don’t have anyone to share it with.

  10. Hello,
    My Aunt Alice taught me to knit. I don’t exactly remember sitting with her as I must have been very young. As I grew older and married, she and Uncle Chet would come often to stay for a visit.( they were never able to have children of their own so I was their special neice. When I would come home from work, she and I would sit and knit together. She taught me flat knitted mittens and I still have the booklets with her name in them to prove it. I since have taught myself circular knitting and much more. I wish she was still with us to share the continuing knitting journey.

  11. I learned to knit from my mother’s first cousin when I was 14. In the small town where this cousin lived as well as my grandmother, there was a yarn shop in the basement of a woman’s house. It was a walkout basement with parking and inside was wall to wall yarn. She had a table to sit at as well as large comfy chairs. My first project was a set-in long sleeve cardigan in 100% wool. Back in the “day”, the buttonholes were knit in the sweater and gross grain ribbon added to the wrong side.

  12. I have two answers. I taught myself the traditional/throwing way once in college and then again ten or so years ago. I was always quite slow, and five years ago I was knitting with a Norwegian friend who said, “I just can’t take it any more” and taught me how to knit continental style. I have never looked back (except for when I’m knitting two colors at a time!) I have to re-learn the Norwegian purl whenever I’m ribbing, since otherwise I do a more combination-knitting style. I might actually be approaching some sort of efficient knitting style these days. Luckily I don’t mind being slow at all, for me it’s all about the process.

    Although when I recently taught my daughter to knit, at age five, she finds continental “too tricky” so it’s good I know how to knit every which way.

  13. My mom taught me to knit when I was in about 5th grade. I still have that first pair of mittens as I just can’t bring myself to get rid of them. Mom made some beautiful cabled sweaters for my dad but never got the hang of double points until much later in life when socks became her project of choice. Even so, the kitchener stitch was too confusing so when she would come visit, she would always bring a bag with several pairs of socks that needed me to graft the toes. It was a fun way for the two of us to share a common hobby.

  14. I learned from my grandmother, first crochet and then knitting. But I don’t remember quite when or how… we lived across the country from her (California to Massachusetts) and only saw our grandparents once a year maybe.
    What I do remember is at perhaps 11 years old, crocheting a set of animals with patterns from some magazine (Better Homes and Gardens?) as Christmas gifts for my three sisters. I made a blue lion with a loopy main and some sort of other big cat. They were small… maybe 5-6″ long, and now that I think of it, a little advanced for a new crocheter. But I did it. And I wish I still had them. Because I think I may have done a real good job!

  15. I’m a self taught knitter and, sadly, neither of my daughters like to knit so I will have to rest my hopes on my soon-to-be-born grandson. This book would be a great way to start!

  16. At about age 7 I decided I wanted to learn to knit. Both my mother and grandmother knit some but I decided to learn from someone else. I went to the small department store which was only a few blocks away and sat with a group of ladies around a table. There I made my first creation – a very holey dishcloth. I gave this to my mother with great pride, and she welcomed it with much appreciation!

  17. I have been knitting since I was 3 or 4 years old, around 50 years now. Although my mum and grandma’s were knitters they didn’t have the patience to learn me to knit so my dad taught me.

  18. I learned to knit one summer day when I was 5. It’s one of my earliest memories. My Mom gathered me, my older sister and a handful of the neighborhood girls under the maple tree in the front yard on a hot summer afternoon. She gave each of us a ball of yarn and some aluminum needles and taught us how to do the knit stitch. From there we made blankets for our dolls, rugs for the doll houses and simple hats (which Mom sewed the seams on).
    I’m not sure if any of the other girls still knit (my sister passed away at a young age), but it certainly stuck with me. Aside from some time in high school and college when I very little free time, I have knit almost daily for fifty years!

  19. Nana, my paternal grandmother, my only grandmother, as my maternal grandmother died when my mother was 8. Nana was a very basic knitter, who knitted socks for all the family. My mother has always knitted beautifully, I guess she learnt from her grandmother and aunties. My Nana taught me the basics, my mother the finer points.

  20. My mother taught me to knit when I was about 15. Everytime I started a new project, she had to cast on the appropriate number of stitches and it took several years before I understood how to bind off. When my daughter was born, I knew it was time to get serious about knitting. My mom could knit any garment without a pattern and every garment fit perfectly! She was amazing!

  21. I learned to knit from a group of Quaker women at a week-long workshop, part of a larger conference, in 2006. Someone taught me the knit cast-on because I could make no sense of the long-tail gyrations, and I still can’t teach a long-tail cast-on.

  22. I learned to knit when I was around 10 from a Hungarian woman who babysat my siblings and me while my parents went on a vacation. This woman made me some amazing clothes for my Barbie dolls and taught me and my best friend to knit and crochet. I always battled gauge with my knitting so I crocheted more than knit until about 15 years ago. I wandered into my local yarn shop and now consider it a bad day when I haven’t knit at least a row or two! I find it meditative and creative! I taught both of my children (son 25 and daughter 21). So far neither are crazy knitters like me but you never know!

  23. I got a wild hair and decided I wanted to learn so I signed up for a four week beginners class at a yarn shop. They had us use cotton yarn and bamboo needles and I think we were supposed to make a dishcloth. I could not for the life of me get the hang of it. It made no sense. I didn’t even finish the dishcloth. I quit. A few years later I decided to try again with YouTube and this time it clicked. Hi we’re, I hated doing it. It made my hands and wrists hurt. A lady at a shop suggested I try wool instead of the cotton. That was better and I made my sister a pretty little scarf but it was still a struggle. A new friend suggested I was struggling with the bamboo and lent me her signature needles and OMG what a difference. THAT made all the pain go away. Now I knit. Slowly. I still have a gimpy technique.

  24. An 8-year old girl taught me to knit when I was six. It must have been early summer because I remember taking it on a road trip from Houston to Colorado Springs to visit my grandmother who was a nurse at the US Air Force Academy. I didn’t know how to bind off the rectangle I was working on, so my grandmother taught me how to bind off and cast on. She lamented that she never learned to knit ‘the fast way’ like her mother did. There was not much use for knitted things in Houston, so I didn’t knit a lot back then, but I made an Icelandic sweater when I was 16 that I wore for years and still have, though it is a bit tight on me now. When I moved to Colorado in my twenties I picked up knitting again with a vengeance. When I was pregnant with my first child I taught myself how to knit ‘the fast way’. Now I live in Minnesota and hardly a day goes by that I don’t knit. One of the things that is so wonderful about our craft is that there is always something new to learn, and over 50 years later I am still learning new things. Currently I am exploring short rows and have learned to make Scandinavian singlade balls with bits of leftover yarn to small to do anything else with. Unlike me, knitting never gets old!

  25. My 10th grade shorthand teacher taught me to knit. She would knit during tests and I asked her to help me. I made a top down raglan cardigan in the ugliest variegated blue yarn – probably from the local 5 and 10 cent store – as I could not afford yarn from the local yarn store.

  26. My sister and I were taught to knit when we were seven and eight years old by my uncle; my mother’s brother. My mom told me that they also learned to knit as young children, knitting the same peice over and over. They would present the finished bit to my Grandmother who after inspecting it would unravel it and have them do it again. In the age of no TV this was a keep-you-busy exercise. Fortunately our squares were not unraveled and we were able to present them to our great-grandmother as proof we had actually learned the knitting skill. Many years later when my great-grandmother passed away at the age of ninety-four my aunt retuned them to us. My great-grandmother had saved them in her ceder chest along with all her family moments. Obviously knitting has been a very valued craft over the generations for us.

  27. I had the bug to pick up needles all through college, but not a minute to spare. I told my husband,” When I’m done with school, I’m never going back and I’m going to learn to knit”. We were in NYC at the time. Half way up the next block from our apartment was a yarn shop, quite literally ” a hole in the wall”. It was located on 27th St., between Lexington and 3rd Ave. A wonderful woman named Yvette gave me lessons. It’s been 31 years now…I’ve never stopped…slowed up for babies, but never stopped. I believe that God knew I would need knitting’s escape many years later when our youngest son died in a car accident. He has provided me a lifeline of sorts.
    I’ve worked in three yarn shops where I teach and help others with their knitting perils and enjoy their success!

  28. Knitting entered my life through my (at the time) 12 year old daughter. Her middle school took a different approach to learning and each nine weeks the students chose a creative outlet to learn. Unbeknown to me, she chose knitting. The first evening of the new nine weeks, I noticed her thumbs were covered in ink. When I asked why she told me about her choice and showed me her homemade knitting tools…two ballpoint pens and some kitchen twine. The next day I gave her some chopsticks to use instead. We decided a proper class with real supplies might be in order and I agreed to go with her. I’ve been knitting ever since. What an unexpected gift she gave me. While her life is very busy, seeing her pick up the needles and cast on from time to time warms my heart. Knitting is a part of my daily life. I’m thrilled my daughter has the knitting foundation to return to when she’s ready, and I know it will now be part of our family’s legacy.

  29. When I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade my teacher showed a film about textiles and how cotton and wool were produced. The wool process enthralled me to the point where I was constantly begging for knitting supplies. I noticed that my Sunday School teacher always had her knitting bag with her even though she didn’t pull her projects out during services. I asked my grandmother if I could learn to knit if Mrs. Walton would teach me. She called my Sunday School teacher for me to make sure teaching me to knit would not be an imposition on her time. Mrs. Walton was thrilled to do so. I learned very quickly with the help of my grandmother who knew how to knit but felt I’d learn more from Mrs. Walton. She was able to help me when my teacher was not available. I didn’t knit during high school but picked it up again in college because some of my schoolmates from Ethiopia knitted beautiful sweaters. After college I didn’t knit for some years while concentrating on my career. Then my mother started to knit. She even belonged to a local club in Los Angeles. They met once a month and had a show and tell session. My mother was a better crocheter than knitter. Each month a few days before her meeting she asked me to take her project and knit a few inches so that she would have something to show. (Hahaha) Now that I am retired I am an avid knitter and have several projects on my needles. Thanks to Knitspot I have stretched myself beyond my fondest dreams I had when I was seven years old.

  30. I learned to knit when I was in college. I was visiting my Aunt over summer break and she taught me to knit. I was thankful that my first project was a pair of slippers as it was achievable and not a never ending scarf!! I stopped knitting for a while when I moved to Texas but am now back to knitting as there is a big need for sweaters in the summer with our air conditioning!!

  31. My Mom taught me to knit when I was about 10 years old. My first project was a simple pair of slippers (a garter stitch rectangle sewn creatively to fit my foot) with pom poms attached. I have continued and loved to knit ever since!

  32. I learned to knit when I was 4 or 5 from my mom as she was often knitting and I was anxious to make things, too. I became more inspired when I took a knitting mini-course in middle school and made an orange cropped vest, complete with a ribbed neckline. I think I was the only one who really knew how to knit and definitely the only one who made a wearable garment. Ha! I still have it packed away somewhere. Knitting has been a constant in my life; a wonderful creative outlet and an amazing stress reliever. I’m trying to pass along my love of fiber and our craft to my daughter (14) and son (12)–I may need some help!

  33. My grandmother taught my twin sister and me how to knit when we were 6. Actually, she taught my sister how to knit, but since I am left handed she thought it would be too hard to teach me. So she taught me how to crochet instead. But my twin and I, not knowing the rationale behind her choices, promptly went home and showed eachother how to knit and crochet. So I guess my sister is really the one who taught me. We’ve been knitting for almost 50 years.

  34. My mom taught me to knit, twice actually, once when I was a kid and again when I was in my 20s

  35. I learned to knit from my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Lazo. At our grade school, if you were dropped off early or the bus came early you’d have to wait for school to start in the ‘bus room’. It was basically an all-purpose room with a different teacher on-call every morning. Mrs. Lazo was always knitting during her bus room duty and it amazed me how fast she knitted and how string became actual objects. So I asked her to teach me. In those short minutes before school every day she showed me how to cast on, knit, purl, and most importantly she helped pick up all my dropped stitches. I knit a pink and white garter stitch scarf for my first project and she showed me how to add tassel fringe. I learned so much from her in 4th grade, but the most important thing she taught me is knitting. I think about her every time I pick up the needles.

  36. When I was 8 or 9 we had to take first a sewing class but I did not do very well and hated it. Then we had to knit mittens with 5 needles, I had no problem with the knit stitch but I wasn’t able to do purl. This was in Sweden where we learned to knit the continental way. Luckily my grandmother was visiting when i came home from school, she had the patience to sit with me to make sure I was able to do it right. I think my mother would not have had the patience and I would most likely have given up although we had to finish the mittens. Mine came out very nicely and since I finished quickly I was allowed to make a colourwork hat. These 2 projects were entered in a school competition and I won third prize of a gift certificate for yarn.
    I stopped knitting in the mid 80s because I had young children and it was difficult to find yarn other than acrylic. I started in 2009 again after I found a pattern for mitts in a magazine made with beautiful yarn that I was able to find at my LYS. I made those for my youngest daughter to wear while using the computer since she always has cold hands.
    Now I am addicted to knitting.

  37. I learned to knit in girl scouts – I think it might even have been brownies but not sure. One of our leaders was a knitter – all I ever saw her knit were socks and argyle socks at that. I was so impressed and determined to learn how to knit so I could one day make socks too! These days I make lots of socks (but never have made argyles) and most are for 3 of my grandchildren grandchildren – by request! They are always very interested in the process and choosing yarn from the stash. I’m hoping at least one of them turns into a knitter!
    Anne, thanks for the chance to win this lovely book.

  38. I love this post. I always like seeing what your garden is doing. Wow, it sure is putting out for it being November. I had a lovely garden in Washington, but Nome, AK is just too cold and difficult to grow much. I learned to knit from a girl that was about three years younger than myself. She was knitting a pair of Navy blue mittens for her brother on four tiny needles. She taught me the knit stitch and I have been stitching ever since. I am self taught. I love to do new things and constantly try things out. I have taught granddaughters to knit. One even took to it quickly and started designing right away. Thanks for the give away!

  39. I learnt to knit when I was a child by my grandmother and great aunt. But chose crocheting and quilting over knitting most of the time especially when making baby items during my 20s for myself and friends. I did knit occasionally but wasn’t satisfied with my finished projects. When I retired in 2005 I took knitting classes….guess who from….then I was hooked. I’ve been knitting since. I enjoy it and have made a lot of friends through the knitting circles. I’ve since taught 6 of my grandchildren to knit but only
    One has taken it seriously and always has something on her needles.
    I enjoy continuing to learn and always look forward to what’s next. Thanks to Anne I’m never without a project on my needles…or several.

  40. For many years, knitting was unattainable, something aspirational, a brass ring of sorts. As the recipient of so many beautiful knitted gifts, too numerous to recount, always in awe of the ability of knitter’s to create such masterpieces from mere skeins of yarn.

    A gift of love, is how I think of these gifts, and how could I ever give Anne such a gift. Learn to knit of course, heretofore thought quite impossible. Enter Kim, a dear friend of ours, she was willing and able to take up my cause. A wonderful teacher, very patient and understanding, indulging every question, mistake, and flub. Lessons began at Kim’s home in San Diego, we were visiting and Anne was to be away at a conference for a few days, this afforded an opportunity to learn to knit without her knowing and surprise Anne with a gift of love.

    Admittedly I’m afraid I was a bit daft when it came to learning to knit. Just could not grasp the concepts, language, very alien, I’m usually a very quick study. As I am a day sleeper, Kim would retire for bed, I would attempt to knit without her guidance and mistakes were simply unavoidable. Leaving my knitting for her correction with an accompanying note, pleading for help. Eventually was able knit a few rows that resembled knitting.

    Upon returning home, I continued to knit incommunicado, forging thru drop stitches until finishing my first project, a scarf. Finally able to give a gift of love to Anne of my own makings.

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