Fearless Knitter Finished Objects

In November, I started teaching a Knit 101 class at Stitch House, one of Boston's lovely local yarn stores (LYS). Starting at 9:00 on Saturday mornings, a group of about six or eight new knitters gather around the table for learning, creating, sharing, and only occasionally, cursing. The students include sisters, ages 7 and 9, …

Girls Who Knit

For the past few weeks, I've been spending Monday afternoons teaching knitting to eight girls at a local after-school program. It's the most high-energy 90 minutes of my week! As always when I teach new knitters, a first lesson is to spot and then fix mistakes. Mistakes are inevitable, and if you can't fix them, you're more likely …

Quick Cotton Dishcloth

There are times when a quick, basic project is needed. That time for me usually involves the completion of one project and some indecision on what to make next. My go-to "palette cleanser" projects are baby hats and cotton dishcloths or washcloths (depending on the size). Last week it was a dishcloth. Not just any …

WTF does WYIF mean?

Several of the students in my knitting class want to learn how to read a pattern, so I've started them off on a delightful cotton washcloth. Washcloths are great first project because (1) there's a high probability you will finish (unlike a scarf which can be interminable), and (2) they provide ample opportunity for learning …

Knitting Reacquaintance

"I'd like to take some time during our visit to get reacquainted with knitting," my dear cousin Meg wrote in advance of our getaway weekend in Chicago. Her words were music to my ears because there's nothing a knitter enjoys more (this knitter, at least) than sharing the joy of knitting with others. I know, …

Let’s start knitting

I get great joy from teaching others to knit. Pure and simple. There's something very rewarding about watching someone create something they've envisioned and finally be able to hold it in their hands.  All from a very long piece of string (well, yarn). Earlier this year, I taught a beginner knitting class through the local …