One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2011 was to learn how to knit. It is a useful skill that keeps my hands busy, with an end product that is actually practical for yourself or as a gift. Those looking to find ways to cut back on waste, reduce the consumerism in your life and gain a greater sense of self-reliance can also take pride in creating handmade items themselves!
There are countless resources online to teach yourself knitting. knittinghelp.com has a ton of videos that demonstrate the basics, and there are many other videos and tutorials just a google search away.
Like many others my first project was a scarf out of an alpaca blend. When I first completed it, I thought I’d tuck it away in a far corner of my closet because it was so ugly. Ha. But it was so soft, stretchy and squishy that I actually find it is the perfect scarf to wrap myself in now that the weather is getting cold.
My next project was inspired by a blog post that I cannot, for the life of me, find anywhere. Dishcloths. So practical, so simple, and to my surprise — an abundance of patterns. They are great for washing dishes and wiping off countertops. And they’re machine washable! The yarn is cheap and makes about 2 dishcloths per ball.
I’ve been using this ramen noodle dishcloth pattern — great for a beginner like me to get used to knitting and purling together.
You can also transform your dishcloth into a dish scrubber by weaving in strands of tulle (here is a tutorial).
If you have been intrigued by knitting before, just give it a try! There is really no reason not to.
-R
Welcome, new knitter! It is now my duty to direct you to ravelry.com…it’s a knitter and crocheter’s wonderland, full of (many free) patterns, advice, and more
Your dishcloths are really cute! I have a few and they are so handy. I should knit some more soon actually.
Thanks! Will definitely check out ravelry. I’ve also been reading your knitting blog!