Day 2 of Knitting and Crochet Blog Week and I'm looking back over the last year and what I've learnt in that time. I don't know where to start!
A year ago I was the same beginner knitter I'd been for a couple of years. Knit stitches came with ease, purling entailed a little more effort, and I could knit into the front and back of the stitch to increase and knit two together or slip slip knit to decrease. The greatest part of my skill lay in an even tension.
Last year, suddenly, the yarn addiction really took hold and with it the confidence and desire to learn new techniques. I decided to knit a few chokers and used them to learn beading and simple lace based on yarn over increases. Next up was to try some simple pattern writing of my own; I wanted some wristwarmers to match a hat so adapted the pattern accordingly, then I knit another hat making it up as I went along and was pleased with the result. Fortunately my family all appreciate homemade gifts, as this glut of experimentation created the bulk of my Christmas presents.
If I had to single out one thing that is the best thing I've learnt in the last year then it's this... the longtail cast on. I love it. I find it easier and more even than a basic cast on and it's much quicker to do. Also it gave me the building blocks to grasp my first provisional cast on technique, and I think if I'd tackled that only knowing the basic cast on I would have been a little perplexed. Longtail cast on you are my hero skill of 2010.
Sometimes it's the simple things, huh? I love long-tail CO too. Also, I love how you can look back on your progress and see how skills build on one another. I couldn't grasp Magic Loop until I'd learned knitting on two circulars. Cheers to learning new techniques!
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