The long road to knitting in the round.

I have been knitting since I was a child when I was taught to knit by my grandmother.  I still have memories of sitting in her living room at 8 years old struggling to hold the needles in my little hands and move the yarn in the proper fashion.

I've knit off and on ever since those days and have been knitting steadily for the last 5 or 6 years. I considered myself an intermediate knitter having knit everything from basic garter stitch dishcloths to intricate cabled sweaters. 

My mother was an avid and accomplished knitter. I remember watching her fingers fly as she knit argyle socks and fair isle sweaters for my dad and for my brothers and sisters. She knit with double pointed needles and made it look effortless. She did fair isle work with a multitude of bobbins filled with all kinds of colors effortlessly.

I've done a few fair isle projects but have never managed to knit in the round. I've looked longingly at the socks other knitters seem to create by the dozens, hats that I'd love to make but were done in the round. I've tried using the double pointed needles but between flaring Carpal Tunnel and creeping arthritis, I was unable to handle all those needles.

But now, there exists a tool that I didn't have before. The Internet. The Internet has opened up worlds for me both in my knitting life and in other aspects of my life as well. With sites such as KnittingHelp and Ravelry, there is a whole new world of teachers available to knitters and available for free!

KnittingHelp has wonderful videos and a plethora of knitters of all walks of life who are generous and willing to share their knowledge to any one who asks.  The way these knitters spoke about knitting in the round, the techniques, tools and tips they share continue to amaze and help me.

It was watching the videos and reading the tips and tricks of other  knitters gave me the push to pick up my needles and give it a shot. I tried the double pointed needles and was able to actually knit in the round! It was still pretty frustrating to deal with all those needles but I was doing it.

At the beginning of this year I made myself a promise that I would tackle this once and for all. I went on a search for an easy hat in the round and after days of looking, decided to check out the groups on Ravelry. I found one called (hat of the month) that looked interesting. They had a hat called "Who?" that I decided to try using circular needles.

I got some stashed WoolEase in a nice green color and cast on. I took a deep breath, got out a number of books and figured out how to make a nice join without twisting the stitches.

OK, looked pretty good! I put a marker on and began to do the ribbing. Wow, it was really easy! And it seemed to go really fast! I moved easily through the pattern and before I knew it, had a hat! I came to the part where I was supposed to switch to double pointed needles and decided to just use two circulars instead. Low and behold, it worked beautifully! I had a hat, an honest to goodness hat, knit in the round that I didn't have to seam!

What a sense of accomplishment I feel! I feel like I've finally become a grown up knitter after 40 years of practicing this craft. I've since knit 5 or 6 hats and a cowl and can't believe I was ever afraid of doing this.

So with the help of the Internet, some good books and a little courage, I've taken the long road to knitting in the round and I tell you, I'm not looking back.

 

KnittingHelp is a free site that offers video tutorials, some patterns and an outstanding forum where you can ask questions, answer questions and post pictures of your finished items.

Ravelry is a site that offers free and for sale patterns, a place to upload your stash, needles, patterns and to organize your projects. There are a multitude of groups to join and forums to participate in. You do have to sign up and get an invite but it as of right now, it only takes about four days to process. It is well worth the wait.

Oh, and pictures will be coming soon... waiting for daylight!