StitchMeKnot message #1
New Blog Tutorial - Design Your Own Knit Cowl
February 12, 2016 at 2:34:44 PM
 
I just posted a new tutorial on my blog - Design Your Own Knit Cowl. 

It would be very helpful to me if people would give feedback and suggestions on how I can make these types of tutorials better, or easier, for stitchers. 

I am unable to do video tutorials as I do not have the equipment, or space, to do that. 

Thank you so much!

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StitchMeKnot message #3
Re: New Blog Tutorial - Design Your Own Knit Cowl
February 13, 2016 at 10:00:40 AM  (in response to StitchMeKnot message #1)
 
LOL, thanks Melanie ... I like that ... it's not a mistake ... it's a feature! 

I agree that sometimes videos can be more distracting or time intensive.  Thanks for the input about the step-by-step images for complex directions.  

I very much appreciate the feedback.  This is important to me so that  Ican always produce clear, concise, easy to follow tutorials for others.  I try to explain things in such a way that a stitcher may be able to take the "recipe" and apply it to their own project; and not even apply, but to expand on it and experiment with it to create their own lovely stitch projects.   

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StitchMeKnot message #5
Re: New Blog Tutorial - Design Your Own Knit Cowl
February 14, 2016 at 6:37:49 PM  (in response to Stitchboard Admin message #4)
 
Melanie,

Those little 'design features' are what make our projects unique from every body else's, and that's a good thing. 

I would very much like to see pictures of projects people came up with as a result of my tutorials.  One of my goals for my blog is to create a member gallery where I can showcase pictures of people's projects based upon what they learned in the tutorials.  The purpose behind this is to encourage and inspire others to create beautiful stitched projects based upon their own ideas of what it should look like.  

Another goal is to also show new crafters that no matter what level of experience they are at they can take these 'recipe' type tutorials and begin designing their own wonderful creations now; they don't have to wait until they become 'experts' because quite frankly, there are so many different things to learn in our crafts of choice that there is always more to learn. 

For example, I have only been knitting for about 1.5 to 2 years now.  There is still so much that I have no clue about, but I try to share with others what I have learned along the way so that we can all learn together.  I know there are many things that the users here on Stitchboard could teach me, too.

This is why I really love boards such as this one.  It gives us crafters a wonderful place to exchange ideas, and help each other out when we get stuck, or gives us inspiration and encouragement to try something new. 

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StitchMeKnot message #7
Re: New Blog Tutorial - Design Your Own Knit Cowl
February 15, 2016 at 6:40:51 AM  (in response to Stitchboard Admin message #6)
 
Thanks Melanie,

I can assure you I'm no 'seasoned professional' by any means.  If it wasn't for youtube and online videos, my knitting skills would most likely still be non-existent. 

I think that one of the things that helps me is that because I am left-handed, I have always had to reverse what everyone else does.  Sometimes this is not easy. 

I've been learning how to do various crafts since I was young, but by no means am I an expert in any one of them.  I have way too much to learn still, but that doesn't stop me from being able to share what I've already learned with others. 

Yes, my main goal is to inspire others so they can come up with new and interesting projects, too.  There is nothing as satisfying as completing a project that you designed and created from start to finish, even if it was inspired by, or based upon something else.  It's a pretty awesome feeling, and I would love to help other people  feel that way, too.

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StitchMeKnot message #9
Re: New Blog Tutorial - Design Your Own Knit Cowl
February 16, 2016 at 3:14:18 AM  (in response to Stitchboard Admin message #8)
 
Melanie,

You'll have to share the technique you know use for short rows instead of the w&t's. 

LOL, being left-handed has it's challenges at times, but if I can't figure out how to do something, sometimes all it takes is sitting opposite a right handed person [or mirror] to see how it should be done left handed.

Yes, I really enjoy sharing so others can benefit too.  I am *so* looking forward to seeing what people create as a result of the tutorials.

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StitchMeKnot message #11
Re: New Blog Tutorial - Design Your Own Knit Cowl
February 17, 2016 at 6:00:53 AM  (in response to Stitchboard Admin message #10)
 
Yes, I often used to tell people not to worry about trying to do it left handed, just do it your way, and I'll convert it. 

Usually, that worked just fine.  I guess we leftys are just used to it because we've always had to do it.  I don't know.

Yes, technology has progressed a ton.  While there are a lot of videos specifically for left-handed users, I usually don't even watch those.  I still watch the right-handed ones.  Strange that.

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StitchMeKnot message #13
Re: New Blog Tutorial - Design Your Own Knit Cowl
February 18, 2016 at 5:16:06 AM  (in response to Stitchboard Admin message #12)
 
Melanie,

You're absolutely right.  When you stop to thing about how to do something you've always just done automatically, it's very strange that you can't figure it out ... it's like it's something new or foreign that you've never seen or done before.  Very weird.

I discovered this when I used to fix computers for a living.  Whenever I would try to talk someone through a process so they could do it themselves, I had to sit down and figure out exactly what I was doing because I had gotten to the point of doing it automatically w/o thinking about what I was doing. 

We humans are strange creatures sometimes.  LOL

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