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Greetings

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Oct 21, 2012
Posts: 13

aMusedToo message #1
Greetings
October 23, 2012 at 11:11:53 PM

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and new to knitting as well. However, through perseverance and practice, I've managed to develop some respectable skills in a short time.
Part of the reason I was able to catch on in a reasonably short time is that I have a background of being an advanced crocheter. I specialized in fine lace and larger, complicated patterns. So half the battle of learning to understand written directions and charts was won, even if knitting charts are read differently.
I learned most of my knitting skills online, similar to the way I learned to crochet about 30 years ago by reading books.
I found this forum because of a thread I read on Ravelry and decided to join here to see what I can learn and possibly share with your group.
I'll probably be lurking more than posting for a while. This forum seems to have some interesting areas.

aMusedToo

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Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4584

Stitchboard Admin message #2
Re: Greetings
October 24, 2012 at 2:19:36 PM (in response to aMusedToo message #1)

Welcome!

So glad you've made it here!

Fine lace crochet is gorgeous! What kinds of things do you make with that? Those projects must take a very long time!

I learned knitting and crochet the same way you learned about crochet, so I completely understand. LOL, back when the earth's crust was still cooling Grin

, the only choice was to learn from books...because nobody had a home computer, and thus, no Internet was readily available, no YouTube or any of the things that are so wonderful today! There was also no sharing of advanced techniques, because we were all so isolated. Sad

One of the things I don't miss about the "bad old days"!

As for knitting, I love the way an editor of Vogue Knitting once put it (sorry, not her exact words, as this is going from memory)...there are only two stitches, so if you know how to knit and purl, you know everything I do!

So glad you found us...and it's just fine if you're more comfortable lurking (no posting requirements!), but we'd especially love it if you'd post, because you obviously have a lot of interesting things to say!

Also, if you have some ideas for other areas, you'd like to see, please let us know!

Melanie (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

Melanie (cat slave and Official Feline Can Opener) =^.^=
~~~~~
I'm a beading, knitting and crochet addict. If that means I'm admitting I have a problem, then I admit to nothing. Please refrain from helping me.

Member since:
Oct 21, 2012
Posts: 13

aMusedToo message #3
Re: Greetings
October 24, 2012 at 4:04:03 PM (in response to Stitchboard Admin message #2)

What a great welcome!

I am a woman who loves and dabbles in many, many art forms. For a very busy time in my life I was crocheting lace tablecloths (you're right, they take FOREVER!) as well as doilies, little girl dresses, little purses, basically any crochet pattern that caught my eye. I've given most things away as gifts. Some of my favorites (besides the tablecloths) were beaded doily doilies, made with the finest of threads and tiny glass beads. I stopped doing that when I got more involved in teaching piano and in our growing children's activities.

Then I got really involved in geneology and spent several years researching and writing a book. As our children grew they found their way to the stage and acting, which reignited my love of the stage. So I spent several years performing again, I still do that. I also work as a standardized patient, which is a fancy way of saying I perform roles at a school of medicine to teach doctors things like good bedside manner.

I tried to teach myself to knit at the same time I taught myself to crochet but I found the prospect of making an error with so many live stitches on the needle a little too frustrating to bother with at the time.

But our son and DIL are going to start a family and she is committed to breast feeding and cloth diapering, just the way that I was. So I thought I might teach myself to knit well enough to maker her some soakers/woollies. Well, I'm an obsessive type and I simply can't teach myself to dabble in anything. It's full immersion and obsession for me, all the way.

I have dozens of books on origami, yoga, knitting, crocheting, algebraic reasoning, regional histories, Indian cooking, bread making, etc. as testament to my various obsessions over the years.

Anyway, knitting is my new obsession and I basically knit every time I sit down. I don't really see television as much as I listen to it with my husband. It makes televised sports a little nicer at our house since I find it boring as hell to watch any kind of sports on television. So now I knit while my husband watches games and all is well.

That's all I got for now. Knitting calls!

Thanks for the warm welcome.

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Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4584

Stitchboard Admin message #4
Re: Greetings
October 25, 2012 at 2:58:40 AM (in response to aMusedToo message #3)

Wow, your crochet sounds amazing! Did you take pictures of the things you made, or just give them away? It's so nice to give handmade items as gifts...trying to make money from crafting is difficult and usually not worth it...but giving things away is a nice way of telling someone you love them!

You're multi talented!

It's so nice how you can get so into something and completely master it. And what diverse interests! Working as a standardized patient sounds not ony fascinating, but also extremely helpful.

You're so right about losing a lot of live stitches at once with knitting...at least with crochet, your work can only unravel a bit, but if your knitting needle slips out of the stitches, you can end up with a huge problem. Sad

It can be very frustrating...luckily, it can be solved...though often with a lot of frustration.

It's great how you're going to use your skills so generously, to make the soakers...I'm sure your son and DIL are very grateful...what a lovely thing to do!

LOL, my personal opinion is that you're doing the more interesting thing, by knitting instead of watching televised sports. Sports...bleh! I've never been into them and much prefer knitting or crocheting or beading...but I'm usually doing those while watching a show I like.

IMO, it's hard to sit and passively watch something without being busy working with my hands the whole time.

BTW, if you have any photos of work you've done (or are doing), it would be wonderful if you could post them...we love eye candy!

Thank you for talking about all of the fascinating things you do/have done!

Melanie (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

Member since:
Oct 21, 2012
Posts: 13

aMusedToo message #5
Re: Greetings
October 28, 2012 at 12:39:13 AM (in response to Stitchboard Admin message #4)

I gave most of my crocheted lace away years ago, it never occurred to me to take pictures. I do have a few items I've kept for myself, I'll have to see about taking pictures of them one of these days for the forum. Where would I post them?

I agree about the value of a well-made gift. I try to be careful to make sure that what I give falls under the category of 'hand-made' rather than 'home-made'. This means spending the extra time and money to chose good materials. I also do a lot of practicing and ripping out things that don't work. I'm very picky about what I'll give away. For that reason, I often have people 'hinting' at or outright asking me to make them things. Some people who aren't even that close to me seem to think that if a person is able to knit or crochet or sew or whatever craft you happen to do, that you should just donate your time and materials to 'whip something up' for them. I think they are clueless as to the time and money investment that crafters put in. As if we just conjur these things out of thin air. And while I am happy to donate my time and materials to to make something for a loved one, I'm not up for making things for just anyone who likes what I make. However, I am happy to teach anyone who wants to learn how to do it for themselves. I love to teach.

You know, now that I've settled into knitting I've discovered one thing about working knitting that is actually less frustrating than crocheting. Although all the live stitches can be more intimidating, the cool thing about it is that if you discover an error several rows down, you can go into that column of stitches and fix it, with crochet you would have to rip the work all the way back to that point. So I guess it's a trade off.

As far as mastering many different things, part of that is because I'm old enough to have spent a lot of time pursuing different interests. Over 50 trips around the sun, you learn a few things.

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Posts: 4584

Stitchboard Admin message #6
Re: Greetings
October 29, 2012 at 3:42:35 AM (in response to aMusedToo message #5)

Thank you so much...I'd love to see your work, if you don't mind photographing and posting it!

You can actually post in the photo albums...to get there it's "social/member photo albums" from the top menu, then on the left choose "Your photo albums," which will bring you to a page where you can "Create new album."

If you need more specific instructions, I'll be happy to help you!

I understand what you mean by "hand-made" v "home-made," and couldn't agree more! It's important to make something that looks nice, not sloppy...anyone can simply churn out some shoddy looking item.

And you're so right about people expecting gifts, just "because" they know you do a certain thing. Ouch! Sad

Plus, those same people often think it takes two seconds to make an item that, in reality, can take tens or hundreds of hours. Worse are the ones who say, "I'll pay you to make this. How much would you charge?" When you tell them a realistic price, they get angry. "That's too much!" they'll say. What, do you think I can survive on 10 cents an hour?

Even worse is someone who tries to "bully" you into making them something. "I can buy this from Wal-Mart for $20." Well, sure, you probably can. But Wal-Mart pays people in China $1/hour to make that item, out of very cheap materials. That scarf is likely made on a machine, not hand-knit, using acrylic yarn, rather than wool.

I once had a co-worker ask if I would make her daughter a sweater and cardigan set from a knitting magazine. It was a cute set and I really wanted to make it. She lived near a yarn shop (I didn't) and was willing to purchase the yarn. When it came to price, though, she said she'd pay no more than $20 per item. As a non-knitter, she didn't understand. This was in Manhattan, and she said, "I can walk out on the street and buy a hand-knit sweater for $10." (She felt she was being generous offering me twice that to make two sweaters!) Well, sure she could buy hand-knit sweaters for $10 apiece...those sweaters "fell off trucks" regularly! I couldn't compete. She had no idea what work went into knitting sweaters.

This is why I'll gladly make something as a gift for someone I love, but most people simply aren't interested in paying what the workmanship and materials are worth. Sad

I also agree about teaching. If someone wants to learn...and they want to make an item for themselves, rather than expect it to be made for them...that's wonderful!

You're right, of course, that knitting is a little more "forgiving," in that you can let a row of stitches go like a run in a pair of pantyhose, then use a crochet hook to "rebuild" the stitches. With crochet, unfortunately, it's a matter of tearing all the way back to the offending stitch. Sad

I love the way you put that...trips around the sun...will have to remember that one!

Still, age doesn't necessarily mean someone has taken the time to pursue many interests. I think it depends on the individual. Some have a thirst to learn...others are happier following the same routine every day. I guess if the latter folk are happy with their lives, it works...but I personally can't imagine having no interest in trying new things. IMO, same old, same old can be such a rut!

Melanie (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

Member since:
Oct 21, 2012
Posts: 13

aMusedToo message #7
Greetings
October 30, 2012 at 10:33:11 AM (in response to Stitchboard Admin message #6)

TaDa! I figured out how to do the album thing. It was even ipad friendly, so I didn't have to push it it to a hosting site first. Yay!

<<<<<linky>>>>>

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Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4584

Stitchboard Admin message #8
Re: Greetings
October 30, 2012 at 2:35:23 PM (in response to aMusedToo message #7)

Wow, I'm SO glad you were able to figure it out and that it was iPad friendly!

(Otherwise, I would have had to resort to smacking the software around a bit. LOL!)

I love your fingerless gloves - thank you so much for posting the pic!

You did a lovely job with them...they look like they fit...oh, no, wait for it...like a glove. Grin

(Yeah, that was incredibly bad!) And I love your goofy pose!

What lucky sons, to be getting lovingly handmade warm winter wear goodies! And it's like we were discussing before...this is something you do for love...because doing it for money is a losing proposition...but making something for someone you love is the most rewarding thing!

Thank you again for the gorgeous eye candy...can't wait to see some more of your work (hint, hint)!

Melanie (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

Member since:
Oct 21, 2012
Posts: 13

aMusedToo message #9
Re: Greetings
October 30, 2012 at 3:18:10 PM (in response to Stitchboard Admin message #8)

Like a glove? *smirk*

You know, I was thinking that you really need to work on being more encouraging.

All these disparaging remarks have me unsure if I shouldn't just give up knitting and find something that I have hope of being any good at. *teehee*

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Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4584

Stitchboard Admin message #10
Re: Greetings
October 31, 2012 at 1:33:06 AM (in response to aMusedToo message #9)

ROFL! I'm sorry...it's my character flaw...I just can't seem to find anything good to say about anything! Wink

Hmm, have you thought about trying...knitting? Or maybe...knitting? Better still...knitting? Tongue

I still can't believe you're a beginner! That is some expert work for a beginner.

I bet you'll be designing your own patterns soon! If I could have knit that well after only 4 weeks of knitting, turned out anything even half that nice (ha ha, you should have seen those awful things!)...wow...you should be so proud...I'm jealous!

Melanie (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

Member since:
Oct 21, 2012
Posts: 13

aMusedToo message #11
Re: Greetings
October 31, 2012 at 10:03:47 AM (in response to Stitchboard Admin message #10)

Knitting you say?

*scratches head*

hmmmmmm . . . is that the thing you do with the sticks and yarn? I may have to look into that.

It's nice to see that I could help you with that character flaw. Your last post was much better.

Of course you still have a ways to go but . . . well . . . baby steps. These things take time.

Oh and as for you being all agog at my beginner skilz. Um . . . *cough* . . . yeah . . . you should have seen the things I ripped out. My husband and son were both shaking their heads and teasing me about all the things I was making and then ripping out because they were not good enough. Although I have little need to do it now, for a while I was basically ripping out everything I made. And I was so freakin' clumsy with my needles that at one point my son said, "Is it supposed to be this slow? Won't it take forever to make anything?" I had to remind him that I was learning and new skills take time to acquire.

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Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4584

Stitchboard Admin message #12
Re: Greetings
October 31, 2012 at 5:38:52 PM (in response to aMusedToo message #11)

You know, just a thought...never mind knitting...have you thought of trying...knitting? Or...knitting?

Um, is that the thing with the sticks or the thing with the hook? Always get them confused. (LOL, shouldn't joke about that...newspapers and stores always mark knitting as crochet and crochet as knitting!)

Hee hee, still working on that character flaw. But it's gonna take a lot of chocolate, yarn and beads...a lot.

LOL! Your descriptions of your initial struggles with knitting are hilarious! Of course, you're going to be slow at it and not like what you make initially...but damn, after only four weeks, that's still outstanding! I assure you, after four weeks, I wasn't making anything as nice as your gloves...not after eight weeks, either. Bleh, for the first year it all sucked!

Melanie (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

Member since:
Oct 21, 2012
Posts: 13

aMusedToo message #13
Re: Greetings
October 31, 2012 at 6:35:03 PM (in response to Stitchboard Admin message #12)

Well, to be fair, my first attempt was about 30 years ago and I made some pretty lame crap. I knew it would take a lot of work and patience to get there, which is why I took the path of least resistance and focused on crocheting.

Now all these years later, I had some memory of what I had done before and the entire Internet to help me. Videos made ALL the difference. I'll wager your 'less-than-awesome' work was pre-internet.

*hands you a 'fun size' Snickers from my Halloween stash and wonders why they call call it 'fun size' . . at that size they should be labled 'bummer-is-that-all? size'*

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Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4584

Stitchboard Admin message #14
Re: Greetings
October 31, 2012 at 9:29:17 PM (in response to aMusedToo message #13)

There's really nothing wrong with playing to your strengths...which is what you wisely did back then.

Instead of struggling with a bunch of lame crap, LOL, you did what you were good at, developed that, and had fun with it!

Isn't that what it's suppose to be all about...having fun? These are hobbies, after all, even if they do become one's actual vocation...so I'd call that...smart!

The Internet totally amkes things a whole new experience...and ding ding ding ding ding...you win the wager!

It was definitely pre-Internet...it was probably, um, about 30 years ago, which is odd, because I will only claim to be 25.

(That either gets funnier or more pathetic as I get older.)

ROFL...same thing for the M&M's I'm handing you...surprise...that is so not "fun size"! Guess their idea of "fun" is pretty lame...whoever came up with that probably enjoys things like taking inventory...watching grass grow...fingernails growing...paint drying...ooh, are you catching your breath, too?! Not!

Tell you what...come on over for some cake...as we always say when we bake one, there are only two servings in a cake! Cakes with 8 or 12 servings or whatever are for sissies!

Melanie (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

Member since:
Oct 21, 2012
Posts: 13

aMusedToo message #15
Re: Greetings
November 1, 2012 at 11:41:21 AM (in response to Stitchboard Admin message #14)

A woman who knows how to eat cake! I'll have a corner piece.

BTW, do you think this conversation makes my ass look big?

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