People say I'm brave, but I'm not really. If I was brave I wouldn't feel nauseous every time I hold a sewing needle or make excuses when someone dares me to climb a tree. Sure I put up with a lot of pain, but that's not bravery, it's dealing with it.
So when Bertie chucked out the song Fear by OneRepublic at me, I knew that I had to tell you all about my knitting fears and anxieties.
I think my biggest fear of all when it comes to knitting, is learning to knit with DPNs. I've watched countless amounts of cast-on videos, plus I have the book Getting Started Knitting Socks and the Big Book of Knitted Monsters, which also teach you how to use DPNs and circular needles.
Despite having all the materials and knowledge I need, when I actually take the time to sit down and attempt to knit in the round, my heart starts thumping, my palms become sweaty and I forget everything I've learned. My yarn ends up in knots as I try and cast on for the millionth time and with each attempt I get more and more frustrated. The heated session finally ends with me saying 'I hate knitting'.
So question to you, my dear, oh knowledgable readers, is, what is the secret to mastering this terrifying technique of awesomeness? Must you be born with this god-given ability, or is just plain perseverance?
I don't know if there's a secret as such - I just started with the thought that if I got it wrong, nothing would happen. The Knitting Police wouldn't come and take away my right to knit ;) Rather than trying to get it right straight away, just take it slowly, look at what you've created, see if you can figure out what didn't work... It's easier to learn from mistakes!
ReplyDeleteJust give it a go, the worst thing that can happen is you have to frog and start again! I find magic loop a lot easier for knitting in the round - no chance of pulling the wrong needle and dropping a load of stitches like I used to do with DPNs
ReplyDeleteI'm a crocheter by trade but when it comes to knitting on DPNs I find myself fumbling alot. I found it a lot easier to use 2 circular needles instead of DPNs when it comes to knitting socks.
ReplyDeletehopefully this doesn't make things more complicated, but I thought I'd share what I do! whenever I cast on for something that's going to be worked on dpns, I only use two of the dpns at first. if I was knitting a sock it would eventually be on 5 dpns. if I'm casting on 64 stitches, it'd be 32 stitches on only two rounds, and then when I worked the first round, I would divide them evenly onto the four needles. it can be a little tight, but it basically eliminates twisting the round (which is basically the only really big problem for knitting in the round)
ReplyDeleteanother thing I've done when I'm making something in the round and the yarn is slippery or stubborn is to cast on straight and knit one row WITHOUT joining, and then join after. it's basically undetectable, and it makes knitting in a round so much easier.
good luck!
One of the easiest ways for me to learn about DPNs was to start knitting a hat on circs and then use the DPNs for the decreases. Then I could see how this worked and what not before I tried to cast on for something with little yarn and little needles, with everything ending up all tangled!
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