Feeling in a rut? Do you find yourself knitting the same patterns over and over again? It’s time to switch things up!
If you’re like me, you have several “go to” patterns you can do in your sleep…or certainly while watching your favorite show on TV. You know exactly how many stitches to cast on, how much yarn the project will take, and which size needles to use. But you may also have umpteen of this finished project – with too many blankets, shawls, pullover sweaters, or whatever this “go to” project is – filling up closets or going unused.
If this is you, it might be time to learn a new knitting skill. Yes, it will be hard at first. Yes, you will make mistakes and will likely have to frog the thing at least once. But the upside is that you’ll have a new technique in your toolkit of knitting designs and skills. You might even have a new favorite project on your hands.
The best way to learn a new project, at least for me, is to purchase a kit that includes an understandable pattern and exactly the amount and type of yarn you’ll need to complete the project. I had been reluctant to buy kits in the past, scarred by memories of paint-by-number art kits in childhood that never had enough paint to finish the project. But happily, the knitting projects I’ve bought in the last several years have had more than enough yarn to complete projects. (And I’ve bought numerous knitting kits from a wide variety of companies, especially during the pandemic).
My latest new-to-me knitting skill is the mitered square technique. I found the technique a little trippy – you start with a straight line, and by decreasing in the middle of the row, you end up with a square. Who comes up with this stuff??? I’ve enjoyed making a blanket using this stitch, with some simple colorwork to mix it up as well. Yes, it took me a couple of tries to get it right, but I can now do it like a pro. I’ll definitely use the technique again to make placemats, bath rugs and other household items requiring a fairly sturdy fabric.
Of course, some kits I’ve tried have ended up as “never again” projects. One cardigan sweater kit I bought required me to flip the project around six times and use short rows for some purpose I could not discern. But even the “never again” projects keep knitting interesting and my brain continuing to learn.
As much as I enjoy simple, meditative knitting projects, I always enjoy a new challenge, too. We all need to keep our minds and souls fresh, active, and open to new experiences!
Knitting Blessings, Cindy
Cynthia Coe is the author of The Prayer Shawl Chronicles, a series of fictional stories woven together by the theme of human connections made through prayer shawls and the craft of knitting. Her newest book is her first historical novel, Knitting Through Time: Stories of How We Learned to Knit. Learn more by visiting her Author Page at this link.
Sycamore Cove Knitting 