i learned the kitchener stitch today. so now i know how to knit, purl, kitchener, cast on , cast off. i own a couple sets of straights, 2 bamboo and 2 metal; and one boye interchangeable set. I really want to follow a ravelers suggestion and get a gunsmith to combine my boye needles with knit picks cables (unless someone convinces me that addi turbo interchangeables would be better than this.)
i have made one full sweater in my life. got another going. learned 2 at a time socks pretty quickly. so much fun! I used to think of myself as a strict pattern follower. now i feel like maybe i can create something on my own. i have heard elizabeth zimmerman’s books are great; i own none. my question now is which of her books should i buy first? my goal is to be able to say oohhh i want to make a sweater (or socks) like this and then create such without following a pattern per se.
am i learning backwards? learning to follow patterns before creation? or do others create first and then make patterns from what they create ( like several designers i have heard and read about on ravelry) ?
Have you tried checking if your local library has any of the books for you to have a look at them before you buy? Or do what I do, and go to a big bookstore, and sit and read the books, to decide which one you prefer.
I have never dared yet to make a pattern on my own, but that is awesome. There is no right way to learn, and if free-form/creation is what works best for you instead of following a pattern, go for it!
Hey Shelly, I agree with Cristina, I always “test-drive” books at the library before I purchase. Also, we’ve met and knitted at the local bookstores and browsed through books and mags. We need to plan that soon. I also think when you do knit a certain project for the first time and have a desire to knit again in the future you get inspired and start creating other ideas based on the basic knitting pattern.
I, too, am a big fan of check it out from the library before making decisions. I often do that with cookbooks. If I find myself wanting to copy out more than three recipes, I buy the book.
I’ve tagged you – read about it on my blog.
i have just entered too and cant remember the reference i made. Tag is label you give to a photo or post in a blog.