Welcome to the World of Fiber Crafts!

Today I want to take you back to 2007, when my knitting journey began. My mother taught me the basics, but she was right handed. I was left handed, so this left me at a crossroads; do I force myself to learn this new craft with my non-dominant hand, or do I learn to teach myself by reversing the directions of patterns? The majority of resources I had access to were geared toward right handed knitters, but this was the first lesson I learned, resourcefulness. In doing some exploration online, I was able to find some resources explaining how to knit as a left handed person. With those, I was able to refine my basic knowledge and further teach myself.

As I continued learning to knit, I learned a second lesson, patience or at least how to mitigate the frustration of being new at a craft. The parts I have come to love the most are choosing yarn and embellishments for projects, because I enjoy using those to express my creativity in projects. I also enjoy the reactions I get from those I have gifted items to. Their appreciation of the work I put in increases my pride in the abilities I have with knitting. This sense of accomplishment is yet another lesson I have learned. Knitting also provides me with a sense of peace and relaxation. It helps me to find calm and balance in the chaos of daily life.

I also enjoy the challenge of working more advanced patterns to stretch my knowledge and broaden my skills. One day, I would like to work a project which uses the Brioche lace stitch. Previous projects I have made include sweaters and vests, bags, hats and scarves, gloves, baby items, and even a bowtie for my dog’s collar! Of all the projects I have made, however, the one I am most proud of is a scarf I made based on a sweater pattern. This scarf came about because I offered to help a fellow knitter, who wanted to finish said sweater, however a previous person helping them had never returned the portions they were working on. There wasn’t enough yarn left to complete the sweater pattern and the yarn itself ended up having been discontinued, but it was special to the other knitter. I took elements of the sweater and transformed them into a scarf. This sparked my interest in pattern composition and design.

I then designed a clip to hold a baby toy or pacifier, something I had never seen made before. It was such an empowering feeling to take a concept in my head and turn it into an item I could hold in my hand! While the thought of designing items from scratch may sound intimidating if you are just beginning your knitting journey, and it is a journey as no one learns a new craft overnight, with time and practice the items you create will look more precise and professional and the frustration of items not looking the way you want will fade. I have found that I prefer using metal needles when working flat projects and wooden needles when working in the round.

And everyone’s journey is different, if you see a more experienced crafter starting, ending or using slightly different techniques on a project, do not feel as though what you have done is incorrect or that you need to change the way you do things. Often this is a matter of preference as there are many ways to start or end a project, and everyone has techniques they prefer. This is why the medium of fiber crafting (knitting, crochet, etc) offers quite a lot of creative freedom!

In the future, you can look forward to more articles detailing different techniques on knitting for all skill levels. I also am teaching myself to crochet, so there may be posts on that as well. I am also planning to publish patterns and have items available for sale on my website. I hope this blog inspires you to begin your own journey into fiber crafts, or teaches you something you didn’t know! If you found my post interesting or helpful please consider clicking the heart icon below, or leaving me a tip!