New Year's Resolution: Learn To Knit!

I've crocheted since I was 8. I figured it was close enough to knitting- good enough to make scarves and hats. I was content with sticking in my own little crochet world. Since working here, I've come in contact with so many wonderful yarns, patterns and knitters. Knitting has been a goal of mine for a while, so what better way to start than to make it a New Year's Resolution!

Knowing that I already enjoy crocheting, I figured I'd take to knitting pretty easily. The only aspect of knitting that is overwhelming to me is the amount of stitches and terms that exist! I tend to jump in head first to something and just hopefully figure it out along the way. So I figured, why not changing this behavior a new year's resolution too? So in regards to my projects, I want to learn how to do things the right way, the first time. A solid foundation is the key to anything right?

I picked a bulky, light colored yarn so I could see that fibers. I chose this Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn  in "Fisherman" and paired it with these large size 13 Lantern Moon palm wood knitting needles. I figured the bigger the better for starters. The next part was figuring out what the best approach was to learning the basics. I need something I could pause and re-watch as many times as needed, like this I Can't Believe I'm Knitting DVD Kit. So I picked up "casting on" and then a basic knit stitch pretty quickly. I then practiced the stockinette stitch and the purl stitch. I'm still trying to figure out which loop goes where in order to get which one, so I just keep doing a trial and error. The hardest part so far, is figuring out the best way to hold my yarn as I go. I have noticed that it is harder than crocheting to redo your work, so I'm just going to keep practicing these 3 stitches till my yarn runs out. Luckily for me, I like the inconsistency in whatever it is I'm making here...maybe a cowl scarf if I can somehow join to the ends?

This new hobby is very exciting. I can't wait till my first knitted project is done so I can move on to the next one. Even browsing Fabric.com's selection of knitting books is causing my mind to race. So many more options! I still love crocheting, but so far knitting is very awesome.