Occasionally it is fun to reflect on where I came from and how I arrived where I am today. Since knitting is such a big part of my life now, the question of what was my first knitting project seems to be a natural place to start.
I’d love to hear what your first project was, too. Please feel free to use the comment area below. Even if you are not a knitter, I welcome you to share the first of whatever main hobby interest you enjoy.
My answer —
Vintage photo of my Mommy knitting
First knitting: I am 5 years old or so — always seeing my Mommy knitting socks for Daddy (intricate cabled and pattern stitch stuff with itty-bitty yarn on fine knitting pins (i.e. double point needles). I want to knit, but Mommy says “no”. I am required to take naps in afternoon on my Mommy’s bed. I hate naps. And so it happens on afternoon, there is a sock in-progress lying on the bed and I start knitting instead of sleeping. Needless to say, I make a mess, try to fix it, and finally lay it aside as though nothing happened. I am found out and knitting continues to elude me.
Little blue ball of yarn - do you remember old aluminum needles like these?
First (real, sort of) project: I am 8 years old or so and have the opportunity to learn basic knitting in Brownies (i.e. little people Girl Scouts). I get one ball of donated blue yarn and needles, and knit 2-needle mittens. Never finished though, because there was not enough yarn. But I unraveled that yarn many times over and re-knitted while learning new things about knitting. Just none of them turned into projects because I still only had that one small ball of yarn. Eventually things got better as I got older and Mommy now asked ME to knit for her and her friends. So now I was supplied with enough yarn and needles to complete real projects.
Emily Ocker lace shawl
As to first (overall) lace project — I would attribute that to Emily Ocker’s “Lace Garland” in Knitter’s Issue 9, 1987. Although I’d done small lace-type panels on sweaters before, little did I know that knitting lace was to be a turning point in my life. I was captivated by the idea of taking a doily pattern and scaling up to shawl size. I’d always been intrigued by the shaping and structure of knitting stitches, and lace design is very satisfying in this regard. (Too bad … this is the piece that I wrote about earlier this week that had been damaged).
So that’s my ramblings … Your turn!
Related Images:
Behind the scenes with Jackie E-S and life at the HeartStrings FiberArts studio.
