I Wish I’d Known!

A few knitting bloggers have put out their “top ten things I wish I’d known before I started knitting” lists…so, here’s mine:

1. Swatch early, swatch often. Make a big swatch. Wash your swatch just like you’d wash the finished item. And trust your swatch…don’t panic if the first couple of rows of k2/p2 rib seem huge – if your swatch says they’ll pull in, they will.
2. Blocking is good. Edges are so much nicer to sew together when things are blocked. And with some yarns, blocking can correct small gauge issues.
3. Let go of the pattern. If a sweater is perfect minus one detail or another, change it. Don’t be afraid to make a different size, or re-do the math entirely, to make the sweater you love in the yarn you love. And take measurements…a perfectly finished sweater won’t be worn if it doesn’t fit well.
4. Plan on spending a lot of time and attention on finishing. It may not seem like “knitting”, but it’s the most noticable part of your knitting and can make the difference between something looking “handmade” – “wow, you made that?!?” and “homemade”…”oh, you made that.” Keep in mind that decisions about how to finish something sometimes need to be made even before casting on.
5. You can never have enough needles, stitch holders, stitch markers, or other exciting little gadgets…because generally when you need one item or another, it’s stuck in another project. It’s also important to have several tote bags on hand!
6. It’s really ok to have more than one project going at a time. This way, if you get bored with one project, you have something else to work on while you rediscover your love for the first project. It’s also a good idea to have some mindless knitting on hand for long car rides or tv watching.
7. Keep a knitting journal. Write down all of the particulars for a project – yarn type and color, needle size, pattern, etc. – so if you do put it down for a while, you can remember where you left off and track down the needles you “borrowed” for another project.
8. Invest. If you’re going to spend the time making something by hand, do it right. Buy the best yarn you can afford – keeping in mind that 100% acrylic is a much better choice for a baby sweater than 100% silk. You’ll enjoy the process and the finished product that much more if you start with the right materials.
9. Share the love. Knitting is much more fun when you’re with a group of knitting friends in a coffee shop! Get as many people addicted to knitting as you can!
10. There is absolutely nothing in knitting that cannot be undone. Holes can be repaired. Dropped stitches can be picked up. Mistakes made several rows back can be fixed without ripping out all those rows. Pulling out the needles isn’t that scary – contrary to popular belief, unless you’re using a really slippery yarn, the loose stitches are not going to run all the way down to the bottom. And when all else fails, pull out the needles and rip…it’s very therapeutic!