Finished!

Yes! As the title says, I have successfully finished my scarf!!! The picture of it is as seen below:

It's about 200cm long. I didn't put any pattern on the scarf (it's just the basic knitting), since I'm just a beginner, but after doing this, I can proudly say that I've definitely mastered the basics. Maybe now, I can move on to knitting more complex and difficult things - or not.
 
Truthfully, I find knitting quite repetitive, but it's fun if you're doing it with others. It's a chance to bond and get to know people, and create something according your own tastes and preference - that is, you can choose the pattern and the colour of your choice. However, these days, I think, knitting has become a somewhat expensive hobby. Frankly, it is much cheaper to buy a cardigan than to knit one. A thin cardigan can cost about $10 to $30, but if you knit one, it'll cost you more than $50, and the price ranges depending on the type of yarn used.

(I highlighted the advantages in green and the disadvantages in red.)

So, in my opinion, knitting is a good skill to acquire, but in my opinion, not a very feasible hobby. Perhaps this is because I don't particularly enjoy knitting (>.<). But as the saying goes, "to each his own".

-Rina Chiew-

Oh, the difficulty!

Okay, so as I was thinking about what to write for today's blog, I realized how difficult it is to explain how to knit. Seriously - no joke. There is no easy way to explain and understand the steps of knitting without meeting face-to-face. The easiest would be by viewing a video (Andrew's done that) or by looking at pictures. Even then, it's still quite tough to understand. So, my advice is, look for someone with knitting experience to teach you. For me, I got my mom to teach me how to knit.


Making a slip knot
1. Wind the yarn around two fingers and over the two fingers again to the back of the first thread (Fig.16).

2. Using a knitting needle pull the back thread through the front one to form a loop (Fig.17).

3. Pull end to tighten loop (Fig.18).

Casting on with the thumb method (one needle)
1. Make a slip knot about 1 metre from the end of the yarn. Place the slip knot on a needle and hold the needle in the right hand with the ball end of the yarn over your first finger. * Wind the loose end of the yarn round the left thumb from front to back (Fig.19).

2. Insert the needle through the yarn on the thumb (Fig.20).

3. Take the yarn with your right forefinger over the point of the needle (Fig.21).

4. Pull the loop through to form the first stitch (Fig.22).

5. Remove your left thumb from the yarn and pull the loose end to secure the stitch (Fig.23).

Repeat from * until the required number of stitches are cast on.


Casting on with the cable method (two needles)
1. Make a slip knot and place it on the left needle (Fig.24).

2. Insert the right hand needle through the slipknot and pass the yarn over the right needle (Fig.25).

3. Pull a loop through (Fig.26).

4. Place this loop on the left hand needle (Fig.27).

5. Insert the right hand needle between the two stitches on the left needle. Wind the yarn round the point of the right needle (Fig.28).

6. Draw a loop through, place this loop on the left hand needle (Fig.29).

Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the required number of stitches are cast on.

I got this from this website. (Click for more information!)
You can find many other information like this all over the internet, and in books. So go take a look.
By the way, this is my progress so far:

Well. All the best to everyone who's trying to knit. It's really not that tough once you get used to it.

-Rina Chiew-

Knitting 101 by Rina

So, I did a bit of reading on knitting. And here's the basic steps:

1. Think about a what you want to make.

We can knit many things - scarf, tablecloth, sweaters, dresses, gloves. I've decided to make a scarf, because apparently, it's the easiest simplest thing to make - perfect for newbies. Apparently, my teammates seem to have adopted the same idea.

2. Look for the pattern in books.

Yes. Obviously, we can make patterns when we knit. I knew that. You could get the books from any knitting store or online. If you're in Sydney City, I highly recomment visiting Lincraft. They have a wide variety of choices of books, yarn, and knitting needles. Or you could visit their online store. Unfortunately, the books are pretty difficult to comprehend (so might need an experienced friend). They look something like this for a shirt:

3. Get materials - knitting needles and yarn.

Choose your colour of the yarn, and get the right sized knitting needle (the diameter is different). Prices for knitting needles range from about $3.00 to $9.00 depending on the size of the knitting needle. Prices of yarn also differs depending on the type and quality of the yarn. Usually, you'll need more than one ball of yarn, so they do sell it in a pack. Make sure to check that you've got the right colour (and try to get them from the same production batch), if you bought them separately.

4. And you're ready to start!

Yeah. I'm ready as well. You could even ask for help from more experienced people (like my mom), by joining clubs. If you go to those knitting shops, sometimes there'll be people sitting down there, knitting. You could talk to them and get them to teach you (and a great way to make new friends!). One place I recommend is Morris and Sons on York Street. Or, you could just post your questions on some knitting forum (Viva technology!!).

Right. Now you absolutely have no excuse to not start knitting. It's not a too expensive hobby - it only costs about $30 to start up. And the benefits are awesome - new friends, you get to use what you make, and a new hobby! So start now! You could pick up your supplies at the places I've mentioned, or just look around Sydney - you're bound to come across a couple of similar stores.