Several years ago, I became obsessed with how fabric is made. I spent hours researching knit, woven, felted, and crocheted cloth. Since I already knew how to crochet, I decided to learn how to knit and weave to better understand textile construction and the differences between the methods.
I tried to knit a few times on my own using books and videos, but I could not figure out how to follow along. One of my local craft stores was advertising Beginner Knitting lessons for $25.00. This included one-hour lessons for four weeks. Always on the lookout for fun, I decided to sign up.
After arriving at the first class, I learned that most of the students already had some experience with knitting and were not complete beginners. The student on my left side was the most advanced and she talked about how she learned to knit in third grade, but that her purling was uneven. The woman on my right side, was the only other beginner like me with zero experience.
That first evening we learned how to cast on. This was amazingly hard for me. After countless attempts and 45 minutes later, I started to think of just quietly going home and never coming back. The woman on my left kept saying “My purling is so uneven.” and the woman to my right kept looking over to me to see if I could help her. Mercifully, about 50 minutes or so into the lesson, the two of us finally figured out how to cast on.
I practiced casting on all week. The following week we learned how to do the knit (garter) stitch. Once again it took nearly 50 minutes for the other beginner and me to figure out how to do this. The woman on my left continued to complain “My purling is so uneven.” I went home and practiced the knit stitch over and over again during the next week.
Week three we learned how to purl. Once again, the two of us struggled for most of the hour until we finally got it with about five or ten minutes left in the class. The woman on my left just kept complaining: “My purling is so uneven.”
Week four finally arrived and we learned how to put knitting and purling together. I was so excited. My knitting and purling were even; I had learned a new skill, and felt a surge of power (at least that is how I remember it). The “advanced” beginner next to me continued to drone on, “My purling is so uneven,” and I went home victorious.
TO BE CONTINUED
