The Insanity of Knitting

So I've taken up knitting and crochet and it's literally driving me insane, but in a good way =) I am a creative person at heart and there are so many possibilities to create when you get the hang of all the different techniques.

Now this is quite a big thing for me as I taught myself how to knit and crochet. I'm not saying it was perfect, but I had a fair grasp of the concepts with all the 'how to' pictures out there. Although, from a beginners' point of view, I suggest someone show the steps between the usual pictures as you are often left sometimes wondering how the yarn got from one place to the other. And for the love of all that is holy people!!! If you're going to make a video to help people over the internet, use a different color yarn than the color of your outfit and the wall behind you. I'm just saying.... Also, learn how to use a zoom! Don't get me wrong, not all online help videos suck, just some of them and if you've ever gone online looking for them then you know what I mean.

Some advice I would like to give is to try the dvds out there produced by a company called Leisure Arts. I am particularly fond of the 'In Motion' series because it really helps you step by step and without the humiliation of asking a stupid question to other people.... and so on and so on. Although, I have to admit that the Knit Stitches in Motion dvd was very disappointing in the way that it doesn't show you all the basics that you need for knitting such as the different cast on techniques, decreasing, increasing, and creating button holes. Now they do actually show the button hole issue in The Art of Knitting & Crochet Vol. 2 dvd, but this is way in the middle of some veteran knitter's speal on different issues in knitting and not as a specific topic on the dvd.

I'm really interested in making sweaters, hats, and socks, but would like a nice resource for all of my questions and such. I mean I think I understand that you do all the pieces of a sweater separately....is that right?? and then sew them together with a tapestry needle?

I was at one point attempting to make my own sock (yes, I mean that in a singular way) and I even got down to the heel and managed to turn it using my own cockeyed method, but my point is - is that the dvds out there all show all this technical gibberish and don't even show close ups or talk normally. As much as I like to tell others, I haven't been knitting for that long and well I would rather enjoy lamen's terms.

I am proud of myself though; as I am working on a hat from the show Firefly and it is the first project where I changed colors with the yarn. The stitches were a little loose around that area, but nothing a tapestry needle couldn't fix. I've also started using some of the tools out there to help knitters and I've also begun to understand what some of them are for.

What really annoys me is that they have these machines or special kit crafts and insist that these are, shall we say... knitting... Insert fury here... I'm just saying that for as much work and effort I put in to learning the craft only to discover that there are cheat... I mean quick ways out, well, you can see my frustration. And maybe I'm being a little high strung, but I kinda like the process it takes me to create things and figure out my mistakes so when I get a project done, I can be proud and astonished that I really created something neat. Heck, I'm so inspired right now, I'm thinking of making some of my own patterns/ designs and trying to make them later on.

So while I'm not quite a veteran knitter....I've got at least 4 months under my belt; I'd like to share experiences and triumphs with other knitters and crochet-ers ^_^