A Whole New World

I treated myself to (amongst other things) a copy of Debbie Stoller's introduction to crochet book in the hope that it would succeed where others (my mother and the Ladybird book people) have failed.  So the other day I bought my first crochet hook from our LYS and gave it a go.  The early signs have been quite promising.  Here is some of the progress so far

Here we have the book itself and my very first square.  I've just been mixing the different stitches and things so it's nothing exciting

I did a rectangle because I figured that even I have the attention span to focus on 10 stitches and make sure I start and end with 10.  That's what I've been finding a bit tricky so far

A circle. This was employed as a wine coaster on Thursday night at Knittable Pisa!

V stitch. This hasn't come out too well and I didn't do much of it, but you can sort of see some of the V-shapes in the stitches.

The thing that's worrying me a little bit is reading patterns.  I had a look at the patterns that come in the book and it's a completely different language.  I suppose I felt like that when confronted with my first knitting pattern too (a Louisa Harding hat that I still wear to this day).

I'm also slightly confused about the difference between the American and British ways of describing stitches.  When you knit, knit is knit and purl is purl regardless of where you are.  Or at least they have sensible translations like dritto and rovescio in Italian (front and back).  For crochet it seems that, once again, the waters of the Atlantic have divided 2 great nations and the terminology is totally different.  What Americans call a double crochet is totally different in English and vice versa.  It's all rather confusing, but I suppose that once you have worked out which language your pattern is in you just follow the instructions.

I've decided what my first crochet project will be.  There seems to be a very nice looking small clutch bag that you can make of basically just one stitch in 1 piece with some gaps for handles.  Then you just fold it in half and sew the sides up.  I suppose if I was feeling adventurous I could line it as well, but I think I might skip that bit!  We shall see I suppose.  I've got a bit of a knitting queue to get through first before I get to this, but meanwhile I'll keep practising and see how I go!

Off The Needle

I finished the gloves I'd been making on Friday and immediately took them for a test drive trip out.  They are the Broad Street Mittens from knitty.com.  I'm not totally overwhelmed by the result because I think the pattern was designed for someone with hands of different proportions from mine.  The design says they are for large hands, and generally I would say mine are small, but the fit around the thumb and the wrist is all over the place on me.  I think that if I made myself another pair then I'd have to do some serious modifications.  I'd definitely knit more than 6 rows after the thumb gusset decrease.  Whether it's years playing the piano or just freakish genetics, but I need a bit more room there.

I must say something about the yarn though.  It is a fabulous 4ply merino/nylon mix called Gallant from Flamboyance Yarns.  It was absolutely wonderful to knit with and so warm!  It's all hand-dyed and all the colourways Louise makes are amazing.  This one in particular caught my eye because it's called Space Dust.  It's a lovely mixture of purples, blues and pinks and looks wonderful with my purple winter coat.

Space Dust Mittens

Spreading the Word

I've developed something of a reputation.  No, not that sort of reputation.  In the past year or so I have taught a number of friends to knit and I actively try and get them to come to our weekly meetings.  Yesterday I took my latest student to buy her first wool and needles and we went and sat in a comfy bar to start everything.  I love teaching people how to knit.  They get a wonderful expression on their face each time they master a new thing.  My pupil is making a 3x3 ribbed scarf, a nice easy project to start with, but it gets you learning to cast-on, knit, purl and eventually casting off.  I also think it's a good way to start because you have to get used to reading your knitting to work out which kind of stitch you want to do next after you put it down and pick it up.  We had a very successful time yesterday and I have high hopes for her.  We also had excellent nutella crepes as a reward for our hard work.

If anyone is interested the scheme for the scarf is:

• cast on a multiple of 6 + 3 stitches
• RS: (K3, P3) to last 3 stitches, K3
• WS: (P3, K3) to last 3 stitches, P3

Easy peasy!

Obviously yesterday when we went to the yarn store I couldn't leave empty handed.  I got a couple of balls of lovely discount merino to make some brioche fingerless gloves and something to make a quick gift for a friend.  But most importantly, I bought my first crochet hook and I am determined to make something with it!  I've ordered a copy of Stitch n Bitch Crochet in the hope that it will set me in as good a stead as the knitting book did all those years ago!  I had a sneek peek at what patterns I can expect and they all look excellent, so we'll see how this goes.  Maybe I won't end up with a giant knot like I did last time!

2011 Stitch Resolutions

Inspired by a thread on the Stitch London forum on Ravelry, I've decided to make some resolutions of my own.  At least this way it'll be a guide as to what I stitch for the rest of the year.

1. Learn to crochet.  It is my perpetual shame that I have not been able to learn to do this, despite the guidence of a children's Ladybird book for crochet.  We'll see how I manage this year
2. Follow an Italian pattern instead of copping out and just using the ones online in English.  I've got a couple of patterns stashed away and a magazine I've picked up so hopefully I'll manage.  Italian patterns seem to lack the idiot-proof instructions I'm used to from ones in English
3. Learn Brioche knitting.
4. Make an Estonian lace shawl.  I've had my eye on Laminara for a while and found some beautiful yarn to make it with.  This looks like a serious knitting undertaking though, not something I will be knitting in front of the TV during the Six Nations!
5. Take better photos of the finished items because everyone else has such lovely pictures and I want to do my hard work justice

Ok that last one isn't really related to knitting, but it's something I've been meaning to do.

The Beginning

In October 2009, I moved to Pisa to start a new position at one of the universities in the city.  I didn't know anyone, and I definitely didn't speak any Italian.  Whilst I made friends during my first term here, they were mostly foreign students on exchange trips or the Erasmus programme, and we all spoke English together, as I do with my bosses.  This was great, but I wanted to meet local people and to make a good stab at trying to learn enough Italian to get by without requiring an interpreter every time I needed to go to the bank or get my hair cut.  A chance search on Ravelry, the internet giant for all knitters and crocheters (hookers?), led me to Knittable, a knit cafè here in Pisa.  One brave Thursday night in January 2010 I went along with the cardigan I was making to see what it was all about.

I cannot say how much the wonderful women I have met since then have made my life easier in Pisa.  Not only do I get a couple of hours enforced Italian practice every week, but I've made real friends who I know I can turn to when I need to.  They've given me advice about Pisa and they've been so patient with my inability to communicate with them (I did not learn the past tense in Italian until about March last year so asking me how my day had been was a complete disaster!).  They've even helped me move house.

Here some of us are on World-Wide Knit In Public day, behind the cathedral and just by the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, enjoying the nice warm day and providing some entertainment for the tourists and locals alike.

(I am second from the right on the front row wearing the pink tshirt.  You can just about see the hat I was knitting that day for my cousin's baby :) )