The three pieces of my Spiral-Spun Waistcoat mod are on the blocking board as I type, drying in the freakishly summer-like breeze blowing through the windows. There’s a lot of finishing yet to do, but it’s been a joy of a project — from the dreamy yarn to the challenges I inadvertently set for myself with my modifications, to the chance to knit my first inset pockets. You know I love to do something new with every project, if at all possible, and I don’t know how I made it this long without knitting an inset pocket, but it’s now officially my favorite thing to do. Just like cables: so simple and yet so magical!
Knitting affords a world of cheap thrills — for some people it’s the magic of mattress stitch, for others turning a heel, for me right now it is knitting an inset pocket. So that’s my Q for You today: What’s your favorite little knitting thrill?
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PREVIOUSLY in Q for You: How do you close out a project?
blocking lace is pretty exciting. it’s a dense crinkly little mess when it comes off the needles but post blocking it’s gossamer. that moment, unpinned, lifting the lace off the blocking board is magical.
oh, and watching colourwork take shape. and self-striping yarn patterns unfold. and new yarn arriving in the mail. and … what a silly question! xx
working with a new variegated yarn – I love seeing how it develops
Pulling a felted project out of the washer ( that worked ) and all your mistakes are gone and you have a dense fabric object!
Nothing is as magical as blocking.
I’m with Karen. Learning/trying out a new technique is a total buzz. I still get cheap thrills with a tubular cast on—takes the boredom out of the usual rib when beginning a sweater!
There’s that magical moment when someone admires what you are wearing and simply cannot believe you made it. You know where the boo-boos are, but you smile graciously and say “thank you!”
I like to try something new with every project too!
Something that really changed the look of my knits to a more finished and valuable touch was learning the italian or tubular cast on and cast off. It took some practise and may not be the perfect fit for every project, but I use it as often as I can.
Also when blocking for the first time I asked myself how I had ever survived without it, because makes your knit piece look so much neater and professional.
Slipping a fresh-off-the-blocking board knit on for the first time and loving the way it looks and feels.
In addition to turning a heel and blocking lace, I am loving short-row shaping – so cool!
Finally learning the proper way to weave and bury the ends. The results are invisible!
My latest knitting thrill….having my 8 year old daughter finish her very first hat and seeing her wearing around the house! BTW, it’s the hat pattern from your hat along; we each did one!
Knitting top down in the round is my new discovery and I now only want to knit jumpers in this way! It’s magical and very satisfying, I love trying on the jumper as it grows downwards! I’m trying your top down sweater tutorial soon :)
Kate x
I think I’m in the blocking group~nothing says “done!” and “fine work, you are awesomesauce and you made this out of sheep’s clothing and now you get to wear it and be warm” like blocking.
My thrill is when you knit the cuff and a litte bit of the leg in a top-down sock, and it stands upright on your dpns: I have no idea why this makes me so happy, but it does. I also love working lace or colourwork from a chart :)
I’m into knitting socks right now! My knitting thrill is the sock gusset and how it comes together without any holes popping up!
The first time I did mattress stitch, it was magical watching the front and back pieces come together. After that it was the first time I made button holes. Right now though, I’m knitting a Waterlily and when I knit the lace swatch it was amazing seeing the progress. At beginning I felt like I’d just have all these holes, but once you could see the pattern it was so exciting!
Blocking lace is FOR SURE mine! I still can’t get over how it looks just fine when I take it off the needles, and then after adding water and 30 minutes it just turns into this beautiful knit.
I’ve also been loving short rows as I just started my first sweater! So really that whole project is a thrill for me right now. :)
Me too! I love to take a picture at that stage when this little piece of rib stands on its own. It is so perfect.
Definitely learning something new is such a thrill for me! Wow, when I mastered cables last year I was so excited! But the first thing that popped into my mind with Karen’s question was the feeling that shoots through me when I pick up pick up a project, feel the needles and yarn in my hands and am one with the deep satisfaction of watching what I’m doing turn into something. Biggest impact comes especially after a stressful day. Poof! the tension melts away with those first stitches.
I’m not sure anything is ever going to replace the thrill of knitting the first few inches when that alchemy occurs between a stitch pattern and a perfectly, or interestingly, suited yarn (though the satisfaction of tubular bind off/cast on comes in a close second).
Socks in self-striping yarn. I knit faster and longer to see what comes next. And cables.
Chunky yarn! Definitely chunky yarn and of course, learning new things.
I really love the line that forms from picking up stitches. There’s just something about it!
I love seaming. I know I know, but to me knitting is very much construction, and what is more beautiful than when everything comes together?
I love finding the perfect color combo for a colorwork project. Usually it’s the just-right shade of brown that I pair with other colors. I also love when a new design works as well in the swatch as it did in my head. It doesn’t happen all that often, but it feels like true magic when it does.
Lovely vest, Karen. I’ve never done an inset pocket, so maybe I’ll love that too.
A skeet bridge that works! When you cut your knitting and you have 2 perfectly matching sides! What a thrill.
Cabling without a cable needle was a mind blower for me. It was a turning point from ‘amateur’ knitter to obsessed, because I realised how easy it was when I thought it was so hard. I still get a little shiver of glee when I do it.
The thrill for me is the finished object that I designed. Getting to wear something that has taken me perhaps months to design, plan, and knit is the biggest thrill. And also when spmeone asks “Where did you buy that?!” It is exciting to tell them that it is my own creation, though they rarely believe me until I show them the photos on my phone.
All of the above for sure–plus that moment when you slide the perfect button through the buttonhole at the store and it FITS.
Finally wearing my finished garment or accessory. . For years I tried and couldn’t knit a stitch and now.. There is no stopping me.! Setting new goals and challenges too.
Sunday short rows! I queued a sweater project a long time ago, afraid to tackle it because of the sunday short rows. Finally I took a deep breath, dove in and came up smitten. Brioche is next…
Sometimes I get so excited when I’m casting off that I actually shake. I suppose having a fresh knit full of possibility in my hands is pretty thrilling :)
I’m newly obsessed with knitting and learning everything I can about it. My current thrill is experiencing a pattern unfolding and understanding how the different stitches and choices add up to become something.
Cables. That is all.
I loved working those in the Uniform Cardigan (I know that’s on your list). It’s now my pocket favourite!
Fixing my mistakes (rather than ripping out or pretending I don’t see them). Nothing more satisfying than noticing a dropped stitch or forgotten increase a few rows down, wrestling with my crochet hook, and voila!
pompoms! such glee!
My newest obsession is working with Dancing with Rows patterns and yarns. Found you through Pinterest and am so glad I found a blog as fiber crazy as I am
Being able to confidently modify a pattern is my latest ongoing thrill. I was once a completely “by the pattern” knitter and even small modifications are so satisfying!
Blocking lace, as a few others have mentioned, and being able to use yarn from my stash. When I find yarn in my stash that goes perfectly with a pattern, I have enough yarn, and get gauge, and the final project turns out great–I feel very powerful.
I guess I would be considered an intermediate knitter, but there are still so many things in knitting that I haven’t done. I get the sweetest little thrill every time I manage to translate written or pictured instructions into something that I understand, and then complete that new technique successfully. Nothing feels better to me than gaining a better understanding of my passion!
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to actually wear the sweater when i’ve finished! from choosing the yarn, colour and pattern. I love the knitting and feeling the yarn through my fingers but to actually wear it put such a smile on my face! That’s the reason why I knit.