One of the most interesting observations for me when I was a new knitter (hey, I just passed the four-year mark!) was that knitters tend to fall into camps. Sock knitters and shawl knitters seem to be the two most entrenched breeds — a sock knitter knits socks sometimes entirely to the exclusion of all else. Same for shawl knitters. Some people make so many hats they are always on the lookout for new places to donate them. In the beginning, I was chiefly (although not exclusively) a fingerless mitts knitter, and I didn’t really know anyone else who was as rabid about mitt knitting as I was. A rare breed? A weirdo? Dunno, but I lived in the Bay Area, where fingerless mitts are useful or necessary about 360 days of the year. They were quick and only use one skein of anything. There were lots of different ways to construct them, and I liked trying out all the varieties, along with different stitch patterns and whatever else. I made a lot of them. Then I got more and more serious about sweaters, and I now basically have to trick myself into knitting non-sweater things — they’re really all I need and all I want to knit. Talk about variety of methods! Every sweater can be a whole new knitting adventure. Plus there’s that whole mission-to-make-my-own-clothes thing. So me, I’m a sweater knitter who occasionally dabbles in accessories.
And that’s my Q for You today: Do you have any strain of knitting monomania or do you like to spread it around? And what is it about whatever you knit that makes you so devoted?
Pictured (clockwise from top left): Acer, Cowichanish vest, Amanda, Olsen turtleneck
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PREVIOUSLY in Q for You: Are you a kit knitter?
Shawls are my addiction, have an even dozen for myself right now and a few more out there that were gifts. One on the needles right now that must be put aside for Christmas knitting.
Interesting question! I’m surprised to find that I’ve knit four hats, two for other people, even! But that leaves two for myself. I’ve never been a hat person (that’s what hoods are for, I figure), but knitting changed that. I made my first one because I waited too long to decide on a gift for my dad’s birthday and a hat seemed fast (it was!). Then I thought I’d make my aunt a hat, but it turned kind of loose and slouchy–not her style at all. So I kept it. Then I wanted to learn cabling…and, well, here we are. I’ve also managed to make four pairs of socks for myself, even though I got bored with process of sock making in the middle of the third. But I have small feet and I prefer anklets so three skeins of sock yarn=at least 8 pairs, I think, so four more to go. I’ve started four pairs of things for my hands, but only finished one pair and that took about 8 months! I do find gloves absolutely essential and would like to have more of them, though, so I’d better get back on it.
Right now, my true passion is also sweaters and vests, mostly because I covet the finished item, although I still end picking projects based on what seems like a pattern that involves the most fun creative process. Larger projects also tend to hold my interest, especially if they involve a new challenge. They give me time and space to really master what I’m doing and they start to feel like a familiar part of my day, after awhile. Eventually, the projects turn into kind of landmarks of memories for me. September, for instance, was the month of working with Camel Lark. I not only recall my experiences then when I look at the finished sweater, but when just bring up or think about something that happened then, I also inevitably remember the experience of holding and looking at that yarn. I was knitting all the time, of course, but even here and there, working consistently on a large project has a strong rhythm to it.
So, yeah, I like sweaters!
I’m a generalist– but hats make good presents.
I tend to always be on the look out for sweater patterns. I raise my own sheep and I love making something from a particular sheep. And interestingly, the personality of the sheep tends to come through in the sweater. For example, Crazy Miss Maisie was a tough lamb to raise, the spinning took forever and I thought I’d never get through the knitting either. Both (sheep and sweater) turned out just fine. Or at least the sweater ;-). http://myfavoritesheep.blogspot.com/2015/04/yarn-along-photo-shoot.html
I’ll knit pretty much anything, anytime. Dark blue sweaters seem to be a problem at the moment. Intarsia almost never tempts me. I think I’m underknitted in the hat department, and your hats up there in the right column are so good.
Dive in!
Baby sweaters for my new great-nephew!!!!
Had to smile: My focus is similar (sweaters, mitts), but my path was different. For many years, I defined myself as a sweater knitter, since that was my primary focus. While I continue to knit sweaters (and afghans, shawls, hats, etc.), I’m an avid fingerless mitt maker and wear them almost every day ; )
Latest mitt post: Match. Set. Love. http://knittingwip.blogspot.com/2015/11/match-set-love.html
Three years ago I became a grandmother. That changed my knitting pattern. I now knit almost exclusively for my two granddaughters. I love doing it, of course. However I am a yarn snob. I use yarn that may not be the the best for young children but I love good wool. I also get bored very easily which leads to knitting cables, skeets, color stranding, and small needles. A sweater once a year for myself, which is really all I need, is always on the calendar. I live in coastal SC so that limits needing knitted hats and gloves. My favorite thing to knit, besides children things, is vest. I love knitting and seem to wear them more. must be the weather.
Primarily for me it’s socks. I love seeing them come to life in my hands. So about 70% there. Another 30% devoted to shawls. And if I have any spare time (which I always make) I do crocheted charity hats for various organizations..
That coming to life thing is the thing I always said I loved about mitts, and had somehow forgotten just how magical it is. I cast on a new mitt last night and am in love all over again.
I’m a relatively new knitter and shawls and socks have been my main forays so far–I’d like to eventually be securely in that sweater knitting camp (I just finished my first sweater last month), but the time (and yarn $) commitment of it makes it more difficult. Smaller projects have just been easier and less daunting to tackle in the limited free time I have as a student.
Right now, as always, I am knitting all the things. All the things. All the time.
What interesting answers! Sweaters and mittens, myself. I’m in awe of the gorgeous shawls some people crank out, but I don’t know what I’d do with all of them.
I tag my ravelry projects by type, and I just went to look at my tags for the counts. Going through the project types that really qualify as having “many,” in ascending order:
mittens: 8
cardigans: 8
cowls: 12
socks: 14
pullovers: 17
(fingerless) mitts: 27
and the winner, hats: 45
Forty-five hats!! I don’t think of myself as a “hat knitter,” per se, but they ARE quick and easy projects… (I knit two over the weekend. Maybe I am a Hat Knitter.)
But as a bonus, I have 61 projects tagged with “colorwork.” There we go. I’m a Colorwork Knitter!
Huh, I tag my favorites that way but never thought to tag my projects. I’m behind on posting things at all but might need to fix that next time I’m in rav update mode!
I have so many WIPs going at one time that staying on top of project pages is the only way I can keep track of them all. Ha!
Mostly child garments, but I keep a pair of socks in my purse, a hat in the car, and generally have a shawl on the needles by the couch. 😜
I like to keep a pair of socks on my needles at all times. They may just stay on the needles in a dark corner of my bedroom, neglected for months at a time, but still, I think I still technically qualify as always knitting socks.
Great question. I really had to put the brakes on my sweater knitting because it was getting out of hand. There are so many things I covet, but how on earth could I possibly wear it all? My focus on sweaters is probably a result of my formative knitting years back in the 80s/90s, because that’s what serious knitting mostly was to me at the time. Later I became intrigued by shawls, but after a few FOs discovered that I cannot wear them without looking like a character out of a period drama. What is quite horrifying to me now is the speed at which I lose interest in the object. Sometimes it is still on the needles and I am already bored. Or else I finish it and find that the process was more fulfilling than the object, and I have to turn around and frog it. It is time for me to start knitting smaller stuff and items I can gift.
What I find interesting is that all your sweaters are the same length and arm hole depth. Mine are all over the place. I prefer sweaters or socks, which means little or big. I have knit a few shawls and hats but don’t seem to know how to style the shawls and feel like I probably look stupid wearing them. Weather in my neck of the woods limits a need for hats to about two weeks a year. I started knitting scarves and have a ton of them but see my comment on weather to see how much I wear them.
Oh, they’re not! I just scaled them to match for the sake of the art for the post.
i am an accessories knitter.i live in new england,in central connecticut,and we seem to start needing to wear fingerless mitts,hats and warm socks by mid october.and all my friends and relations have wormed their way on to my knitting list,so i am always covering someone’s hands,feet or head.i knit baby things as the need arises–my two grandsons by my daughter are preteens,and my son and daughter-in-law are newlyweds yet,but their time will come….i’ve been knitting on and off all my life since learning at the age of six,but i didn’t knit a sweater until my 30’s.never quite got the hang of that gauge thing that causes so many knitting problems,so the sweater for the 6 year old was worn as a dress.i wouldn’t attempt further sweater construction until my 2nd grandson was born,and i discovered i had better control over gauge in smaller sized items.i made a few for both boys before they were both age 5 or so,before i attempted my first cardigan for me.it turned out not half bad,except for that rumply button band thingy….i wore it til it died,but haven’t been brave enough to attempt a replacement.my daughter-in-law has been begging me for a pullover for xmas,and i attempted it–massive failure of that gauge thing by the time the sleeve stitches were on holders–yes,i prefer top-down.i’ve only done one pullover with seams,and that is a whole different problem….frogged my attempt for dear dil,found another pattern and will give it a go again for her birthday in march.i actually made my first shawl last year,very simple and big.i like shawl knitting,and for now i want to do more of the ones that look like big warm blankets.with a houseful of dogs and humans with autism(both grandsons),i don’t have the time and patience right now for anything complicated and lacey.most of the designs i gravitate towards, with anything i want to knit,tend to be simple and utilitarian.it has to survive life in the madhouse here….but there are two knitting techniques that i will never have the patience for–tried them already,so i know–and those are intarsia and entrelac.both are just too darn fiddly for me…
I’ve only really have a full year of knitting under my belt, but I’ve found that I always have a sweater (or two) in the works and, if it’s cold, a hat. I can take a hat on the train for my morning/evening commute without it being cumbersome and awkward to work with. Working on the front and back panels of my Ondawa while also having to alternate skiens was not easy. Plus, living in Chicago, they’re *very* necessary in the winter.
Next year, I kind of want to become a sweater and sock knitter. My issue with socks is that they seem like they take so long, and there’s that second sock syndrome to deal with.
Well I have three children who all look longingly everytime I am knitting a sweater. So, just due to the number of peeps in my family….I knit more sweaters/vests than anything else. I do sprinkle in a few shawls, and on occasion, I do mittens or a hat. Interestingly, I have only ever done one scarf. I am knitting a sweater now for my middle child, starting my sweater knit cycle over again for each of my children.
Shawls, shawls and more shawls!! There are so many ways to wear them!!! I prefer to wear it “backwards” with the triangle in front and ends wrapped around my neck.
I would really love to get into sock knitting, so I recently borrowed Cookie A’s Sock Innovation from my public library. I just have never been able to get into it! I do LOVE shawls though, the construction is so unique for each one and they serve so many purposes: blanket, scarf, small pillow on my yoga mat, etc. They are involved without taking 3 months to complete. Maybe I just need to start knitting bulkier gauge sweaters!
As soon as I figured out I could, in fact, manage a sweater… I’ve been all in on sweaters. I think they are one of the best ways to learn new techniques. And at the end, you get to show them off (people don’t notice handmade socks).
seasonal knitter…socks in january/february always begin the year. summer linen and then on to gifts/things for winter faires, mostly knit from local yarns. lucky to live in the bay area! and on another note…a pattern for the olsen turtleneck please?
I knit all sorts of things. Lots of baby sweaters and blankets as gifts. One pregnant mom-friend asked for funny animal hats so I made 10 of them for her. I make a few pairs of fingerless mitts for my daughter every year for Christmas and this year a sweater for my husband.
My favorite things to knit for myself are crescent shaped shawls and sweaters.
sweaters, hats, afghans,and animal figures
Hi Karen! I love reading about your transformation(s) as a knitter, since you and I both started seriously knitting at about the same time. I went through a sock knitting phase about a year and a half ago, where truly all I wanted to knit was socks socks and more socks. I loved the portability of the projects and the affordability too. I transitioned back into more varied knitting. Over the summer I was trying to get hired and didn’t make time to knit. It was hard to get back into knitting, something that I had never struggled with before. I started knitting hats, as they are quick, (usually) one-skein projects, and can be really interesting. Now I’m on a hat jag but I would *love* to get into sweater knitting as you have. Like you said, creating a handmade wardrobe means actually creating garments.
Thanks for sharing!
Totally totally totally a sweater knitter now, but I still have those bad yarn-buying habits where I see something I really like and only get a skein or two because my brain won’t let me justify the cost of buying yarn without a specific project in mind. I hope one day to follow the good example you’ve set: when you find an amazing yarn, make sure to get a sweaters’ worth!
Sweaters. I am working on my 13th for me there are no signs of stopping. It is truly compulsive knitting. I can’t handle not having one on the needles!
Each year I choose a “theme” for holiday gifts for my extended family (about 15 to 20 folks, over the years). I’ve done scarves, hats and mitts, cowls, shawls, and socks. Sometimes same pattern but different yarn and colors; sometimes a different pattern for each person. I have knitted blankets for my two kids to take to college. And in the “off” season I knit shawls, socks, and sweaters for myself! So I guess I am an equal opportunity knitter. All done on circulars, so I can take my knitting on the train and knit during my commute!
Garment knitting is my favorite. But large crocheted blankets are a constant for me as well. (And a good thing, because i tend to over-buy yarn, and my blankets eat up huge quantities.) I do make shawls, but find that a few basic beauties keep me satisfied. And they aren’t the kind of project i take on for gift-giving for a number of reasons. For that i stick with mitts, scarves, hats, cowls. And right now, i am cranking them out in a big way, mostly with stash yarn. Super satisfying.
Sweaters. I just finished two, and have two others on the needles. But they languish while I experiment with brioche knitting. I’m making a scarf for my son out of some really ugly yarn his wife bought when she was disabled and wanted me to teach her to knit. Problem was, though, that the pain meds she was on made her too fuzzy to concentrate! So I was stuck with an enormous ball of yarn in yellow and navy–Chargers colors, they are fans.
I have been knitting since I was a teenager – way too many years to think about LOL! I have always been a sweater knitter. Little ones when my kids were small, and the occasional one for myself. Only in the last two years have I discovered the joy and extreme satisfaction in knitting smaller items. Shawls, Socks, and Hats mainly – and now mittens for this Christmas. It’s like a whole new world opened up to me! I love to have variety in my WIPS, and small projects allow me to have the satisfaction of finishing LOTS of things. Another plus is that I don’t feel so bad with my stashing habit. Instead of always buying sweater quantities of yarn that I fall in love with – I am happy purchasing a skein or two, knowing that I will defintely find something fun to make with it.
Socks, socks, and more. I’ve knit baby things as the grands came. Hats and mittens as needed. But socks are my passion. First for my children. I began when they were in college. A few pairs for me. Then for my son and daughter in law. Then can grandchildren, four girls. They LOVE my socks. I finished Brett’s wedding socks shortly AFTER the wedding. Not the best plan. Everyone but one, Bob, who finally felt left out AND said he’d like a pair. After at least 15 years of socks. Well a few days ago I finished one sock. I hope the second-sock syndrome doesn’t hit now!
Gosh, I wish I could manage to finish a sweater! I’ve started at least a dozen since I’ve been knitting for about as many years, and still have nothing but hats, scarves, socks completed. Perhaps you could say I’m a knitter of unfinished objects? Those definitely outnumber the wearable items.
Sweaters! I live in a hot place and ironically sweaters are the most practical items – I can wear light sweaters often enough to make knitting them worthwhile, but I’m very very VERY rarely going to need a hat/mitts/scarves for warmth, rarely enough that having more than one of each seems pointless. And while I admire knitted shawls and socks, neither works very well with my personal style. (I am very much a product knitter, not a process one, so it’s all about what I will use/wear.)
I was apprehensive about wearing shawls until I made one for me. I also didn’t fall in love with it until I turned it around and wore the wide triangle part in front so I could insulate my neck and ears. Now I wear it everyday!! (although, if you live in a hot place, it’s just gonna bundle your neck so it may not be for everyone everywhere lol)
I feel like I have spent my whole knitting practice working toward garment knitting and my cowichan style vest is my first garment! I like that about knitting – you can learn 1 or 2 new things in a project and then use them in the next project, making it sequentially harder but not overwhelming. that said, I hate knitting the same thing twice lol I want to make matching shawls for my mom and I (and maybe my sister) so I did mine first and now I’m putting off the others because I’m over shawls. I am also religious about only having 1 project on the needles at a time so I think that is my greatest motivation to get on to the next project.
I went to a knitting group and one woman was a sock knitter who knit 100 socks this year. that’s more than a pair a week!!!!!!!!! I asked her why socks and she said “there are just so many ways to make a sock” so maybe I will never be a contemplative knitter lol
While in school dozens of years ago, I didn’t know it was “hard” so I knit two sweaters and a color work vest in an argyle pattern while taking breaks from studying and watching tv. Now I can’t believe I actually completed them! Years later I returned to knitting with scarves for friends and for myself. Lots of scarves. While searching the internet for stitch patterns to keep that interesting, I discovered knitty.com, Ravelry, blogs like yours, etc. What an incredible resource including free patterns and tutorials. Thank you for that, it was like hitting the jackpot. Hats and cowls and shawls and fingerless mitts started to happen, usually in a new pattern with a technique to learn or a new stitch to try. Have not returned to sweaters though I am intrigued by unusual styles and construction and favorite them just in case …. Once I realized I was a process crafter, I started sticking to smaller projects so I am not bored by the end. And got more comfortable with thinner yarn and smaller needles. As soon as I have too many of something for myself, I give them away. I am devoted to knitting because I love the feel of beautiful fiber slipping through my fingers, the magic of intertwining string in so many different ways, the idea of making something useful with my own hands, the ability to be creative and productive while “wasting” time watching tv, and how much I learn with each project. I am a yarn tourist now wherever I go, and so my accessories remind me of the trips I’ve taken and the yarn bought at LYS with wonderful people working at each. My current challenge is to make the best match of fiber, gauge and pattern for every project. And be cool with frogging what isn’t working so the yarn can live a better life in a new item. I loved reading other people’s answers to this question!
Hmmmm, I think I’m heavy on the accessories side. I have done a lot of hats this past spring and summer (thanks to your hatalongs….done every one!). I usually have a sweater for myself on the needles at all times, but they are much more slow going. Finally, I knit lots of small things to complement my homemade soaps and lotion bars……washcloths and face puffs and such! Yay knitting!
I am all about knitting accessories. I have delved into sock knitting. The harder the better- minus cables. I haven’t done cables yet. I don’t do many vanilla socks, but I’m always chasing beautiful indie yarns. I commute 2 hrs per day so knitting socks is easier to transport. I’m trying my hand at test knitting a fabulous fair isle sock. I do however get into the phase of knitting hats or even cowls for the holidays. I want to graduate to garments next year. I’m lusting after some Norwegian motifs or a nice tweed cable.
I’m totally a garment knitter (sweaters, cardigans, dresses)! It is always cold in Finland and you need to wear knits all year around. Well, you might manage a whole month in the summer without any wool… but even then you can always wear plant fiber knits ;)
As always, Karen, you pose interesting thoughts and queries! When I was less skilled, hats were my go-to, with a few cowls and mitts here and there. The moment I turned towards garments, I was hooked! I’ll still knit small things…and I have as well, a mitts obsession…but it’s really sweaters where my wooly heart lies. I just love the way my handknit sweaters look and feel. Nothing else is as nice.In the last 4 months I’ve knit 3 sweaters, a shawl, 9 mitts, 2 hats. About to start a sweater for my boyfriend. The handmade clothes/wardrobe drives me, but also learning construction. I can design my accessories, but designing my own sweaters is where I want to go. And the autodidactic way to learn what makes a good design and pattern is by knitting !
I really knit everything (and crochet too), but my dirty secret is I hate making gauge swatches. So though I want to be a sweater knitter, I’ve only knit 4 or 5 complete ones in the last 10 years, and many are UFOs, one just needs to be seamed (sigh). I’m wondering if I’ll ever have the courage to make a fingering weight sweater.
I love instant gratification projects like hats and mittens and such. I make a ton of scarves and shawls. I love to make things for my kids- though for some reason I’ve knit a lot more sweaters for my daughter than my son. My son gets the cool accessories like a train hat, a fox hood and Lego mitts.
For Halloween I knit both my kids Gryffindor scarves- 2 scarves in 2 days, fringe and all. It really completed their Harry and Hermione costumes.
My son’s turning 7 on Thanksgiving and has requested a pair of Yeti feet- felted slippers with knuckle hair and blue toenails. Ha! It’s going to be so much fun to felt them with him. :)
I love all kinds of Knitting. I started out knitting a Christmas Stocking for all six of us. Now that the kids are grown I seem more adventurous, This year it has been the MKAL’S and the KAL”S. I really like the MKAL’S. I think that it seems a bit more organized than I usually am. Every section in a weeks to 10 days time frames. The idea that there’s surprise attached to it. Heck, for Adults, there really aren’t any big surprises left. We know all the secrets of the Holidays, I think it’s just fun to see what develops. Most of the time you can figure out what type of knit it is but will never know just how it all looks until the last stitch is cast off and blocked to get the “Grand Finale”. I have really enjoyed the MKAL’S that Ysolda has done. They are such fun and you are an active part of the design. I think everyone would love what she’s put together.
Sweaters! You really only need so many hats and scarves, but a sweater is a real part of your wardrobe and it is actually practical to have many different sweaters in your closet. Plus, as you said, there’s always a chance to try a new technique.
Socks are my go to project, plain for me and fancy for gifts. I make one sweaterish project per year. I love to make all kinds of accessories. Small projects provide instant gratification.
I think having my own hand-knit sweaters was the main reason I wanted to learn to knit, but until recently I didn’t feel like I could manage such a large project. But this summer I knit my first sweater, a drop shoulder for my niece, and I just finished my first cardigan for myself. Now I’m hooked! I’m planning my next sweater, maybe a Bellows inspired by the beautiful one you made.
I also like knitting socks because of their portability. I always have a pair going, but I’m a pretty slow knitter so I haven’t finished very many. That’s ok though. I like the process.
I had too look at ravelry, I use the favorites as kind of a list of what I would like to knit. There are more shawls than anything, next up is cardigans, then mitts/mittens/gloves and then kids items.
But really, every year I knit:
— one cardigan for myself every year (though I had to retire two this year so I feel like I’m lacking right now, I wear a cardigan 10-11 months a year every.single.day and wool does wear out beyond mending and lose elasticity),
— one or two cardis for my daughter (depending on growth patterns, lol, at 10 years old she doesn’t shoot up quite as fast any more),
— 2-3 pairs of socks,
— 3-4 hats,
— 3-4 items for hands,
— one shawl.
My husband gets a sweater about every 3 years, he doesn’t wear his out as fast as I do. And then some gifts and charity items for my knitters guild. I don’t keep track of random small things, though of course there are occasional oddities I make. I guess I am more even than I thought though 80% of my knitting is based on need. I try to keep my family clad in wool and as soon as something is wearing out (beyond mending) I cast on something new.
I like to knit lots of different things! If I find a pattern I really like, I might make multiples of it. But mostly I like making a variety of things. The exception (so far) is I’ve never made an adult size sweater. It’s on my list of things to do…
Cowls. Quick, easy, portable, and the variety is endless.
Ditto! Smaller cowls often only use one skein too, it’s easy to play around with patterns, they make great gifts because there isn’t a size to worry about and they are usually pretty quick to make, no need to decrease (so I don’t have to remember to bring double pointed needles as I do with hats), I think they are more useful than scarves because they stay put, they are usually knit in the round so there isn’t much purling, and they are stylish and cozy!
I like having multiple types of projects going on at any given time. Each mood and setting requires something different. At the moment, I have socks for when I need to space out and not really think. They’re also a good take-along project for my endless doctor appointments. I have Stonecutter at home for when I can dedicate more than a few minutes at my desk. If I’m making more of one thing it’s only because of size and where I happen to be the most.
A while back, I was into cowls. Did a yearlong Cowlalong, but now my thirst is quenched. I feel particularly partial to cabling at the moment. And have recently finished 2 sweaters, finally breaking my sweater barrier. I’m constantly looking now, and pondering and queuing, but to be honest, me-knitting time is kinda over until after Christmas…
A person can never have too many socks! Never ever!!
Usually, I have socks cast on for knitting during my commute (so portable!) and another non-sock project going for evenings on the couch. My secondary obsession is stuffed animals.
hats and cowls! Especially because I tend to fall in love with expensive yarn and only purchase one or two skeins, so i’m usually stuck with making a smaller item. I love cowls because they feel so cosy and I wear them indoors all the time…so I definitely make a lot of those! I’ve even been known to wear both a cowl and a scarf for really cold days :P
So interesting to read through all the answers. I’ll knit anything/everything when I am in the mood. Though to be honest, in my mind, I consider sweaters the main course and all the other knits (shawls, socks, hats, mitts, etc) side dishes or snacks. Not that there’s anything wrong with snack food!
I can really relate to having to trick myself into knitting anything other than sweaters! I love knitting sweaters more than anything else and find them so rewarding. It crosses my mind often that my work could be so much easier if I only designed accessories and things that didn’t need to be so widely graded! Or maybe that’s the part I love the most ;)
With a busy schedule and too many life events, it’s all about the socks. I can knit them in the dark. Little needles and fingering, larger needles and Raggi. Making the feet of the world warm…they are my solace in a year when I have really needed that. I knit 13 pairs of worsted weight socks for the CNAs who took care of my parents before they died, and my Mom and Dad both had about 20 pairs…I can’t sit down without knitting them but now need to expand my world to sweaters and shawls!
I have 4 little boys, so my most knitted item is a vest. I have made 21 so far and have 5 more on the needles! We live in a not very cold climate so vests really are the most practical item here. I’ve tried socks and I can’t get into them, but have just got the shawl bug and I made two last month….
Karen I am a mostly shawl knitter but I really want to knit a sweater. In the meantime I have the perfect DK skein that seems to want to be mitts. Do you have a favorite DK weight mitts pattern?
thanks, Jenny
I have been knitting for a while and I think it depends on lots of things. The first thing I learned to make was a sock. Then I moved quickly to sweaters. I rediscovered socks in 2007 with ravelry. I went through a period of knitting just socks, maybe three years? But I have mostly been a sweater knitter and I make a new hat every year. Then there is gift knitting too, usually hats.
I knit cardigans. I use fingering weight yarn and am slow knitter, so it takes months or a year to get one ready. But I keep knitting them, because I use them all the time.
Fingerless mitts is the reason why I learned to knit…then I knit them exclusively for years. Your post makes me feel so much better that I was not the only mono-mitt-knitter!! Then I moved onto shawls. For some reason once I find a pattern I like I’ll mono-knit it – for instance SEVEN ‘Antarctis’ shawls (pattern by Janina Kallio..and they weren’t all for me). There are several garment projects in my stash and I hope to try a vest or top down sweater this winter. For now though, I’ll just enjoy the ‘Antarctis’ on the needles with hand spun. Thanks for sharing – loved this post!!
I spread it around. The driving force for me is aesthetics. I am drawn to beautifully designed projects. I also pick projects that push me skill-wise. The fun is finding yarn I love to make the FO a reflection of my style or the style of the recipient, if it is a gift.
I have socks (adult and baby), a cardigan, a lacy sweater, a cloche, two scarves on needles right now.
I spread it around too, but I do have quite a large number of cowls in my knitted wardrobe, with plans to knit more. Maybe it is because I live in Canada with a six month long winter, but I never get tired of cowls. They are not as quick as hats but much quicker than a sweater, and different colors and styles help me accessorize my few coats in many different ways.
I’ve knit 22 sweaters so far this year, I think I might be a sweater addict :|
I really want to be a sweater knitter but so far not much luck there. I rock at shawls but this coming year Im going to stretch myself and take on sweaters! I am also wanting to knit some mitts and wonder if you have a DK weight mitt pattern you love?
I’m an equal opportunity knitter. What gets me started on a particular project changes. I like to knit myself a new sweater each fall, and a summery tee each spring. I knit fingerless mitts as gifts all the time, so when someone makes me happy I have a useful, beautiful gift ready to say thank you with. Other than that, it’s all in meeting inspiration and going along on the ride. That can come in the form of a yarn, a new stitch, a new pattern or an idea that popped into my head ( usually when I’m walking my dog or in the shower, far from yarn and paper). For a second in late summer this year I thought I had lost my mojo after 12 years of constant knitting. I don’t know where it went, but it came back . I don’t know if I’ll ever be as good at anything else as I feel like I am at knitting.
I generally only knit one big item like a jumper (super slow knitter you see) and a few smaller gifts like hats and fingerless gloves. Keep saying I’ll knit socks but as yet not joinged their merry throng :D)
For me it’s sweaters (cardigans) with a hat or two in between each as a ‘palette cleanser’.
I started knitting three months ago so for me it is mostly hats. They are great skills builders. I have done some fancy stitches, experimented with different types of yarns, and have found what I think is becoming an obsession–Fair Isle.
well i’m just hitting my 1st year knitting anniversary now.. so this past year I’ve been pushing myself to try something different every project. after knitting my first toddler vest last week, I am so excited to knit a couple pullovers for the upcoming babe, and a pullover for myself! So sweater knitting might be the new addiction. but since the snow is now here to stay, toddler socks have been on the docket this week.
I love this discussion! I am all over the place with what I knit. I used to be a monogamous knitter, but pattern deadlines got in the way of that. Currently I have a baby sweater, a second sock and a sweater design on my needles. I would say that I am more exclusive to techniques than to items – for example, I prefer stockinette, cables and colorwork. I made one lace shawl for my Grandma when I first started knitting, but I have never made one again. I am not sure light-weight lace shawls are something that would fit in my wardrobe, but I have been recently swayed by bulky-knit shawls. Never say never!
I only began knitting a year and a half ago as rehab from a stroke. I’m now hooked. I’ve been knitting steady ever since. I’m definitely a monogamous knitter, one thing at a time for me. But I like to try all kinds of things. I’ve made hats, fingerless gloves, full mittens, shawls, socks, two sweaters, and want to make more of everything. I especially enjoy making hats but every time I finish making any clothing item, I say I want to make more of _____ (those).
I love to knit hats and sweaters in the round. I love the making of a 3D object from a ‘2D’ stretch of yarn. Hats are more fun since a) you’re done sooner and b) theyre more likely than sweaters to FIT. I still have problems with gauge/tension despite swatching and years of knitting experience.
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