Crochet by Miharin

Almost three years ago, I attempted to learn knitting for the nth time and I still failed (see this post for full story). That’s when I realized that I would probably never be able to learn knitting in life.

I accepted this as my weakness but low key hoped I would be able to knit a scarf one day. Now, I can officially say it out loud that I’m one step closer to my goal! Yayyyyyyy!

To be honest, it happened quite unexpectedly. It’s a long story so please bear with me haha. In mid-November, I came across a short knitting video when scrolling on my phone one afternoon. It caught my attention because of the way the yarn was held.

From my impression, yarn is held in right hand when knitting. Instead, the yarn was held in left hand in the video, and it looked a lot easier for me, with the resemblance of the way I hold yarn when crocheting. This got me thinking whether I could learn to knit using this method. Although I quickly shook off this thought, I still saved the video just in case I change my mind later haha.

A few days later, I came across another video showing a beautiful knitted scarf on Instagram. Again, I saved the video for future reference. Yes, I do save every cute ideas I come across online lol. With the help of Google, I figured it was either knitted with the fisherman’s rib stitch or the brioche stitch. Out of curiosity, I searched for some tutorial videos, and one of them happened to show a knitter holding yarn in left hand. This is when the term ‘continental knitting’ popped up. For my fellow crochets who don’t knit, that refers to knitting with the yarn in left hand. I tried to understand the tutorial video but still gave up, thinking of my past failed experiences lol. You can see I’m kinda traumatized from my last knitting attempt haha.

Another few days passed, and my colleague mentioned how she’s planning to knit a scarf for her young daughter. This made me wonder if this is a sign from the universe that I need to give knitting another shot lol. Seeing her knitting the scarf lit up my urge to learn knitting, and I finally gave in. I ordered a pair of circular needles online and grabbed a leftover yarn skein from my stash.

On the first day, I aimed for knitting a small swatch with the fisherman’s rib stitch. Like my previous attempts, it didn’t work lol. My negative self took over and I was like ‘It didn’t work for so many times so why would I expect things working out smoothly this time? What’s the point of trying now?’ I had myself debating in my head whether I should continue because I didn’t want to put my pretty new needles to waste. To be honest, I did think about giving up for a moment because it would be so much easier. However, my positivity won that night.

I reflected on my progress and realized it’s a bit too aggressive to jump straight into the fisherman’s rib stitch. At this stage, I had to focus on learning the continental knitting method, and getting my hands more used to the new motions.

I spent some time practicing over the next two days. I started by making a small swatch with the knit stitch. It was much easier since I only need to focus on one set of motions. It didn’t click right away, but I started to get the hang of it after a few rows. After 20 rows of practicing, I felt more confident and decided to move on to the purl stitch. After another 20 rows, I challenged myself with the 1 knit 1 purl pattern for a few rows. It went unbelievably smoothly and—bam! I got it. I finally learned how to knit! Can you believe it?! I couldn’t be more proud of myself. It felt amazing to finally succeed after all those frustrating and heartbreaking attempts.

Here is my lovely swatch! I’ve noticed that my tension is better with the knit stitch. But what more could I ask for? I’m already so grateful for my progress : )

I then moved on to making a small swatch with the fisherman’s rib stitch, and it clicked right away!! I even managed to fix a dropped stitch using a hack I found online. Although that spot looks a bit weird, it can still blend in somehow haha. Also, I’ve found myself more willing to ‘experiment’ on my swatch lol.

Here is my fisherman’s rib stitch swatch. This was taken before that dropped stitch so you can’t see that weird spot here haha. The swatch is a bit bigger now and I think I’m ready to knit the actual scarf now! I’ve bought some new circular needles in different sizes so please wish me luck : )

The circular needles I used for the swatches are from Tulip. The bamboo texture is very smooth and the needles are really light. I find them much easier to handle than the straight needles I had. I really love these needles but the price is the only drawback lol.

After deciding to give knitting another shot, I also looked for other cheaper options since part of me was kind of expecting failure at that time, and I simply wanted to lower the cost haha. However, as I mentioned previously, I’m an investor when it comes to my hobbies, so I couldn’t resist and got the Tulip brand ones lol.

Another reason I chose to invest in a pricier pair is the durability of the tools. Based on my experiences with crochet supplies, I’ve found that quality tools not only last longer but also help prevent hand cramps. The last thing you want is to get hand cramps or injure yourself when starting a new hobby, right? haha.

With that being said, I also believe it’s perfectly fine for beginners to start with basic supplies to see if they truly enjoy their new hobby before making any investments in pricier supplies. After all, I’m just a crafter who is always tempted by pretty supplies lol.

Thank you for reading this far! Before I sign off today, if you’re struggling with a new skill or hobby, please take my story as a sign from the universe that you just need some time, and your perseverance will pay off! I wish you all the best and happy crafting : )