Teaching myself new tricks

I’m knitting slowly.

I got this a few weeks ago

to make this. ( I couldn’t get it not to glare and get the colors right.)

Snowflake, from Knitting Fair Isle Mittens and Gloves.

Now, I have not done any colorwork beyond stripes, so this will be my first Fair Isle piece. I promise myself that I will swatch faithfully (no laughing here) so I don’t have to rip it out six times, and I have read the instructions. Please believe that I am learning from my mistakes, (we will see, won’t we?). Instructions give various ways for holding the yarn, as anyone who has read instructions for creating Fair Isle knows.

I learned to knit by casting the yarn from my right hand. You may call it the English or American method. (I am also a heretic, in case you were wondering.) This worked fine for me, and I have had no problems with it. In the past year I have managed to become adept enough at this skill that I don’t have to look at my knitting frequently, and I am fairly quick, though by no means speedy. I looked at the directions for holding both strands of Fair Isle yarn in one hand, and decided immediately that I would tangle the yarn many times if I did this.

So I have been teaching myself to pick stitches from my left hand, (or Continental) so that I can use both methods of holding the yarn for Fair Isle. This is why I am now knitting slowly. I started trying this at the beginning of January. I have now been trying it for 3 weeks. I think I am finally starting to get the hang of it.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress, however I think I need more practice before I cast on.