The first socks I knit had no stretch, were cast on too tightly, and never worn. For many years they stayed in my parents’ chest of drawers because only a parent could love those socks. I remember knitting them, having learned to knit a year or two before. My mother bought me a kit to knit argyle socks, and I was using knitting bobbins for the first time. Also I  was knitting for the first time with colors and in the round. In retrospect, it was a project far beyond my years — both in knitting experience and my actual age. Still, I stubbornly completed two socks. If you’ve... (Read More ...)

What’s the first knitting stitch most of us learn? Plain knitting, also known as the garter stitch! On two needles, garter stitch is all knitting.  Every stitch. So, once you’ve cast on, it’s only one stitch to learn or practice. Of course, if you knit in the round, it’s one round (or row) of knitting alternating with a round of purling. There is a symmetry to garter stitch not found in stockinette.  10 stitches is the same length as 10 ridges, or 20 rows.  I think that is so cool, but then I’ve always loved math! And garter stitch knit on 2 needles lies flat. ... (Read More ...)