I can't remember when I learnt to knit as a child. I would take my knitting everywhere and still do.To me it is like yoga for the mind. Mostly I knit for others but recently I have been choosing projects for myself. I made a cardigan from a vintage pattern that I had made in 1972. That bought back memories. I have been known to knit the straight parts of a sock in the cinema much to the embarrassment of my grandchildren. I think that I am addicted! My daughter's both knit or crochet everyday. Lovely to find your RUclips site. I know most of the knitting group in Liskeard as I used to live there. When I visit I am like an honoury member. Such lovely ladies.
@sueosborne9191 hi Sue, thank you for watching! I knit in the cinema too. Mostly socks like you. I can't remember learning to knit either but I remember knitting at school as a teenager. 😁
This was great. I'm glad to hear you mention the bulky/chunky yarn issue. When I picked up knitting again a few years back, I remember seeing several young women on youtube who were quite full of themselves with how much they'd produced. But what they knit was all simple, bulky stuff. I'm more of a process knitter than a product knitter, though I do love to wear the things I knit. I love to learn new techniques and swatch and re-swatch trying different color combo. Yeah, maybe I'm weird but weird gives me lots to joy. So I say 'to each, his or her own'! Thanks for you video. Oh and I really liked your suggestion to do a time study. I know I spend a lot of time going down yarn rabbit holes on the internet for possible projects that I don't even plan to do in the near future. Not a crime, but I would like to spend more of that time knitting or spinning or card making.
@zoedoodle it's so easy to get distracted by social media or website browsing. Most of us do it 😁 If people love knitting with chunky, that's fine but if they do it just to finish more stuff then that's a problem.
Great episode! I think that people need to stop comparing themselves to others. You just don't know until you walk in their shoes. I do knit, crochet, and do other arts & crafts a lot. However, that's because 1) I pretty much always have something on the go for any 'down time' and I do take it with me everywhere. 2) I use knit, crochet, and drawing to combat ADHD and anxiety. I get so much more done as far as work & chores, as well as paying better attention to other people, if I have something to keep the rest of my brain occupied. I think of my brain as me being the teacher and there's a room full of students who each need some attention. In order to give my attention to one, I need to find something for the others to do while they are waiting, otherwise they just find trouble to get into. 🙂 So yes, I get a lot of things done because it's a compulsion that helps me be better in other parts of my life, in addition to being a hobby and part of my job. However, I also get anxiety if I have too many unfinished projects, which drives me to keep track of how many things I have in the works, and finish or frog those that have been around for a while. I have 'Finish it Fridays", where I only work on projects that need some help getting finished. I am not allowed to start a new project on Fridays, and only work on WIPs. This came about after many years of not finishing items and having too many going for me to feel comfortable. It has nothing to do with the actual finished item, as I am rarely attached to the item I finish. For me, it's the process and finishing or frogging just needed to be part of that to keep my brain happy. We all have different things going on behind the scenes. We all have different obligations. I feel like if you enjoy your art/craft then does it really matter if you even finish anything at all. If working on something & frogging it, or never finishing, or finishing makes you happy, then go for it. I do remember when my family was young and we had very little money, I would knit and crochet, then frog the whole works, and just do it again, so that I could just keep doing stuff without spending any additional money. Rarely finished anything. Take care & have a great week.
@@jessmakingit thank you. Everything you say makes so much sense. Whether we knit or craft a little or a lot as long as we enjoy it & it helps us deal with life that's important!
I have started to knitt again after many years of break. It has been cardigans for me, bed jacket for my frozen friend, shawls for me and for gift. Now a monochromatic scarf. Soon finish my cardigan , then knitt a warm cardigan for my friend to her birthday i March. I will start making room for painting watercolor and acrylic
There are many factors as you say, that affects how much time we have to knit. I’m semi retired, caring for my sick husband and also looking after a few other households. My son is fully grown. I rarely go out and usually I’m quite exhausted by tea time. Since you last posted on this subject, I decided to monitor my knitting more. So next Christmas Day I will have the total number of hours knitting and an average per week. I will let you know how it goes I take a mobile project with me everywhere I go, just in case I have time to do a few stitches (usually socks)
Good reminder when seeing people who are churning out so many garments in a year. I churned out a sweater in 3 weeks once but I was knitting all day and night. Didn't really go or do anything else haha. I'm a tall man with more muscular dimensions so for tops, it takes a while to complete garments. I'm pretty fast or at least I've been told in my knitting group. I knit "English" but it looks like a right handed continental. My right pointer finger keeps constant tension and I do circular motions to wrap the yarn around the needle; I do not drop the yarn or needle the whole time. I think they call it "flicking". And then do a combo of continental left & right for colorwork. I'm comfortable with the working yarn on either side but when a project uses a lot of purling, continental becomes annoying for me. With flicking, knits and purls are practically the same motion.
@coolsteven2 flicking looks so cool & makes sense re knits & purls. I imagine it's very quick. Sweater in 3 weeks is very good! I sometimes have to knit garments quickly when I have a deadline & it can get a bit intense 😁
Very interesting thank you. My problem is hand pain but changing from crochet to knitting seems to help. It amazes me how many knit and walk at the same time or knit and read. 😮
I don't understand the obsession with the need to knit fast and produce masses of knitwear. I've been knitting for many decades and knit quite fast but I knit for the meditative, calming effect of the process. In fact, apart from gift knitting for others when I have been specifically asked to knit with dk, I predominately knit with 4ply or lace weight because I get more hours of knitting pleasure per garment.
@Hide_and_silk the only reason to knit fast is for deadlines or if you enjoy knitting fast 😊 but enjoying what we do is most important and I'm with you re thinner yarns.
I've just looked at my reply of nine months ago on this topic .... I'm presently on with my third simple worsted/aran weight (two Felix cardis and one large Petite Knit Cloud) since between Christmas and NY the last one knitted in errrr six days but I've minimal responsiblities and health issues that mean I need to rest a lot and oceans of stocking stitch is really quite relaxing find. I am an English style knitter but need to give your Continental course I won last year another go xxxx
I started out as an English style Knitter, but because I can't do the yarn flick I found having to keep dropping the right needle frustratingly slow and clumsy . I switched to continental style and my knitting has been SO much faster since then, I'm finishing projects far sooner 😊
I don't actually see why producing a huge volume of items is so valued. Having a couple of items from each season, or even an item or two a month, seems more attractive to me. More memorable too - "Oh yes, my green one with the leaf yoke, that was started in Spring 2023 . . . "
@helenlayley I agree. I guess it depends on how much you knit. People who knit a lot will produce more but I don't understand people who knit with chunky in order to make more.
I find it helpful to think, Share but don't compare. (It's a phrase used by Liz Steel who runs online drawing and painting courses.) But actually I decided to stop scrolling social media and suspended my accounts where feasible. Some years ago, I speeded up my knitting by changing from an underhand hold to an overhand, still holding yarn in my right hand. This freed my right thumb to control the needle better and allowed me to keep hold of the needle while flicking the yarn. In terms of projects, as I get more experienced, I am much more likely to modify a pattern or tweak a technique, and this takes longer than slavishly following what's written. I have an acronym (READY, G) that sets out the six things that ideally I do every day after dealing with life admin: reading, exercise, art, diary/journal, yarn/knitting, gardening. I don't usually manage everything every day but it's a nice structure to have in mind now I have stopped paid work, and it encourages me to do a little even if I can't manage a big chunk of something.
@@georgyevans I love Share, don't compare! That's so right. Interesting what you say with an overhand hold. I feel it gives you more control of your needles.
Personally I look at the ones who knit So Many Sweaters, and I’m puzzled as to why. Do you really use that many? I’m perfectly willing to be a slow knitter.
@@bibliotecaria2 you make a great point. I guess it depends on why you knit. Knitting slower is better value for money if you think about it. More knitting time for the amount of money spent in yarn 😁
Hi Anniken. Just watched your podcast for the first time and found it very interesting. It does perplex me that some of the podcasters seem to finish their projects so quickly so I found your perspective very interesting. I think I have to accept that I am a rather slow knitter and be happy when I get something knitted up more quickly than I expected. I prefer English style to Continental and don't want to change though if I am doing colourwork, I can hold a strand in each hand and it works well. More of a problem for me are my stunted stitches! I can never get the row gauge/tension correct (I struggle with the stitch gauge/tension too - though that is less of a problem. If you have any tips on how to get my stitches to a proper height, I would love to hear them. Claire
@claireholmes7752 thank you for watching ❤️ The main thing is that you enjoy what you do. Knitting should be fun, although it can be frustrating at times too. 😁 As for tension. I'm not sure what you can do to change the height of your stitches.
Thanks, Anniken, that was really interesting. I also like to have a quiet hour on a morning before my husband appears. It’s when I can concentrate on more complicated patterns, particularly lace ones. I usually have something fairly easy on the go as well that I can pick up while I’m watching TV. Like you I prefer to knit in 4 ply or lace yarns. I’ve knitted a lot of shawls (they always fit!) but I feel the time has come to tackle a garment. I have DK yarn but I always seem to find an excuse not to start. Will it fit? Will it be too warm? Am I knitting the right size? What if I lose weight? Procrastination is the thief of time, as the saying goes. Only two projects to finish before I start that cardigan!
I've put off knitting garments for myself for years in the hope I'd loose weight. Then someone commented that I rarely wear hand-knitted garments so now I'm knitting them for myself 😁
I can't remember when I learnt to knit as a child. I would take my knitting everywhere and still do.To me it is like yoga for the mind. Mostly I knit for others but recently I have been choosing projects for myself. I made a cardigan from a vintage pattern that I had made in 1972. That bought back memories. I have been known to knit the straight parts of a sock in the cinema much to the embarrassment of my grandchildren. I think that I am addicted! My daughter's both knit or crochet everyday. Lovely to find your RUclips site. I know most of the knitting group in Liskeard as I used to live there. When I visit I am like an honoury member. Such lovely ladies.
@sueosborne9191 hi Sue, thank you for watching! I knit in the cinema too. Mostly socks like you. I can't remember learning to knit either but I remember knitting at school as a teenager. 😁
This was great. I'm glad to hear you mention the bulky/chunky yarn issue. When I picked up knitting again a few years back, I remember seeing several young women on youtube who were quite full of themselves with how much they'd produced. But what they knit was all simple, bulky stuff. I'm more of a process knitter than a product knitter, though I do love to wear the things I knit. I love to learn new techniques and swatch and re-swatch trying different color combo. Yeah, maybe I'm weird but weird gives me lots to joy. So I say 'to each, his or her own'! Thanks for you video. Oh and I really liked your suggestion to do a time study. I know I spend a lot of time going down yarn rabbit holes on the internet for possible projects that I don't even plan to do in the near future. Not a crime, but I would like to spend more of that time knitting or spinning or card making.
@zoedoodle it's so easy to get distracted by social media or website browsing. Most of us do it 😁 If people love knitting with chunky, that's fine but if they do it just to finish more stuff then that's a problem.
Great episode! I think that people need to stop comparing themselves to others. You just don't know until you walk in their shoes. I do knit, crochet, and do other arts & crafts a lot. However, that's because 1) I pretty much always have something on the go for any 'down time' and I do take it with me everywhere. 2) I use knit, crochet, and drawing to combat ADHD and anxiety. I get so much more done as far as work & chores, as well as paying better attention to other people, if I have something to keep the rest of my brain occupied.
I think of my brain as me being the teacher and there's a room full of students who each need some attention. In order to give my attention to one, I need to find something for the others to do while they are waiting, otherwise they just find trouble to get into. 🙂
So yes, I get a lot of things done because it's a compulsion that helps me be better in other parts of my life, in addition to being a hobby and part of my job. However, I also get anxiety if I have too many unfinished projects, which drives me to keep track of how many things I have in the works, and finish or frog those that have been around for a while. I have 'Finish it Fridays", where I only work on projects that need some help getting finished. I am not allowed to start a new project on Fridays, and only work on WIPs. This came about after many years of not finishing items and having too many going for me to feel comfortable. It has nothing to do with the actual finished item, as I am rarely attached to the item I finish. For me, it's the process and finishing or frogging just needed to be part of that to keep my brain happy.
We all have different things going on behind the scenes. We all have different obligations. I feel like if you enjoy your art/craft then does it really matter if you even finish anything at all. If working on something & frogging it, or never finishing, or finishing makes you happy, then go for it.
I do remember when my family was young and we had very little money, I would knit and crochet, then frog the whole works, and just do it again, so that I could just keep doing stuff without spending any additional money. Rarely finished anything.
Take care & have a great week.
@@jessmakingit thank you. Everything you say makes so much sense. Whether we knit or craft a little or a lot as long as we enjoy it & it helps us deal with life that's important!
I have started to knitt again after many years of break. It has been cardigans for me, bed jacket for my frozen friend, shawls for me and for gift.
Now a monochromatic scarf.
Soon finish my cardigan , then knitt a warm cardigan for my friend to her birthday i March.
I will start making room for painting watercolor and acrylic
@@agnetahallberg9845 sounds like you're knitting some lovely things. I hope you enjoy the painting too.
There are many factors as you say, that affects how much time we have to knit. I’m semi retired, caring for my sick husband and also looking after a few other households. My son is fully grown. I rarely go out and usually I’m quite exhausted by tea time. Since you last posted on this subject, I decided to monitor my knitting more. So next Christmas Day I will have the total number of hours knitting and an average per week. I will let you know how it goes
I take a mobile project with me everywhere I go, just in case I have time to do a few stitches (usually socks)
@rosinagreenwell1143 yes so many factors to consider. I look forward to hearing your weekly average.
Good reminder when seeing people who are churning out so many garments in a year. I churned out a sweater in 3 weeks once but I was knitting all day and night. Didn't really go or do anything else haha.
I'm a tall man with more muscular dimensions so for tops, it takes a while to complete garments.
I'm pretty fast or at least I've been told in my knitting group. I knit "English" but it looks like a right handed continental. My right pointer finger keeps constant tension and I do circular motions to wrap the yarn around the needle; I do not drop the yarn or needle the whole time. I think they call it "flicking". And then do a combo of continental left & right for colorwork.
I'm comfortable with the working yarn on either side but when a project uses a lot of purling, continental becomes annoying for me. With flicking, knits and purls are practically the same motion.
@coolsteven2 flicking looks so cool & makes sense re knits & purls. I imagine it's very quick. Sweater in 3 weeks is very good! I sometimes have to knit garments quickly when I have a deadline & it can get a bit intense 😁
This was such a lovely way to be introduced to your channel. I really enjoyed this. Happy knitting 💚🧶🩷
@@Meredith36 thank you 😊
Very interesting thank you. My problem is hand pain but changing from crochet to knitting seems to help. It amazes me how many knit and walk at the same time or knit and read. 😮
@bevabberley1524 I can knit & read if it's easy knitting but although I can knit & walk, I'm worried I'll trip so I don't. I knit enough as it is 😁
Thank you for sharing what you do in a day. It makes a difference and gives me perspective on my knitting time and how to improve it.
@dcantu-paez4308 thank you 😊
I don't understand the obsession with the need to knit fast and produce masses of knitwear. I've been knitting for many decades and knit quite fast but I knit for the meditative, calming effect of the process. In fact, apart from gift knitting for others when I have been specifically asked to knit with dk, I predominately knit with 4ply or lace weight because I get more hours of knitting pleasure per garment.
We live in a performance society.....
The more the better 😂
Do what makes you joy... not a kompetition
@Hide_and_silk the only reason to knit fast is for deadlines or if you enjoy knitting fast 😊 but enjoying what we do is most important and I'm with you re thinner yarns.
I've just looked at my reply of nine months ago on this topic .... I'm presently on with my third simple worsted/aran weight (two Felix cardis and one large Petite Knit Cloud) since between Christmas and NY the last one knitted in errrr six days but I've minimal responsiblities and health issues that mean I need to rest a lot and oceans of stocking stitch is really quite relaxing find. I am an English style knitter but need to give your Continental course I won last year another go xxxx
@Fionadilston very productive 😊
Hello from Wales
I have always knitted loads every year
Didn't learn until in my twenties
@@FranMills-k4v love Wales. Both my daughters live there.
Good advice.
Knitting is therapy for me so I like to take it slowly...
@gabriellejacobs1192 good idea 😊
I started out as an English style Knitter, but because I can't do the yarn flick I found having to keep dropping the right needle frustratingly slow and clumsy . I switched to continental style and my knitting has been SO much faster since then, I'm finishing projects far sooner 😊
@bethmarshall9873 yes unless you can flick English style, Continental Knitting is much quicker.
Me too
I don't actually see why producing a huge volume of items is so valued.
Having a couple of items from each season, or even an item or two a month, seems more attractive to me.
More memorable too - "Oh yes, my green one with the leaf yoke, that was started in Spring 2023 . . . "
@helenlayley I agree. I guess it depends on how much you knit. People who knit a lot will produce more but I don't understand people who knit with chunky in order to make more.
I find it helpful to think, Share but don't compare. (It's a phrase used by Liz Steel who runs online drawing and painting courses.) But actually I decided to stop scrolling social media and suspended my accounts where feasible. Some years ago, I speeded up my knitting by changing from an underhand hold to an overhand, still holding yarn in my right hand. This freed my right thumb to control the needle better and allowed me to keep hold of the needle while flicking the yarn. In terms of projects, as I get more experienced, I am much more likely to modify a pattern or tweak a technique, and this takes longer than slavishly following what's written.
I have an acronym (READY, G) that sets out the six things that ideally I do every day after dealing with life admin: reading, exercise, art, diary/journal, yarn/knitting, gardening. I don't usually manage everything every day but it's a nice structure to have in mind now I have stopped paid work, and it encourages me to do a little even if I can't manage a big chunk of something.
@@georgyevans I love Share, don't compare! That's so right. Interesting what you say with an overhand hold. I feel it gives you more control of your needles.
Personally I look at the ones who knit So Many Sweaters, and I’m puzzled as to why. Do you really use that many? I’m perfectly willing to be a slow knitter.
@@bibliotecaria2 you make a great point. I guess it depends on why you knit. Knitting slower is better value for money if you think about it. More knitting time for the amount of money spent in yarn 😁
Hi Anniken. Just watched your podcast for the first time and found it very interesting. It does perplex me that some of the podcasters seem to finish their projects so quickly so I found your perspective very interesting. I think I have to accept that I am a rather slow knitter and be happy when I get something knitted up more quickly than I expected. I prefer English style to Continental and don't want to change though if I am doing colourwork, I can hold a strand in each hand and it works well. More of a problem for me are my stunted stitches! I can never get the row gauge/tension correct (I struggle with the stitch gauge/tension too - though that is less of a problem. If you have any tips on how to get my stitches to a proper height, I would love to hear them. Claire
@claireholmes7752 thank you for watching ❤️ The main thing is that you enjoy what you do. Knitting should be fun, although it can be frustrating at times too. 😁 As for tension. I'm not sure what you can do to change the height of your stitches.
Thanks, Anniken, that was really interesting. I also like to have a quiet hour on a morning before my husband appears. It’s when I can concentrate on more complicated patterns, particularly lace ones. I usually have something fairly easy on the go as well that I can pick up while I’m watching TV. Like you I prefer to knit in 4 ply or lace yarns. I’ve knitted a lot of shawls (they always fit!) but I feel the time has come to tackle a garment. I have DK yarn but I always seem to find an excuse not to start. Will it fit? Will it be too warm? Am I knitting the right size? What if I lose weight? Procrastination is the thief of time, as the saying goes. Only two projects to finish before I start that cardigan!
I've put off knitting garments for myself for years in the hope I'd loose weight. Then someone commented that I rarely wear hand-knitted garments so now I'm knitting them for myself 😁
Audio book is ok whilst knitting . I just enjoy knitting but my ageing hands tell me when I stop and rest xx