-Granny knitter
A Little History
I started knitting when I was about 8 years old.... My aunty decided it was time for me to get started with some of my family's traditions...
She bought me a small knitting kit with small needles and few balls of yarn to get started. At first I remember it being quite difficult to get my head around, but soon learned that I could experiment with basic garter stitch and that's when I decided to make my very first teddy bear. It was blue in colour and it was double knit yarn.
As I was in boarding school most of the time, I had to find things to do with my free time especially on the weekends... My friends were the first to notice that I had made something that they like and wanted. So... I started making everyone a little teddy bear to keep them company in the evenings when it was bedtime.
As I got older I started working on more and more difficult projects which I had set for myself. By the time I was of the age of about 12 we started having home economics classes at school and that is where my very first attempt came about at writing my own little pattern. We were given the challenge to write our own pattern, I chose a jumper/jersey for a medium size faux fur teddy bear . That's when I really started gaining confidence as a child and I became rather passionate about making things... All by trial and error... As a young adult, I was then taught a little more about knitting and different stitches, styles of knitting. I went onto cable knitting... i found that fun and the rewards for seeing a completed item really made me feel good...
By this time I was onto having a family of my own and I really wanted to make a little cardigan for the baby that was due... I knew it was a little boy so I made my very first cardigan with reading a pattern that I liked. It had a bit of lace within the pattern... Can you guess how I felt when I had completed the that little cardigan with a beautiful lace pattern on either side... Yep, you guessed it. I was so happy, proud of myself . I had never been able to do lace, so it really was an achievement. My other aunty talked me through the complicated pattern and I was happy to take it from there. As the years went by I went for more and more difficult patterns and have managed to make some beautiful jumpers and sweaters for kids which I have sold in the past.
Back to the present again and I'm relearning how to do all of this all over again, but I can tell you, it is something that has really helped my wellbeing... On calmer days, I could let my mind wander as I knit... I do actually find that I work on spur of the moment... I decide on my project and that's how I push myself a little harder to get a little more comfortable with reading the knitting patterns again. For anyone that needs to be in the zone, knitting is one of those crafts that can keep your mind occupied for hours and hours... It challenges you so much that you forget about all your worries and things become tolerable again.
Some of the things that I have knitted and acquired lovely patterns for are tea cosies, mug cosies, baby hats and bonnets. I even tried a little fairisle with a very very old pattern that I had found... Oh they were so cute. I was ecstatic, that I had finally been able to do a little fairisle ... As I said before, I'm relearning, so I'm going to give fairisle another go soon... I'm up for the challenge ... As I complete my works in progress, I will showcase them here and you'll be able to buy the completed articles from the catalogue of products. I really don't work well under pressure, so it is very rare that I will take on any commissions... But I am always open to suggestions and even helpful hints... please use the contact form and let me know... Thank you for reading my story... I'm now on a new adventure of learning how to do all that I used to and I will let you know of the progress as it happens through the news posts on here.
-Granny knitter
