5 THINGS I'VE LEARNED: Knitting

1/ GAUGE SWATCH. Two scary and boring words. Everyone says you need to make one, yet i am still looking for people who do. I sure don't. So yes, it means that sometimes i'll mess up and won't realize it until after hours spent on a project, but it's just so much more fun this way. Messing up is ok when you are creating something, i mean that's basically the only way you learn. And i like to live dangerously, knitting needles in hand! Try something new, make a mistake, try again, and again, it's all part of the process, right?2/ CASTING ON AND BINDING OFF. You'd think 2 little rows are nothing in the middle of the dozens or hundreds more you'll knit to create that pretty sweater. Well, you would be wrong. The very first and last rows of your work are basically the most important. And even though everyone has their favorite (hello long tail cast on <3) there are actually a lot of options out there. Imagine my surprise when i finished the main body of my sweater only to discover that my neck could not pass through. My basic bind off was too tight. Time to unravel and try again! (by the way, i am still looking for that perfect elastic bind off that gives a nice and clean border, in case someone's seen it...). Good news is, there is a lot of pretty books dedicated to that topic, and pretty books are awesome!3/ SO MUCH YARN. when i think knitting, i picture cute little sheeps. But really, there is an infinite  number of yarn types and colors. Wool, Alpaca, cotton, cashmere, merino. Some are extra thin, some super bulky. And the colors!! Yarn shops are my new heaven, and my bedroom now looks like a rainbow. Seriously, i thought my thickers and paper obsession was bad, but i feel like i've reached a all new level with yarn. Also, you can do so much more than knitting with yarn! Like weaving, making pompoms, yarn bombing a grey city and also, that AWESOME handmade chandelier. OH the possibilities <3 4/ JOINING YOUR PIECES aka SEAMING. I love crafts, of all kind. But hand sewing? A nightmare. It takes forever, you can't do anything else at the same time, and if not perfect, can ruin the look of your finished piece. Two solutions to that problem: find an awesome seaming technique (Hello Mattress Stitch, i LOVE you!) or learn to knit in the round, the magical land where seaming barely exist (i'm working on that, obviously!)5/ IT'S SUPER FUN. And now you think i'm crazy. But I swear, when you're like me and spend a whole lot of time either watching movies, watching TV Shows or sitting in the train, there is nothing better than to know you are creating something unique at the same time. And however far from perfection it is, when you're done and wear your knit for the first time, OH JOY. I feel like saying to anyone 'hey stranger, i made that! can you believe it? it's awesome'. I strongly believe in a Do It Yourself way of life, and even though i'm still a big fan of Urban Outfitters, wearing something i made is just the best. Try it!