Git me some Learnin’
I am a visual learner. I CAN learn from a book, but it’s hit or miss and largely dependent on the kind of book (or website). I do best with diagrams unless I have a firm grasp of the language of the craft. Many of you learned to knit from a book. There is absolutely no frigging way I could have done this. I admire those who can, because there are fewer hurdles in your quest for knowledge. I learned from a teacher (a great teacher) in a formal classroom atmosphere. It was one of the best things that I have done for myself.
I have been craving knitting knowledge lately and thinking that a workshop or a class might do me some good. I really want to develop my skills, learn new techniques and tricks, and be challenged but also be given the tools to tackle that challenge. Because without the tools I’d just get frustrated.
Take, for example, cabling without a cable needle. I have read multiple tutorials on how to do it as well as watched videos and peaked at detailed illustrations on the web. I just didn’t like it or wasn’t doing it right or just found it frustrating. So, I kept on keeping on with my cable needle. Not a bad way to do things, for sure.
You may know by now that the television show Knitty Gritty has moved to HGTV, a channel that we get. Knitty Gritty and DVR combine to make a powerful knitting force. I can fast forward through the fun fur, teenie boppers, fake laughing, and other irritating aspects of the show and distill it down to bits of incredibly useful information. Ms. Annie Modesitt was on a few weeks/months ago (episode 210, first aired Spring 2005) and during her time on the camera she showed how to cable without a cable needle and - I got it! Instantly. Soon after I found myself in the car on our way to my parent’s house in Upstate NY for Christmas. I was making mittens for my mom and wanted to set a cable down the middle of the back of the mitten. Alas, I was unarmed with the traditional cable needle but I found I didn’t need it. I had instant recall of Annie’s technique and I was able to flawlessly execute it to a successful mitten finish. No hurdle, no frustration.
As a result I am on a quest for knitting knowledge. A google search didn’t really yield any opportunities. My LYS has a few but none that I am really interested in taking. I am in the process of searching through the archives of a few local listservs. In the meantime - how have you all found workshops, classes, or other non-traditional learning opportunities? I know wool festivals are great places for these types of things….but spring is a long way off and with the new babe I am not sure when or where I’ll be able to travel!
Maybe I should just take this class at my local community center - I sure don’t know how to pearl! 
Hahaha! Pearl! What a riot. Wish I could help with the classes thing, but I haven’t been able to find any inspiring ones either.
12 Jan 2007 at 7:37 am
Wow… I think if you want to learn on your own and want to learn all kinds of things you could do that class to become a Master Knitter (or something like that). I looked into it once, but the amount of “home work” freaked me out
Cheers Eva
12 Jan 2007 at 8:06 am
i don’t know how to pearl either. maybe i should take that class.
12 Jan 2007 at 8:22 am
When, and IF, you learn how to pearl, could you post a turtorial? (For those of us who are slow)
12 Jan 2007 at 8:25 am
I’m always just mooching off other people’s skeelz. Mostly because classes never seem to be available at a time that works for me. Maybe if you have something specific you want to learn, you could just put a shout out here and someone local might pop up and volunteer to show you. For instance, I’d have been happy to show you the cabling thing, and Maryse, man…..she knows everything.
Other than that, do you know about www.knittinghelp.com, right? Videos for both Continental and English style knitters of all sorts of techniques, even stuff like double knitting, something I hope to sit down and figure out someday soon.
12 Jan 2007 at 9:00 am
Heh, pearling. Next thing you know they’ll be teaching Perl and all kinds of computer geeks will show up.
HGTV+DVR=awesome.
12 Jan 2007 at 9:25 am
oh! I’d like to learn to pearl too. I’ve loved the classes I’ve taken. Magic loop/toe up class was my most recent. It’s really nice to have someone there to watch over your shoulder to make sure you ‘got it’
12 Jan 2007 at 9:25 am
Pearling! That’s something new! =)
12 Jan 2007 at 9:47 am
I wish we got Knitty Gritty but we don’t
Darn DirecTV.
12 Jan 2007 at 9:51 am
I found an ad at a community center to teach children knitting and croquet.
12 Jan 2007 at 9:54 am
I’ve always wanted a string of pearls. I didn’t know I could just knit them myself.
12 Jan 2007 at 10:43 am
I’ve been thinking about my knitting books recently and how I just look at the pretty pictures. I’m not much for READing about knitting techniques or learning from books, though that’s how I learned most of my programming skills.
12 Jan 2007 at 11:29 am
I tend to just beg my friends to show me how to do stuff. I always think I should take a class, but I never manage to get around to it. Although I have been thinking I’d like to take a finishing class …
12 Jan 2007 at 11:32 am
oh dear.
12 Jan 2007 at 11:35 am
I would love to learnded more knittin’ and pearlin’ skillz!
Seriously, I would. I could use a class, since I learned quite informally, and would love to do it with you, but you are leaps and bounds ahead of me. I would need to start in the remedial class.
12 Jan 2007 at 12:25 pm
I’m one of those who taught myself from a couple of books. I enjoy it more when I’m with the SnB group & we all just share-that’s the best! Just take whatever floats your rubber duckie! We all have to do it “our” way. Good luck in finding your fun!
12 Jan 2007 at 1:54 pm
Maybe just get together with some knitting friends and pick their brains for specific knowledge you crave?
I volunteer……I dunno if I know anything useful, but I never let THAT stand in my way.
12 Jan 2007 at 3:18 pm
Ironically, our LYS is called “Mountain Knits and Pearls” - I thought it was mistake, but it turns out the owner knits and makes beaded jewelry. I have taken a class there on the magic loop method and found that I probably could have taught it to myself. However, I am taking another class about fair isle because it scares the shit out of me. Knowing this, I will most likely walk away from it going, “That’s it?!”
12 Jan 2007 at 4:14 pm
I’ve been TiVo-ing Knitty Gritty since it’s been on HGTV. Although I’ve been knitting for years, I’ve picked up a few skills while watching the show. I am such a visual learner - I love watching each person’s knitting technique. They get that camera in close!
I say just learn from friends who are willing to sit down with you. Pick a pattern and have someone help you through the new technique.
12 Jan 2007 at 6:08 pm
I just blogged about Knitty Gritty yesterday. I feel the same way you do. FF past the goofy stuff and feast my eyes on techniques. Good stuff. Good luck with that pearl thing. I hear it’s really hard.
12 Jan 2007 at 8:08 pm
Wow! Pearling sounds like it could be an enriching pursuit. Where is this community center? lol
And Knitty Gritty is on HGTV?! That is great we get that channel here too. Thanks for the tip.
13 Jan 2007 at 12:45 am
Knitty Gritty on HGTV? I gotta check that out! Thanks for the heads up.
I learn better from books than I do from classes (too much distraction in a class) so a good reference library is far more practical for me than shelling out the money for class fees. Give me a book or a class instruction manual and I’m good to go.
13 Jan 2007 at 8:27 pm
I am mostly excited that the knitting TV show is going to be on HGTV. Whoo hoo. (We didn’t get DIY, either).
Perhaps if you DO learn to PEARL, you’ll learn to spin straw into gold, too. Let me know….
16 Jan 2007 at 1:44 am
Drat! I could have really benefitted from that particular show on cables-I’ve seen the video tutorial and it’s not working for me…
Unlike many, I’ve been unable to overlook the Knitty Gritty silliness to get to the good stuff-I see the error of my ways now.
16 Jan 2007 at 7:51 am
So, knitting and pearling is the crossover with beading? How cool.
What about Lucy Neatby’s videos? Cassie and Harlot sing their praises.
16 Jan 2007 at 3:25 pm
I’m with you in that I’m going through a phase where I’m more interested in understanding what’s going on when I knit than just following the steps of a pattern. It’s like “give a man a fish and you feed him for a meal, teach him how to fish and you feed him for a life time.” Surely sombody can turn this around to make it applicable to knitting.
In any event I found this wonderful site you might want to check out. It’s full of teaching.
http://explaiknit.typepad.com/
18 Jan 2007 at 5:51 am
Mmmm, I’m one of those people who learns from books. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever taken a formal knitting class. I learned cabling, kitchner stitch, short rows, etc. from books and/or websites.
BUT, I did once take a Fair Isle lesson from Lucy at Mind’s Eye Yarns in Cambridge. It was a one-on-one lesson, which she runs during regular store hours. I highly recommend her if you know that there are particular skills that you want to learn.
Before running a LYS, she was a middle school teacher. Her patience is endless
19 Jan 2007 at 2:52 pm