The Adventurer’s Guide to the Nebulous World of Knitting

Since I was 7 years old, I’ve been knitting and learning and taking in as much information about knitting as I could. Even still, I find that there are so many corners of the knitting universe that I’ve yet to discover. This is project is part journal, part roadmap, part reference book. It can be overwhelming when you’re just starting out—trying to understand different jargon and slang from an unfamiliar culture. The knitting community is expansive, and it’s easy to get turned around with no sense of direction or destination.

This isn’t meant as a prescriptive and absolute itinerary, but rather as a loose summary of notable landmarks. There are some areas which are barred by the necessity of having learned certain skills. For example, to try out lacework before you’ve learned how to knit and purl isn’t really brave but, rather, foolish. Compare it to an infant who wants to learn how to run before they can walk.

In all honesty, there are very few dependencies like what I’ve described above when it comes to knitting. Certainly, you’ll have an easier time learning new concepts if you have some relevant experience, but there’s no requirement of mastery. If you are the kind of person who likes to tackle problems as they arise and you don’t mind completing a few side quests on your way to your final destination, then feel free to head off once you’ve got your footing. For those who prefer to prepare in advance, you’ll want to look at my suggested prerequisites for your target destination. You can read the relevant information for your topic of interest and note areas needing attention, practice, or reinforcement. Neither way is supremely superior to the other—it’s just a matter of personal preference. However, if you find yourself lagging or getting distracted or struggling to keep up with everything thrown your way, I would suggest using the other approach for the time being. I don’t know what the knitting equivalent of Crojo (crochet mojo) is, but sometimes all we need is a change of pace to rejuvenate our motivation.

For those veteran explorers who have mastered nearly every known technique in hand-knitting, you might use this map as a roulette wheel. If you’re not sure where you want to go next, throw a dart and see where it lands. That topic can inform your next project, or it can point you to examine some aspect more in-depth than you have done before.

This is an eternal project in progress—as long as there are knitters out there creating new things, there will always be changes to this world’s geography. Some paths will turn into superhighways while others will nearly disappear from disuse. I love researching and sharing information, and I hope that you find this model to be helpful.

Introduction

Table of Contents

Introduction <— You are here!

Essentials/Necessary Skills

• Choosing your starter equipment

• First steps (how to hold your needles, how to cast on, how to knit and purl)

• Increases and decreases

• Binding off

• Gauge and swatching

• Suggested intro projects (simple hat, washcloth, etc)

the structure of knitting

Adapting patterns

emergency kit

troubleshooting FAQ

dropped stitches

tinking (un-knitting)

Garment Knitting

• socks

• sweaters

Toy Making

Home Decor

Visual Art and Expression