PowerSwitch

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I found one on the net that I've printed out for safekeeping. I think 'twas this. I learned to knit righthandedly even though I'm a southpaw.

Also a southpaw who knits right-handed... wherever you are, TT, chances are there are folks nearby who's happily teach you. Once you have the basic knack, the rest is easily picked up a bit at a time over the net, by phone, etc, but with basic cast on and knit, you can make fingerless mitts to keep your hands warm:

Cast on around 40 to 50 stitches. Start knitting in, well, knit stitch - which makes what's called 'garter stitch' when it's every row - until you have a shallow oblong. Hold this against a hand with the stripes running from mid-finger to wrist; you're aiming for a piece of knitting that can go all around your hand, leaving out the thumb. Keep knitting till you have that. Cast off. Sew the oblong edge to edge, leaving an unsewn gap in the middle of about a third of the seam.

Needle size and so on can be simplified. Needles around 4 - 5.5 mm would work well for this, and what's called 'double knitting' (DK) or 'aran' which is one size thicker, would be best.

There's a knitting forum called 'Ravelry' which would welcome you with open arms. There are teaching videos, the works... good hunting, and have fun!

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A scarf is also an excellent first project ... and very useful at this time of year.

Try some real macho knitting - http://racheljohn.co.uk. The web site doesn't really show what she does, and some of it is amazing. She supplies needles and yarn, and is very helpful. Tell her I sent you!

TroubledTimes wrote:As for the local talent, you are absolutely right, and I said this to a friend in the village a while ago. She nodded approvingly but didn't really take me that seriously. I just said that we have a wealth of skills that are slowly getting lost as older people leave us.

Knitting, cooking, thrift, gardening, there's just so much important information that's dying with people.

These are very good points. I was lucky in that I was taught a lot of useful skills by my grandmother when I was young. She did things, and I wanted to help. I think she had to take most of my knitting out and redo it because I was so bad, but it does mean I know how to do it now. I can sew painstakingly slowly by hand, but my partner can machine sew (she did a textile based degree), and could probably master a pedal operated machine if there was no electric supply.

What it made me think is maybe we should be asking the older members of our communities to share their skills. A lot of older people do have time on their hands, and I think there are plenty of people who would be delighted to teach their skills to the younger generations. I know my late grandmother would have really felt appreciated if people in her community had valued what she could have taught them.

TroubledTimes,

A neck warmer's quicker to knit than a scarf and really keeps your neck warm and you can use it as a hat. I like them because you can work without having to retie and muck about with them as you do a scarf. I've got one on right now. (It's minus 9° here tonight.)

I'll help you as much as I can, I'm no expert but I knit (by machine usually) for part of our income and I can guide you about number of stitches etc.

What materials do you have so far ?

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You can buy a second-hand non-electric Bond or Singer machine for £50 and make a scarf in ten minutes plus another twenty for doing the fringes. (If you're into fringes.)



I'm making loads of vests made from mohair at the moment - this cold spell has been great ! These take me about half a day.



You don't need patterns for simple things.

You can make a pair of socks on the machine in an hour - I'll show you how to do that if you buy a a machine. (Or even by hand.) That's the very best thing to knit - you'll never o back to wearing normal socks again and when your socks are dirty and you can't be bothered washing them you just make another pair !

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Love the bartering with you ma-in-law! (have also pm'd you)