Everything I have Ever Knitted – First Pieces

When I was staying with my mother recently – I took some more photos of the patchwork quilt that I helped to knit for my sister in the late 1970s. 

I tried to take photos of all the blocks that I knitted but some of them have not come out very well.  It is typical of me to learn to knit with colour-work rather than something plain.  It was partly out of necessity – I didn’t have any money so when I knitted I had to use odd bits of yarn left over from other people’s projects.  

The following photo shows a small striped piece which is a reknitting of the block I remembered (which is shown above).  For some reason I associate it with toothpaste!  

The other piece is black stocking stitch with garter stitch ridges which is to remember a black tank top which I knitted in about 1979. I think this was my first proper knitting project.  I know I didn’t want to knit a scarf as they were boring!  The garter stitch ridges made it interesting.  The pattern came from an easy knitting book which I will find again one day.  It was odd because the design had a V-neck and a garter stitch edge to the neck rather than the usual shaped rib.  

Thinking back to my first pattern book – I don’t think the designs were that easy.  Several of them were mainly garter stitch but there were also cables and other textured stitches and lots of shaping.  I think designers probably intend to produce an easy pattern book but they forget what is easy and what beginners struggle with.  Saying that I don’t remember struggling (although it was a long time ago) – I think I found it a challenge which I enjoyed.

This week I have discovered some of the original yarn which I used for some memorable garments – so I hope to get a few more pieces knitted in the coming week as well as finishing the last stripe of the Creative Cables throw which I have been knitting.