Knit-O-Rama Mama

About 7 or 8 years ago I spent a lot of time on the famed Knitlist, which had over 2,000 members, representing nearly every country around the globe. It was a very busy, very friendly place. I enjoyed seeing so many posts about knitting because for all of my life I had been the only person I knew of who knit. I hadn’t even been taught to knit by a live human; I had taught myself with some supplies I found around one summer, and then later added to my knowledge with a Coats and Clark “Learn to Knit” book.

It became a tradition for active contributors to offer a personally produced, original pattern at the beginning of the holiday season and to submit it to the List as a gift for the other participants to try out and share. The patterns didn’t have to be anything fancy. Newbie knitters would sometimes submit recipes for food products or non-knit gifts instead, being too new to really come up with patterns, or perhaps too insecure to want to share.

I contributed a few, mittens , a child's hood,
a sweater. The sweater pattern, which I had
worked on for quite a while, became a surprise hit and was published in a wide variety of locations around the web. An acquaintance is even teaching a knitting class right now, using this pattern. Unfortunately, to me, I didn’t give it a real humdinger of a name. Instead, it has the gobsmackingly uninspired name of Top Down Percentage Sweater. I never really got to refine it or adjust it, or anything else beyond its initial offering before it spread like garlic mustard weed across the hungry knitting turf.

Here are some sweaters I’ve made from the pattern.
The Knitlist changed over the years. Where it used to be friendly, it became snobbish and rude. A separate Knit Flame List arose for knit-snobs to air their grievances with newbies and the frequently clumsy. There didn’t seem to be the same spirit of sharing that there had been previously, so I left it. I also got tired of an endless series of cat update posts and belligerent newbies who didn’t understand that the back side of a garter stitch color change IS GOING TO SHOW, and who decided to take experienced knitters to task over such infamy.

Since knitting has gained in popularity, particularly with younger gals in their 20’s, and with many men, too, opportunities to share calm knitting time together in person has become possible. I belong to a very small local group of Chix with Stix, which is often comprised of just myself and one 20-year old gal who loves to knit. Other times there are fly-by knitters who are oiling up their rusty skills, or some who come to ask for help and then never show up again when they find out we’ll show them how to help themselves rather than do things for them for free.

I do miss the List, and will probably peek in on it again sometime soon. I hope that it has become more focused and friendly again.

Why not get started knitting today? Best cast-on primer on the net is here: casting on

Keep ‘em clickin’.

BoS