Sock Knitting Friday

To those of you who know me, you know I don't knit. Not that I can't, I can but I prefer crochet. Knitting doesn't give me the quick feedback of pleasure that crochet does.


For three Fridays, from 10:30 - 12:00, I have been participating in a knitting/crochet group at our local library. There are, give or take, 5 crocheters and a lot more knitters!   I know the woman who is head of the class . . well, it is more of just a group who meet to do their yarn-y thing, knits aand I'm not sure of how much crochet she does. I doknow, however, she sure can't teach either . . .and I think she might even be a retired teacher . . go figure?


She told us last week that she would teach those of us who wanted to learn, how to knit socks on circular needles.  I think to myself, "Self, you have always wanted to learn how to knit socks. Now is the time . . free instructions by someone who knows what they are doing."e.


I figure I'll look through the circular needles Barb Kapraun gave me when she went out of the knitting machine.yarn business and find a size 3. Check . . .no problem there. I had seen sock yarn at AC Moore so I picked out two 50 gram
skeins of that. Check . . again no problem. Went to class today and NO PATTERN . . just verbal instructions . . . NO CHECK HERE! Houston, we have a problem. How, in God',s name can she teach 9 women how to knit socks on circular needles when none off us have ever done it this way before, one had only knit since this class started and two of us are crocheters who can knit and purl but that is about all we know.


So, I cast on 58 TEENY-TINY sock yarn stitches. No Problem.
I start my pattern,knit 2, purl 2 . . again, no problem.
I got to about the 10th stitch and started to drop stitches . . . problem!


Frogged those 58 and start over . . .same problem. Starting to get irritated. said to the girl across the table, "I think we should have started on larger needles with Christmas colored worsted weight yarn." She is a knitter and she agreed.

Decided to frog the yarn and help Rosemary, a woman who is learning to crochet and is SO LOST!  The leader told her to bring ins pattern she wanted to make and started her on it last week . . .it's a Granny Square Sweater!  Hell, I have made Granny Squares for years and wouldn't attempt what she is trying! ! ! !


Also, the woman next to me had never knit so I showed her how to cast on and just knit . . She had a pattern for a VERY simple 4 square tote. So, once she got going, I went back to Rosemary. 


Rosemary must have had 50 Round 1 Granny Squares. There is noway they will work into a decent sweater . .but the leader told her to make only the centers and she would show her how to do Round 2 this week . . B-O-R-I-N-G ! ! ! ! ! Since the leader was to busy showing her "sock people" what to do . . (should have had a pattern with pictures to give us!) I got Rosemary working on Round 2 of her Granny Squares. She caught on . . in an hour she got 2 done . . . and I wove the ends in for her. Told her to bring in the ones she does this week in next Friday and I will weave in the ends. Maybe she will get a little better and by the time I weave in the ends,, and tighten up her stitches, her squares will be semi-use able.


I TOTALLY realize today that I miss teaching. I got such a high helping these two . .and one more who is learning knitting and has absolutely no idea what she's doing . . she is just doing what the leader told her . . and she only works on it on Fridays. I think what I will probably do is take something that I am working on, get it out and then help these two who need help.


Signed,
Re"tired" but Energized Today