Improving your skillset - 3KCBWDAY6

Although I have knitted and crocheted on and off since the age of 10, it is only in recent years that I have seriously tried to get to grips with it, making an effort to understand the various stitches and patterns to find out how it all works and see just what can be achieved when you know how. My Mum liked to handknit when she got the chance but had a knitting machine too on which she produced all sort of jumpers, socks and tea cosies. I didn't really do much knitting with her but we used to sew, paint, draw and write poetry together. My paternal grandmother, who was a member of the Townswomen's Guild for many years, was an excellent seamstress who made most of my dresses when I was younger as well as lots of soft toys. She was also the person who first taught me to crochet.

A couple of years ago we started a Stitch & Bitch in group in work during Tuesday lunchtimes (7 of us) and the information that is shared is worth more than it's weight in gold (or yarn!). Our skills and experience range from zero to those who have been involved with knitting/crochet for more than 30 years and everyone is willing to contribute what they know. As well as everyone's individual projects we have produced enough knitted/crocheted squares between us to make a decent sized blanket and I will be blogging about this at a later date to show how it has come together (I have the honour of crocheting together the stitched-together strips).

A lot of the squares were inspired by a desk calendar owned by one of the group. It contains a different stitch/pattern for each day of the year, made up as a square, and was therefore ideal for something like this....and someone like me!

Another member of our group (who is more of a knitter) gave me a fabulous book from the 80s called 'The Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches' which I have read cover to cover but haven't had the opportunity to use yet. It has an excellent section in the back on  Tunisian Crochet which is something I would really like to try.

It uses a different type of hook which is either double-ended or looks more like a knitting needle with a hooked end! The stitches stay on the hook itself and the outcome is something that looks like a cross between knitting and crochet.

The rest of the book contains lots of other interesting 'ordinary' crochet stitches with diagrams as well as written instructions so that you have the best of both worlds really. I have plans for all of the following.

As for making a list of some skills I would like to try? Well, this would include, in no particular order........

• Knitted 'realistic' animals  Dogs Cats

• Gloves (fingerless to start with)

• Socks (which I always fear will come out different sizes!!)

• Knitting or crocheting a whole garment for myself

• Learning to spin (I recently bought a drop spindle and some wool batts)

• A wall hanging with lots of additional texture, beads and sparkly bits

• Knitting using circular needles

• Crocheted spirals and baubles

• Really chunky crochet with a big yarn and a big hook

Fortunately, the spirals, bauble and chunky crochet are patterns in this book....

........so they have more of a chance of being of being achieved in the near(ish) future.

Making a deadline for any or all of these? Hopefully by the end of the year, but we will have to see!