Basics Basics Basics - Lesson 1

Lesson 1 of the Basics Basics Basics Course got me started with casting on, binding off, garter, stockinette, ribbing and four different increases. Like most who take the course, these were not new techniques. But the class required that I look carefully at what I did, how it looked and consider which of several techniques look better in which circumstances. For instance, I’d always know the long tail cast on creates the first knit row but I’d always relied on the pattern to tell me whether the next row should be right side or wrong side. After taking this class I’ll make that decision myself.

My first difficulty was figuring out how to work each of the increases. I knew how to make them but I didn’t know which was which. The names aren’t standardized. So I did what I tell anyone getting started or back into knitting to do: check out the instructional videos at KnittingHelp.com. Once I figured out that the bar increase is called KFB (knit in front and back) and the Make 1 increase is called either KRL (knit right loop) or KFL (knit front loop) on KnittingHelp.com, I had no problem making the increases.

I did have problems making them well and really struggled with the Make 1. The instructor sympathetically assured me many knitters find it difficult. The increase is made from the row below and when that bar is pulled up it affects the tension of the row below. The suggested inserting a yarn over in the row below the increase where increase will be made and use the yarn over yarn for the increase.

TKGA teaches weaving in the ends with duplicate stitch. Try it! This alone made the course worthwhile. Woven in this way the end disappears never to be seen again.

I wanted these stitches to be perfect but they weren’t! Despite pulling the yarn tight on the beginning of a new row, my selvedges weren’t as neat as I would like them although careful blocking did help considerably.

Finally, I decided the swatches were as good as I could make them. I sent them off and within the week had them back from Arenda. She complimented my garter stitch, the placement of my increases and the way some of the increases were made. She pointed out with threads drawn through the swatch where my tension wasn’t even and gave me pointers for how to make it better. And she pointed out I had misread the directions for the swatch 5. Don't look at that one as an example for what it should look like!

I resubmitted my M1 increase swatch with lesson 2 but it still needed improvement. This is a learning class, I didn’t have to prove I’d mastered it. I’ll practice this one on sweater sleeves soon. I will have to get it better for the Masters.