Trying New Needle Arts
 

alum just posted about some new Boy Scout quilting fabric and one of my daughters has just shown me picture of a fabulous October quilt called Spiderwebs. I'd love to learn, if it's not too very hard!

I'm also thinking about learning to knit. Does it take long to get good at it? I can do most of the other needle arts but I've been thinking about this due to all the recent fiction series about knitters.

Who has tried something new?

I'll teach you.

And in turn, someone can teach me to crochet. I always wanted to learn how to do Granny Squares.

Ooo, cool! Thanks, alum! I keep seeing these gorgeous quilts...my daughter's future mother-in-law is making them a Christmas quilt and we sent material left over from Christmas dresses for it! What a cool thing to be able to make.

I wish my grandmother were here, she was a master crocheter. Even after she could barely see, she could produce granny squares like a super-fast machine.

Knitting is not hard to learn at all. My mom taught me when I was about 8. Once you get the basic knit and purl stitches down, you're good to go - everything else (increases, decreases, cabling, etc.) is just variations.

I can't help you with the quilting, though. I gather it requires a lot of patience, and I'm just not that patient.

I'll join that crochet class... ;)

Crocheting is really simple. All you need to do is get one of the beginners books from Wal-mart or a craft store. The key is to be EXACT everytime. All your stitches need to be the same and you can't drop stitches (I've pulled out more rows of a blanket when I realized that I dropped a stitch...it's frustrating!) My grandmother taught me when I was 15...but I didn't start crocheting much until med school. Now I've made at least 10 blankets. Mostly I do baby blanket style blankets, not granny squares. I'm actually working on two blankets for my sister's coming baby girl. I made two for the first so I couldn't neglect the second.

Maybe a learning disability, but I could not learn from books. The photos confused me. My friend showed me how and it really was easy. Had a lot of fun with crocheting and making belts with needle point added.

I can knit but only down and in rectangles. Soooo I can make lots of scarves! I haven't learned how to knit in a circle or decrease/increase yet. Someday!

I bought a craft book recently, and it had a design for a quilted pot-holder. It's super cute! I want to make a couple for my mom and grandma. They have 9 3"-by-3" squares on the front and a solid color on the back. I can totally do it!

One of the nicest books I've found that shows a variety of needlework is one called The Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework. This book has great instructions (both photos and written) for everything from Embroidery, Needlepoint, Crochet, Lacemaking, Quilting, etc. It may be out of print now, but you might be able to find one in a UBS. Good luck!

Will look high and low for this book!

I love afghan stitching. I've been planning to do a blanket for a while now. I am looking for a specific type of afghan hook, but can't seem to find what I'm looking for.

Well AOII4ME...I didn't really learn to crochet from a book. My grandmother taught me when I was 15, but I did learn to read patterns from a book,and I use the low level books to look up specific stitches when I forget them! Getting the stitches down pat in the beggining does take time and having someone teach you is better. Once you know the basics, though, it's pretty easy to follow a pattern.

This is my level of knitting too. I've made lots-o-scarves!!! I taught myself from one of those 'teach yourself to knit in one day' books from Michaels.

But, I'm very serious about my neddlepoint. I love the shop I go to and I love my teacher. She is soooo good. She can really bring out the beauty in a canvas. She's very good with beading and adding ribbons to the work.

I've wanted to get into quilting too, but I felt that I would need a sewing machine and lots of time - both I don't have now. One of my good friends from grad school started quilting by making baby quilts. She said it was easier to handle since they were smaller.

You could do a hand sewn quilt. I worked on one my mother put aside when I was in high school. It was easy, but I got overwhelmed when it came piecing it together and gave up.

See, I can totally see this happening to me. Why? Because it does with my needlepoint and knitting. I work the project for a while, then get bored with it and put it down.

Right now I'm looking at a needlepoint canvas that is 98% done. I worked on it for so long that when I was getting close to finishing it, I just put it down.

The best thing to do, I think, is to find a class or group that you can stitch with. I've found that it makes a huge difference in motivation and encouragement.

Participating in a guild, a bee, or even just a bunch of neighbors who get together on a regular basis can put a big dent in your UFOs.

Don't start me. I have a lovely cross stitch in the works, that I started back in '02... all it needs now is a lot of backstitching, and, well... it looks so lovely in its frame :p