I first learned to knit when I was 6 years old, from a teenager in my dad’s congregation. I was excited about it. My first project was a pink headband, knitted out of Red Heart yarn. Not quite as traditional as a first scarf, but close enough. I loved the idea of making something I could wear.
Unfortunately, we moved away (thank you, bishop!) and I didn’t really continue with knitting, due partly to being a kid and partly to not having a regular teacher or any other knitters around. But back in 2008, I got the hankering to start knitting again. I had to start pretty much from scratch. I had no needles, no yarn, and still no local teacher (being too shy to visit my LYS) … but I had the internet. I found websites and videos that reminded me of those old skills, and I practiced my cast-on until the muscle memory kicked in, and then I knitted a basic square potholder.
My first scarf was a Doctor Who scarf for my husband, who is a tall man, all teeth and curls.
After my stroke, one of the first things I was determined to do was to knit again. I had a couple of WIP projects, but I had trouble getting started on the cowl I’d begun a few months prior to my stroke. Eventually I finished it, but it was slow going. My fingers weren’t as nimble, but I kept pushing myself to get through it.
These days I’m still a slower knitter than I used to be, but I’m not giving up. I’m a knitter. I take yarn and sticks and turn out things for other people to enjoy.
Knit on.
Rachel
I'm a writer, a knitter/spinner/weaver, a young stroke survivor, and a type 2 diabetic.
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