Cast off – How I learnt to knit May 20, 2016 – Posted in: Accessories, Crafts – Tags: , , , , ,

I still remember the time when my granny used to knit (that was over 20 years ago). She and her circle of friends used to work on big projects like adult-size sweaters with complicated patterns. I asked my grandma to teach me knit, but for some reason it never happened. And as I grew up and overwhelmed by homework, exams, and other things that I was expected to do, I have completely forgotten about it. Until one day, which was after I’ve started my postgraduate degree, I saw this in the department store…

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Who doesn’t want a hot water bottle cover with a bird on it? …Ok, Maybe I’m the only one who wants a hot water bottle cover with a bird on it.

Anyway, I brought it home and started working on it. Of course, I only got to learn the most basic stuff from this project: cast on, knit, purl, increase, decrease, and cast off. The cover didn’t come out very well. After all, it was the first time I knitted. Nonetheless, I think it was a good starting point. Hot water bottle cover is a relatively small project, anyone can finish it within a short period of time. But at the same time, it is big enough to give you the practice you need. By the end, you should be able to remember all the stitches that you’ve learnt in the project.

After my first project, I went looking for more knitting techniques to learn on the internet. I learnt a few more simple stuff, like knitting in rounds and knitting cables. When I decided to become a craftsman, I didn’t intend to add knitting onto the list of crafts for sale. But as I progressed, I realised that I love creating crafts with a floral theme. I want to explore the theme with different skills and in different forms. So I decided to knit some rose blossoms to begin with and see how I could make use of them.

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Roses Hairband featureI used stockinette stitch to make the roses and I think the texture of the knit goes well with rose blossoms. But then the blossoms look a bit lonely on their own, so I also knitted some leaves to go with the roses and turn them into hair bands. The result looks like this↓

Rose Blossom Hair Band

Roses HairbandMaterial: Acrylic yarn, elastic hair band

Product page on Etsy

Looking cute? I think the combination works pretty well and it will go well with a cute cardigan or sweater. What do you think? Let me know in the comment section below.