first knitting projects.

I did it! I completely two whole knitting projects.

Let me tell you about them.

About a week ago, I finally tried the original hat pattern I linked in my last post, and came up with this:

 

Yep, a little lumpy. Clearly, I didn’t actually finish; I got most of the way there, learned some things, and then, lo and behold, found an amazing beginner hat tutorial on Youtube that I decided to try instead.

It was so amazing, in fact, that this was my second project:

 

Doesn’t it look great!? Such a difference.

Now I will confess that the above hat was actually intended for my dad, but was clearly too small. But it fits Gabe perfectly.

So I whipped up another for my dad this week.

I’m excited to share this tutorial with you; if you’re a beginner, this will be a great first project for you, not just because the video is so simple, but because it works up quickly, and will give you a huge feeling of accomplishment.

I’ve now made two of these hats:

 

So here’s the tutorial, which is by Brittany at B. Hooked Crochet. She’s fantastic — the best teacher online that I’ve encountered. I’m excited to check out more of her stuff, like this fun mug cozy.

I’ll give you a hint that, like I mentioned in my last post, I practiced the knit and purl stitches a good bit before even starting a project. However, even if you haven’t practiced much, I still think you’ll pick the stitches right up. Brittany’s an excellent instructor, and I got so many of my general knitting questions answered in her video. I also learned the long-tail cast-on, which previously intimidated me. But now I’ll never go back.

A couple of tips: First, I watched this entire 30 minute video before I picked up needles to start my own project. This was very helpful. Second, you need to get the exact supplies she recommends. I winged it the first time, and that led to a couple failed attempts and a subsequent extra trip to Michael’s for the correct length circular needles. Don’t be intimidate by circular needles — as a beginner, I find them so much easier to use than straight needles. I’m currently using Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn, which you can also find at Michael’s.

Third, your experience may be different, but when I followed the exact hat directions, I ended up with a child-sized hat. This may have been a tension issue on my part. To make the blue adult-sized version you see above, I cast-on 48 stitches and knit until the hat was between 9 and 10 inches tall. Once you learn the pattern, you’ll figure out how to make your own adjustments.

Alright, I promise that the Gentino Family blog isn’t going to turn into a knitting blog.

But since learning to knit was pretty much my single 2019 New Year’s Resolution, I’m excited to show you my progress. See, there are some benefits to this very cold, wet winter.

I’m having so much fun with this new hobby. I am not a craft-y person at all, so if I can learn to knit, you can definitely learn.

Let me know if you decide to try!

I’ll leave you with a couple more pics of my very cute model: