Rice is really great when you're hungry and want 10,000 of something

I have a long knitting story to tell. It is the tale of my strange way of knitting and how I came to learn about where it came from. And I owe it all to Nona.

I was taught to knit by my mother. She taught me when I was in grade 3, but it didn't really stick uptil about grade 7. She taught me the way her Icelandic grandmother (amma) taught her to knit. Mom told me this was the Icelandic (continental) way to knit. I noticed that my stitches were twisted the wrong way, (I had to put my needle through the back, not front of my loop). I figured this was just a characteristic of how I knit.

When I went to Iceland this summer though I noticed that the people there in fact did not knit the way that I did... I was so confused, if I didn't knit the english way and I didn't knit the continental way, where did the way that I knit come from? My cousin Thora showed me the continental way, it was very similar to how I knit, the yarn is still held in the left hand, the yarn is just wrapped in a different direction, this picture is of her showing me.


Ever since I got back from Iceland I have knit the way that Thora showed me. But I have been confused as to why my mother and I had knit this other strange way for so long. Well yesterday when I was reading Nona's blog, I saw a link to a website that had videos on it. You can see it here. On the website I looked at the different ways that you can knit and purl and lo and behold I found how I had been knitting!! It is called the combined method and I guess it is sometimes used to teach people who have a hard time with the continental style. I suspect that my Amma taught mom to knit that way because she taught her so young. Hurray! Mystery Solved!!

Now, as you can see below I have got to work on my Hermione Mittens. I love them! I love them! I love them! I really can't express it enough!


These pictures really do not show good stitch definition. When I get them finished I will try to take a better picture. What do I like so much about these mitts?
- The pattern is easy to follow
- The design is complicated enough to be interesting and easy enough that it can be memorized very quickly
- It uses several design techniques I have never used with mittens before (note that the thumb is ALREADY done)

I bet I can finish the first mitten tonight, as long as my pesky studying doesn't get in the way. I hope that a few people are reading my posts. I know that my site is getting a few hits a day, I am just not sure from who...