Happy Monday, everyone! Today’s post is about knitting and sewing. Since learning to knit, I’ve noticed some similarities between knitting and sewing.. and many things about knitting have made me better at sewing! Do you knit and sew, and would you agree that learning one skill helps improve the other? I think so! Here’s a couple of reasons why.
It keeps the ‘you can make this!’ spirit alive! The feeling that you can make things, instead of having to buy them is a great feeling. Knitting makes me want to sew more! I bet this is the same with jewelry making, crochet, hatmaking – any wearable creative activity. It’s like the cycle that happens with shopping – you know the feeling, “I bought a new coat, but now I need a new scarf to go with this coat” – except it’s a lot more rewarding when you can make all of the pieces! The more confident I become with knitting, the more committed I am to making my wardrobe, not buying it. It keeps me in that ‘Hey, I like that – I could make it!’ mindset rather than the ‘Hey, I like that, but where can I buy it, can I afford it, will it fit, and does it look as nice in real life?’ way of thinking.
this little swatch above is going to be a wrap, to go with the Chantilly and just about any floral-print dress that has a hint of leaves in it!
Spend time to save time. I’ve seen this actually written on knitting patterns, reminding knitters to make a swatch first before starting a project. If you don’t knit, knitting a swatch lets you double-check the gauge of your knitting (the size of your knitted stitches and make sure it matches the gauge of the pattern. It’s like making a muslin, sort of. I like the concept of ‘spend time to save time’ – spend a little time working out the fitting details on a muslin, or testing the gauge of your knitting, before jumping in to a project and having it not work out.
Patience. You can’t speed-knit. (If you can, let me know, I’d love to hear your secrets!) I can only knit as fast as I can make one stitch after another. Knitting has helped me relax and enjoy the process, since you can’t rush through and pump out projects fast, you might as well sit back and enjoy the ride! (This next photo was from knitting during breakfast. Talk about being impatient. I was excited to finish, look how close I was!)
Hand-sewing seems less tedious now. And I certainly appreciate the speed of my sewing machine! Knitting is like hand-sewing your entire project from the bottom up. (Or the top down.) Imagine if you had to make your whole piece of fabric, in the shape of your finished garment? That’s my very simple way to explain knitting and compare it to sewing. A little hand-sewing seems like nothing at all, compared to spending hours sitting and knitting with your hands!
Fix your errors. With knitting, it’s inevitable that at one point, you’ll end up ripping out your work and starting over. (Maybe quite a few things.) I feel like when that happens in knitting, it seems less like a mistake, and more like just part of the process. So I’ve started to think the same way about sewing – ripping out my work and re-sewing a seam isn’t a reflection on me or my skills, just a part of sewing!
Choose the best supplies you can afford. It took three months to knit a sweater. If we’re going to spend that much time working on a project, let’s use the nicest, best-quality fabrics and yarns possible! Imagine spending months knitting a sweater out of scratchy, pilly yarn. I don’t know about you, but I want to look down and love the materials I’m working with!
Another interesting part? Being a beginner is humbling. I take all instructions very literally, and I find myself asking ‘but why?’ a lot of the time. And I make a ton of mistakes! It makes me appreciate well-written instructions and clear diagrams. Learning something new, whether it’s knitting or any other new creative pursuit, is helping me to write better tutorials and instructions, because I remember the feeling of being a complete beginner again.
Do you find that knitting makes you better at sewing, or that sewing makes you better at knitting? What other creative things have you tried, and did they improve your sewing skills in a roundabout way?
I’m not the most patient of people. Knitting definitely slows me down and makes me just enjoy the process, rather than bustin’ right thru it like I usually do with sewing. I also enjoy that knitting is portable and that it can go everywhere with me. I’m still a beginner (just did my first cableing the other week!) and knitting is becoming one of those “lifelong learning opportunities”. I enjoy knowing that I’ve got a longer journey ahead.
Since I just started cableing, I’m LOVING (and desperately needing) your handwarmers! Can you share where you got the pattern?
Hi Darci! It’s the Evangeline pattern I used for the armwarmers/gloves.
Here’s the project link: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/TasiaKnits/evangeline
and here’s the pattern link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/evangeline
For a cable pattern, it’s quite challenging (in my eyes anyways) and hard to memorize. I literally had to read the instructions every single row! But the results are really pretty.
This one looks easier, and it’s free:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vancouver-fog
Plus, it’s named after my city! yay!
Have fun! Like socks, the worst part is doing the second glove. :) but once they’re done they’re so cosy! (And fingerless = you can type and keep warm!)
Thanks, Tasia! I’ll def. check out those patterns (and free is SO bueno!) Sing it sister on socks. The second one KILLS. i have yet to complete a full pair.
Baby steps!!
Yup, free is good! Although, $3 isn’t too bad either. I’d pick whichever one you like the look of better, and one good thing about the free one is that the thumbs are gussets. More comfortable and look better than the tube-thumb on the evangeline pattern. (I modified mine to have a gusset.)
Happy knitting!
It’s nice to hear that I’m not the only slow knitter out there! I really do enjoy knitting and have started planning knitting projects in my sewing plans. One reason I love it is that I can actually hang out and watch (sort of) a movie with my hubby while knitting. If I’m sewing, I’m constantly up and down and in and out of the room.
Agreed! It’s sort of a compromise in my house. I don’t complain about having to watch boxing or that violent ultimate fighter show if I get to knit during it! ;) It’s better than being completely absent while sewing – at least we’re sort of together, enjoying our own interests!
Hi Karen. Now I’m not a regular knitter so I can’t speed knit at all, but I have a friend who can. In fact she had to pump out two huge cushions in two days for a recent order (she sells her knitted creations you see) and she speed knitted so hard she gave herself callouses on each thumb! How mental is that?
Me – I’d rather sit back and enjoy the ride… :)
Whoops – Tasia I mean! I’m getting blog mix-up ;-s
It’s ok! Calloused thumbs, ouch! If I knit too long my forearms hurt..so then I stop. Like you, I’d rather enjoy the ride rather than strain my hands!
It’s funny cos I had a friend who was a great and eager knitter, I’ve tried time and again but I don’t enjoy the process, I find it too time consuming to justify. I don’t understand investing hours each night for weeks or months on end to just get one garment which may not even fit how I like. I’ve always thought that those hours could be spent sewing multiple garments, so why have one thing for your time when you can have ten? We always joked that our chosen crafts reflected our personality, I like instant gratification and am impatient, she was happy to take things slower and quieter. Does knitting make me a better seamstress? I don’t believe so, but does it make me appreciate my chosen craft more? heck yes! I still contemplate picking up the needles every now and again to see if it has grown on me, or if I have learnt to slow down a little, but so far contemplation is as far as its got….
If you don’t enjoy the process, then it’s a lot harder to get into knitting, for sure! There are projects where I enjoy the process more than others. Some are fun to knit, and some look amazing but aren’t as much fun to knit. There are only so many hours in the day, better spend them doing something you like, right?
Also – sometimes I think I’ll always enjoy knitting accessories more. Less time invested, less concern about fit, less worry about making the ‘right’ garment. Accessories can be in crazy colours (and if you change your mind, you can give it away a lot easier than a whole sweater…)
I think I dislike the process because I struggle to understand how it works, or where I have gone wrong, which happens often! I sulk a little bit (okay a lot) if I dont just ace something first go. I do find the knit/purl process quite therapeutic, but I always want to use a yarn different to that the pattern was written for (eg DK for 3 ply patterns) so calculating the revised stitch ratios is an issue or inevitably fall in love with the most difficult pattern, cue disaster… You’re right, I should revert back to smaller projects, and simple ones at that and work my way up, even if only to more complex small projects!
Try crochet instead. It grows a heck of a lot faster than knitting I find, and you can make some seriously pretty fancy stuff – you can even crochet lace if you are patient enough!
This post resonates strongly with me. Both knitting and sewing have taught me patience, a level of patience that is necessary if I want to be really happy with the end result. And you are right, the fact that ( with some extra doses of patience) I could probably make anything I set my mind to feels pretty good :)
I am an experienced knitter, but fairly new to sewing. In fact I started sewing as I was getting pains in my arm from too much knitting!! I think knitting has taught me that I have to be patient with learning to sew because I sometimes get frustrated with being a beginner! I just have to remember I was a beginner knitter once too!
Thanks for your comments, a lot of them ring true to me too. First and foremost I love sewing, but I’ve had to learn some very basic knitting skills recently to make sock monkey scarves :-) I’ve really enjoyed knitting such a simple pattern, it’s something I can while watching TV in the evening and stops me from reaching for the biscuit tin lol! x
Oh, me too! Either I’d be snacking or biting my nails, I can’t sit still in front of the tv. Knitting is better than mindlessly eating, for sure!
Awwwwwww Maaaaaan!! I guess I’ll try again. I just cant seam to get over that “instant gratification” thing either. I just think I would be so nice to add some knitted pieces to my garments!
There are those who would call me a speed knitter…… My Maternal Grandmother from Denmark taught me to knit (what I now know to be called) “Continental Style”, it is much faster than (dare I say?) “English Style” and, typically uses about 10-12% less yardage. I’ve never tried to teach someone else how to knit as I was taught VERY HARSHLY, i.e. ‘take it out’, ‘do it again, and again, and again, until it was right’, accompanied by the occasional ruler smack on the knuckles. That all being in the past, now, once one has learned to knit continental style, it’s easy, it’s fast, and no pattern ever seems to be overwhelming.
I didn’t like those lessons, one bit, 55 years ago, but now, I’m really glad I had them.
The same grandmother taught me to sew, she was just as relentlessly, demanding of perfection, but I must have been a quicker learner, because I don’t have the painful memories of those lessons. I’ve done all my own sewing and knitting for my whole life, and felt just as stylish as the next woman. I buy shoes, hose, and from time to time the occasional underwire bra. I did and continue to do much of my daughter’s sewing. As a teen-ager, in the 80s-90s, however, she preferred ‘mass merchandised’ clothing for a time.
Yes, Oh yes, whether sewing or knitting, accept nothing but the very best quality goods!!! Even if occasionally a piece is ruined, you will be so much happier in the long run. Chain store fabric, yarn, ‘craft’, seller do a great disservice to the fastidious needlewoman, by fostering cheapness over value.
“The bitterness of poor quality lasts long after the sweetness of low price has faded.”
Being a more newbie knitter myself, I’ve definitely noticed a lot of the same things! Especially the patience factor– hand-sewing is a lot more fun than it used to be, and I’m more willing to take the time to add more details and do a better tailoring/fitting job, rather than just cranking things out. Now if I can just learn from my sewing stashoholic tendencies to avoid that in my knitting….
But yes. It is fun to be able to completely accessorize an outfit. I’ve made my own jewelry for years, for the same reason.
I’m still a beginner knitter. Haven’t quite been able to make that jump past scarves yet. The thing that I noticed about knitting was that it seemed to go really fast, much faster that sewing with all its fiddly bits. Probably because I’m knitting scarves that have really simple patterns, there isn’t a lot of concentration involved, and I just get into the zone and then all of a sudden several inches have appeared. Sewing tends to be a “have to sit down in the sewing room, get up and find the scissors, sit back down, look around for pins, sew darts, then seams” activity, where there are many more different steps that aren’t repetitive. I like to mix them up just to have a change. :)
Speaking of speed-knitting, watch these two videos on Yarn Harlot’s knitting technique: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kArQ2jpaKw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P51GByV0H2w
Knitting certainly makes me more creative and more prone to sew. It is also nice to be able to knit when sometimes I can’t use the sewingmachine.
Knitting has imbued my sewing with a bit more patience, because I’m totally a “go fast, wear it sooner” kind of a person. I think sewing is like a puzzle, putting all the piece together, and knitting is like a maze, and you don’t really see what you’ve done until you’ve gotten 5 rows ahead in the pattern. Which is frustrating, because mistakes take longer to reveal themselves, but it’s good for me, little miss impatient. I love how knitting is mobile, and I also love how it makes sewing seem so much easier! I’m still a novice in a lot of ways in sewing, but after a knitting project sewing seems like a snap.
I’m impatient too! And you’re right, it sure is harder to see mistakes in knitting. Especially things like yarnovers, that aren’t easy to spot until later on. I love how mobile knitting is too – great for trains, waiting rooms and other ‘boring’ places. :)
Sewing has taught how to modify a pattern to fit my body shape. Anytime I make a top or a bodice to a dress I have to modify a lot. Because I do this in sewing it has taught me how to modify a knitted pattern to fit my curves the way the garment was designed to fit. Usually I have to start out knitting for the smaller size and go up to the next size for the bust area and then down size again. I still haven’t gotten into the whole swatching part, but I know that I have to if I don’t want to have to undo all my knitted stitches. Been there. I got lucky with the first sweater I ever knitted, Wicked by Zephyr Girls, The yarn swatched to exactly to guage on the first try and all I had to do was knit my sweater. It fits me beautifully. I did it in an inexpensive yarn but now I’m actually thinking of making another one in better yarn since I wear this one all the time.
Wow, that is lucky to not have to worry about gauge! It depends on the fit of the sweater too – and if you try it on as you go. I agree, sewing has taught me that it’s normal to have to adjust a pattern for your body.. although I do wish it was as simple as nipping in the seams (for knitting) if it ends up too big!
Love to be able to knit. The fantastic little cardigans and jumpers you could knot to go with a skirt. Ooo am so jealous of knitters.
I was super jealous of knitters, too! I coveted all of their cute hats and pretty sweaters. I’ve just learned in the last year, so it’s never too late to give it a try!
I think I appreciate different things about knitting and sewing. I love the portability of knitting, being able to take it out whenever I have few minutes of waiting time, on the bus, while having coffee with a friend, while watching telly… I haven’t progressed further than armwarmers (with cables), scarves and socks, but I think fitting is more difficult with knitting than sewing. You can’t just take in a side-seam or widen a dart, you have to unravel everything and do it a second time. I like that when I sit down at my sewing machine, I get a lot done in less time than with knitting.
I would say knitting has definitely made me more willing to invest in quality materials. Because it is so slow (at least for me) the outlay of cash seems less. And because SO MANY hours go into making an item, it seems more like an investment.
Of course “willing to invest” and actually investing are two different things … habits are hard to break!
Since getting the needles back out, I’ve found that, with sewing, I’m more willing to go back and fix mistakes, rather than going ‘meh, I’m sure it’ll be fine’. I don’t know if that’s just because my skills are better these days and my standards higher though!
The nice thing about knitting is that you can just do a row when you have a moment, or even half a row, put it down, and come back to it. I can’t do that with sewing – even if it’s just one seam, by the time I’ve pinned, sewn, pressed, and finished. With sewing, it annoys me to stop halfway through a step (I could never just sew one dart and come back to it later!).
Knitting is much more Zen, and it doesn’t stress me out and frustrate me the way sewing sometimes does…that is, until I make a mistake. (And on that note, I’ve heard that if you spot a mistake in your knitting and it’s a lot to unravel, put it down, go away, have a cup of tea, and then look at it again. If you can’t spot it in three seconds, don’t worry about it. I’ve also been known to ask the male of the house; if he can’t see it, nobody else will.)
I love it! Put it away, have a cup of tea, and if you can’t spot the mistake in 3 seconds then don’t worry about it. We’re always the most critical ones of our own work!
How crazy is this – it is the middle of an Aussie Summer at the moment and I have picked up the old knitting needles and started on a scarf!!!! Once you learn you never forget – like the bike riding thing! And so similar to sewing – if a ball of wool grabs you, you will always find a little project to whip up.
And don’t forget sewing and knitting can even combine – I have used many a lovely textured wool to embellish a sewing project. Pop over and have a look at what Maree Pigdon comes up with at …http://mareepigdon.com/blog/?p=674
I like the idea of knitting, but I can’t get into it. I’ve tried several times, but it is not for me. However, I do crosstitch. It’s portable, relaxing, and yes helps me with patience. Cross stitch has a direct carry over to sewing since it helps me practice better hand stitches. I do occassionally pick up Vogue Knitting. The diagrams can help you re-create the garment with a purchased sweater knit
When I learned to knit (I have been a sewer since high school) I loved that I was actually making the “fabric.” I have no problem ripping something out if I love the yarn I’m using. To quote someone (I don’t know who) “As ye sew, so shall ye rip!” Same goes for knitting.
I haven’t learnt to knit yet, but your posts are really starting to make me want to learn!
Hi Tasia, I have to confess something, it took me 7 years to finish the scarf that my Nan taught me to knit and I only finished it this winter because I started sewing this year as well. A few months on now and as the weather gets warmer in Australia, I found myself making bold statements that I’d like to get as serious with the knitting as I am with sewing but smugly remark in passing that I’d have to wait til next winter… Now that I’ve seen your creations, and a few from bloggers back here too (jorth is well worth a look) I’ve taken the leap and started another scarf with plans to book into a sock class in the new year. Thanks for the inspiration, hopefully this scarf gets completed sooner than the first…
My Czech Grandma was an amazing crocheter. She knew how to make lace the real way and even crocheted me this awesome awe-inspiring bed spread all covered with little yellow roses. As for me, I’m all thumbs. I can’t say that I’ve really tried to knit or crochet, and I don’t doubt that I could learn. I could certainly see how it could improve your sewing. For right now, I kind of love that I can sew a sweater in a couple of hours vs. 3 months. Perhaps when I’m not freezing in my sewing room I can give knitting a go.
That’s a great perspective on seeing errors as part of the process of your work. I generally view them as things to be learned from, not inevitabilities that are just hurdles to be worked around.
I definitely resonate with buying good quality materials. I think when I started to sew, I had no idea how deep I’d get into it and my construction was kind of shoddy. Not knowing any better too, I bought probably lots of less than lovely fabrics. But now that my construction is really good and something I can be proud of, I really appreciate beautiful fabrics and the fact that I can make them more beautiful through my work.
I find that knitting instructions that give just a little bit of the “why” helps me a lot when I’m trying something new. Elizabeth Zimmermann gives a whole lot of why things are done and her book Knitting Without Tears gave me the courage to knit a sweater after years of knitting hats.
I’ve sewn a few Halloween costumes and that’s the extent of my sewing career thus far, but I know I’ll have the patience for garment sewing after knitting a sweater for seven months!
I just started knitting and even if I agree that the process is longer than sewing, that’s also what I like about it. It’s not as fast rewarding than sewing a skirt or an easy dress for example, but it’s very relaxing. I think knitting and sewing are complimenting each other, helping each other.
And I appreciate the fact that I can knit wherever I want: sofa, bed, bus, car and lunch break at work…
Now, I have to keep learning new technics and start something else than scarves…
I have always felt that sewing and knitting/crochet/crafting are extremely interconnected, but never really thought about why that is! I love your thought-provoking post.
And I totally agree about enjoying the process. I do like giving myself deadlines, but all the extra steps taken to make a well constructed garment are worth the wait! And well constructed garments are worthy of the best fabrics and yarns available and in the budget.
That reminds me – I really should get back to my works in progress (both knitting and sewing)! Some of them having been tucked away and neglected for YEARS!
I found that sewing my own clothing helped me understand how to custom shape my sweaters to give me a better fit. For example, after making a couple blouses I realized I have a slight swayback and now use short row shaping to adjust for this in my sweaters (one day I will post my totally incorrect way to prevent pooling in the lower back of sweaters). It also helped me understand how to position darts in sweaters when the pattern I used didn’t have enough waist shaping.
I don’t actually know that knitting has helped me sewing though, unfortunately. If anything, it just means that I sew less …
I am new to knitting and was super stoked to see this post as well as read all of the comments. Could anyone make some suggestions on how to begin the whole learning to knit process? I have taught myself how to stitch-knit by watching youtube tutorials and am painfully learning to purl. At this point, I can make a simple scarf (perhaps a slightly wonky one). What next? Do you keep working on scarves until these are perfect? Do you move on to toques and mitts and socks? Is there an standard order of beginner projects? Are there great books you learned from? I find when you are a beginner at anything, the first steps are daunting as you learn to navigate through a sea of info. Unfortunately I have no one to learn from directly, so any guidance would be greatly appreciated!