knit: giveaway winners

What a treat it was to hear from so many of you about how you learned to knit, and about your first projects! If you haven't read them already, curl up with a nice cuppa and read through the comments to our giveaway post. A few of our favorites:

from terrijco: 

"My knitting journey began in a quilt store! On a trip to the Black Hills in South Dakota, I stopped into a cute quilt shop in Spearfish and there, in a sweet corner, was some knitting supplies. They had on display a scarf made from alpaca and wool and kits made up. The nice lady at the quilt shop showed me the basics, I purchased a kit and a "Teach Me To Knit" booklet and I was then not only a quilter, but a knitter. Fast forward 13 years and I have an impressive yarn stash that fits in perfect with my fabric! Main lesson learned, start with quality yarn (wool) and nice needles, a dose of patience, and seek help from fellow knitters if you get stuck."

and Vicki C:

"My Mom was always knitting so I watched her (and was the pair of hands holding her skeins as she wound her yarn into balls). I don't remember her actually sitting with me to teach me to knit but by the time i was 8 years old, I was knitting tube dresses for my Barbie. My first big project was a cabled sweater I made for myself. By the time I was twelve, I was knitting cabled ponchos for my school mates. I have been knitting for over 50 years now and am still obsessed with the craft."

A number of crocheters came over to the knit side, like Venice S (as did I):

"I was a long time crocheter but yearned learn how to knit also. I tried and tried to figure it out on my own, searching the internet and watching youtube, but I couldn't find a comfort level. Finally I broke down and took a class at my LYS and the world was opened to me. That was 8 years ago and I now consider myself to be an advanced knitter (although there is always something to learn). I'm in my 60s, btw, which just shows that you're never too old to learn."

Megan M. used chopsticks for her first needles:

"I taught myself how to knit from a library book when I was in middle school, using a pair of chopsticks and some acrylic yarn I found lying around the house -- to this day I wonder how close to getting gauge I was. I didn't get my first pair of knitting needles until my senior year of high school -- from Churchmouse Yarns! -- and even then I only made one garter stitch scarf. It wasn't until til I went to graduate school for library science, and was surrounded by knitters, that I got bit by the bug, and I've knit every day, even if it's only one row or five minutes, since 2010."

We love that there is no one way to learn how to knit—read a book, watch videos, take a class at an LYS, learn from a knitter family member or friend—the world is our oyster, and the skills we gain, ours for life.

Giveaway Winners

And now, on to the announcement of our two giveaway prizes:

For a print copy of our Knit: First Stitch First Scarf, our randomly chosen winner was Elizabeth W!

"I read Stephanie's blog, and eventually looked up videos of slow knitting on YouTube. My first project was a scarf for my soon to be husband, that his just over nine feet long and about 7 inches wide. He is 6'7", and has never had a scarf that he could wrap around his neck!"

And our randomly picked winner of the Knit Kit, containing our Knit book, needles, Osprey yarn and tapestry needle was Jill P, who shared: 

“I started knitting about 11 years ago. I didn't know how to choose the right yarn for projects and made some pretty ugly stuff. Then I graduated from shopping at Joann to the many LYS's in town. Now I make pretty things!”

Congrats to both of you! We have been in touch via email and hope to hear back from you soon to get your prizes out.

Thanks again to everyone for leaving a comment and sharing with us your stories of learning how to knit. Keep checking back on the blog, as we have plenty to share and hope you'll join in again!

Order Knit: First Stitch/First Scarf book and Knit Kit 

Previous posts about our Knit book and Knit Kit: March recap; official release and Q&A with Pam Allen