How knitters learnt to knit
I grew up in Germany in the 60/70ies and learned crocheting first , knitting later . I am very left handed and at that time it was - to say the least- discouraged to do anything with the left hand .
My mother taught me crocheting when I was 5 and of course I mirrored her and it was left handed . She knew I get in trouble once in school so she refused to show me knitting because I would transfers her stitches into left handed ones.
Back then all girls learned how to knit in school. I knitted a little bear in first grade . I still have it . I got into trouble because it had only 39 stockings ribs instead of 40 . Later I recounted the ribs and indeed there are 39 not 40.
So to this day I crochet left handed and knit right handed.
I taught myself later to knit left handed so when I work with more than one color on straight needles I don’t have to purl . I just switch hands - right handed / left handed
Nina
I was a young teen when I wanted to knit a jumper. I don't remember having knitted before but mum duly purchased yarn (pink acrylic!) and helped get me going and probably did quite a bit of unpicking & re knitting for me. It was almost dress length by the time I finished & I was so chuffed! However, I didn't pick up needles again until expecting my eldest. Nowadays I only seem to finish socks but there have been odd forays for baby things & blankets.
Crochet - my aunt tried to teach me when I was ten. Total disaster. 35 years later, I decided it was time to bite the bullet. Hmm, apparently I can only count to 3 and then only once. I can produce a solid piece of work so wash mitts & rugs but not the pretty lace edging I dreamt of. Maybe one day, in knitting....
Sewing, however, my gran taught me to embroidery at 4 and I haven't stopped since!! I've tried most needle crafts, inspired by my family who could turn their hands to most but mainly quilting nowadays. Still doesn't stop me dreaming of the sheer magic wielding 2 sticks can produce 😉
It was at my primary school in the 1950s that we were sent to a craft teacher named miss Farmer. I remember learning to cast on and progress to garter stitch and fascination of seeing my project, a hairband, going up the way instead of along the way.
I learned to knit when my ever-patient mum taught me: like me, she was left-handed, but taught me the right-handed way she'd been taught. It took her a long time, as I kept laughing while she was trying to demonstrate garter stitch, but she persisted and suddenly I understood. I was 14 and haven't looked back: nearly 50 years on, there's still so much to discover.
I was 8. Rainy weekend at the summer cottage. I was the only child there. You can only listen to adults talking for so long.
My aunt decided she would teach me to knit.
Red Heart Forest Green 100% wool (yeah, I'm old), size 4 white plastic needles. She showed me the knit stitch, put me in a corner, and told me to stay there until I used all yarn.
Carolyn
I have a strong memory of my mum teaching me to knit on Sunday afternoons by the fire and sat in front of the TV watching a film. There was always a film on every Sunday afternoon. My memory is of me knitting a pair of royal blue mittens. This would have been in the late 1960s.
As a child I was unwell, my mum popped me in bed with my gran who had been prescribed bed rest. She taught me to knit, and to this day I can hear her saying 'in, over, under, off'! Still knitting 80 odd years later.