My wife recently started up a knitting group for our church. We had our first meeting last week. Since then, I’ve tried to get a little better at it. Casting on, supposedly one of the toughest parts, came quite easy to me. Knitting itself (the stitches after casting on) is what’s tough for me. Likewise, the metal needles were supposed to be easier, but I kept accidentally slipping the yarn off the needles (the metal is too slick, not enough friction), so I switched to wooden needles, and that’s much better for me.
I have a history of this being true—I tend to find the “easier” things harder and the “harder” things easier. For example, when I learned guitar, I was supposed to start with cheating chords (e.g., for F major), and I found the cheating chords harder to pick up than the “harder” barre chords. When I was learning to draw comic books “the Marvel way,” I was supposed to use pens for thin lines, since that was supposedly easier than using a brush. I preferred to use a brush for thin lines.
Knitting has been pretty touch all-around, though. It isn’t as effortless as it appears when people just sit there frantically clacking together needle points. Well, maybe I’ll get to that point eventually. Wish me luck!
I never could get the hang of casting on, my wife always has to do it for me.
What I don’t like about those kinds of things, is that the knowledgable one will sometimes make you do it the ‘easier’ way.