Knitting 1, Crafter 1 - finally, a draw!

For many years now, that title would have read 'Knitting 1, Crafter 0' as knitting was a definite defeat for me.  I learned how to crochet first, you see, and it was the one that came naturally. As I've written before on an LJ craft blog

I love crochet. I'm competent at crochet, which is better than being 'good', as I understand it, because being good at crochet implies that I am reasonably fast and able to accurately complete intermediate to hard projects. Being competent, as I imagine it, includes that but also covers the ability to correct mistakes, to be able to look at the piece and tell what stitches I've been using, to really KNOW what the yarn is doing and how it will react to different stitches.  So learning to knit (again? I did once learn as a child, but not very well and I quickly abandoned the knowledge) has been disheartening because I am so incompetent. I cannot visualise the final product. I don't realise I've made a mistake while the stitches are still on the needle. I am a slave to the pattern and my instruction books. 

I'm not really sure what prompted me to try another learn to knit class.  Probably looking at all these cute knit baby ideas online? Anyway, Morris & Sons was running a competition on their blog to win one of their classes, and while I didn't win it occurred to me that I had plenty of days free and it wasn't stupidly expensive...

All my other learn to knit attempts have been from books or being taught by family, so perhaps it was just the different approach of a stranger. Perhaps it was the basics coming back to me from previous attempts and realising I was better than the 'true' beginners in the class. Maybe it was having the anatomy of the stitch pointed out clearly.  Whatever it was, I got to the end of the class feeling more confident than I have ever been before about knitting.

The sample above, done mostly in the class (I finished off the moss stitch and did the casting off at home) contains garter, stockinette, a 2-2 rib, reverse stockinette, a 1-1 rib, and moss stitch. No added stitches, no dropped stitches. I'm chuffed with how well it went. I don't think knitting will ever replace crochet as my go-to yarn craft, but I have my eye on a few baby projects.  Fingers crossed.