Kitty on Parcheesi on the bed
I forgot to mention the other email I received on Friday -- actually, it's the one that sort of triggered the "HELP!" post -- from my long-time friend TJ (she was witness at my wedding).
Subject: Important knitting question
I so love that it was important. It still makes me smile.
TJ had given someone a "knitting starter" set -- needles, yarn, a book -- and that person was having a hard time understanding the directions for casting on. Distance was a factor, so she couldn't just run over and cozy up on the couch next to her friend for a demonstration. She'd been trying to find a video to share and -- I love how she put it:
I've gone online to see if there are some videos out there that are any good. The ones I saw were... oh... so... boring. Do you know of anything out there that would be clear and somewhat captivating?
I've really only watched knitting videos a few times, when I needed help with a special technique. There are some really bad ones, aren't there?
Based on general knowledge and without actually watching, I recommended the KnittingHelp channel on YouTube, and the KnittingHelp website; the VeryPink Knits channel on YouTube (slightly different technique there); and general KnittingDaily and InterweaveVideos.
What about you? Do you have a favorite site... one that's "somewhat captivating?"... or one that you recommend more often than another?
I really like The Knit Witch's videos for when I need help figuring something out. They aren't the best quality always but she's clear and it's easy to see what she's doing. Here are all her videos: http://knitwitch.com/videos.htm.
Posted by: Lauren | 04 March 2012 at 10:33 AM
I understand this totally, as a knitter all my life I have just started to learn to crochet and the instructions in books are quite confusing so I went online to watch a few videos on how to crochet ... but there are some good, some bad and some ugly!!
I might stay with just knitting!!
Fleur xx
Posted by: Fleur Cotton | 04 March 2012 at 11:05 AM
I've used Knitting Help, too, and think it's the best of what's out there.
Posted by: Carole | 04 March 2012 at 12:12 PM
I think you hit on the best ones. My pet peeve are the five-minute videos that spend the first four minutes and thirty seconds waving the needles and yarn around in front of the camera while the *teacher* rambles on about how EASY this is and how USEFUL it is and how QUICKLY it works up, etc., etc., etc. ad nauseum. Just show me how to do it, dammit!
Posted by: kmkat | 04 March 2012 at 01:33 PM
I like Liat Gat's KnitFreedom videos. Some are available free on youtube, others are for a really reasonable fee. Camera work is close up, easy to see, and she demonstrates several times in each video.
Posted by: Joan | 05 March 2012 at 12:14 PM
I got nothin' for knitting videos. BUT, I can't decide which I love more the photo or the title of your post. That little ear poking up is so very cat-like. Gosh I miss mine, even several years later.
Posted by: Robby | 05 March 2012 at 08:10 PM
I really like Knitting Help for special stitches. Plus, it's free.
For online video classes, I recommend www.craftsy.com . You have to pay, but you get access to the class forever. They are always offering discounts on Facebook and their newsletters. I have taken a few of the classes and really liked it. Especially the high definition videos. I think I might take the Free Motion Quilting Class next.
Posted by: Oiyi | 06 March 2012 at 07:03 PM