other knitterly stuff

I have also recently had some knitterly validation come my way. After being asked a few questions and showing someone a couple of things, it really got me thinking. You see, in truth, I've always been a bit of a dabbler (...and not just in knitting, it's pretty much a personality flaw if I'm honest), but I had a strong urge to answer these questions. So I did a bit of an internet trawl, to direct this person to good 'how to' sites, free patterns, good blogs and e zines (personally, I LOVE Knitty, I think it is absolutely brilliant - and have recently made my first ever submission to them but that's another, so far incomplete story). Anyway, I came across June Hemmons Hiatt "The Principles of Knitting". It's out of print, and I was shocked by how much you'd have to spend if you really wanted to own a copy. The combination was too much, it must be a neglected work of knitting genius I thought. So, I ordered it from the library. As the copy I have came all the way from the Scottish Museums Service, I am thinking it may be the only copy in the UK!
Here it is, a pretty hefty tome, and not a colour plate to be seen. It is very serious, detailed and wonderfully clear for the most part, except for maybe the use of inside and outside instead of wrong side and right side....

But most exciting is the fact that June herself recommends what she calls 'right hand knitting'. I practically jumped up and down with glee because she described what I had always thought of as my rather dodgy throwing method which actually involves letting go of the right hand needle with your right hand. My Mum uses the 'pencil' method, something I simply never managed, though she makes it look like the easiest and most efficient way, June reckons it is probably the least efficient. For me, I have occasionally tried to alter my method, somehow secretly thinking my way was embarrasingly childish and slow, and not 'proper', but now I feel able to consider myself a real knitter! Thanks June! In truth, my method is actually a complicated little dance that has evolved over the years to best fit my hands and how they work...but I still feel better for seeing it somewhere in serious black and white print, that what I have evolved for myself is the real deal, even if it is just a means to an end and nobody else, probably not even other knitters, really cares.