A Reflection on Online Tutorials: Knitting Edition

What is DIY Learning? That is what I created this class to discover. I have thought about it a lot in the past few weeks, and started noticing that a lot of things I take for granted are a result of online learning.

For example, let's take knitting. I am a huge knitter. I just finished my first sweater, which I am very proud of. When I tell people I knit, they always comment on how "cute" or "sweet" it is. Yes, I know knitting is mainly thought of as an activity grandmothers do to pass the time in their rocking chairs. But there has been a lot of research on the effects of knitting on mental health plus my friends and family are always really touched by my hand-knit gifts.

I have been knitting for a little over a year now. To be fair, I learned the basics of knitting in elementary school when my mom started knitting. But once my mom had made about 15 scarves and could not seem to follow the VHS tutorials she stopped knitting, and so did I.

My best friend Rachel, on the other hand, started in third grade and has been knitting ever since. Instead of late night high school parties she spent her afternoons at her local knitting store, where she was the youngest member there by several decades. She tells me how these women, retired or stay at home moms, spend their lives at the yarn store, sitting at the table, buying yarn, and getting help from more experienced knitters.

Rachel has been knitting for over a decade. I have been knitting for a year. Here's the paradox: Rachel comes to me when she needs help. Why? Because ironically I know different skills and I am not afraid to learn a new technique.

This, I think, is why online learning appeals to me so much. It has made me more adventurous and less fearful of failure.

A particular example of this is with the knitting technique of learning to cast on. There are multiple ways to cast on to start your project, and almost every educational knitting book has a diagram or explanation. But teaching yourself a new skill is not a "one size fits all" deal, especially with creative minds. My mother could not figure out how to cast on, and always had the woman at the craft store start her project (I assume she annoyed customers in line more than once). She had beginner knitting books and a few VHS tapes but still, it's a hard technique to learn without a specialized lesson.

A quick YouTube search shows me:

If you have specific problems, there are videos for that

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. I will hopefully be adding another soon. Here is my personal favorite cast on video, but feel free to find your own lesson that works for you. Isn't that what online education is all about?

Stay Creative,
Rebecca