My Adventures with the Knook

My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was 5. At the same time, she taught me how to knit. So I was bi-textural at a young age! She taught me lots of needle arts: how to sew on her old Singer treadle sewing machine; how to darn socks; how to thread a needle (sewing or yarn). She also knew how to make lace, do Tunisian crochet (she might have taught me that, too), do Broomstick crochet, Hairpin lace and tatting. She probably would have liked using the Knook – not just because it's so much like knitting, but with a hook instead of 2 needles. But because she couldn't read English, and had to learn her skills by looking at pictures or having some one teach her. She would have loved the videos that Leisure Arts has on their web site – you know, the ones that teach the 'how to's" of Knooking. 

When I was asked by Leisure Arts to be a part of this blog tour, I jumped at the chance. I had noticed the ads for the Knook, and really wanted to try it. It looked so interesting. Like Tunisian crochet (which I love, do, design with, and teach). It looked like knitting (which I love, do, and do some designing with), but there were subtle differences with both Tunisian crochet and knitting. I was anxious to try Knooking.

By now, if you've followed the blog tour for the past 2 weeks, you've seen how to thread the Knook with it's cord. You know how to chain and load your Knook hook with stitches. You know how to pull the cord out from the base of the stitches, and then push those stitches off the Knook hook onto the cord and bring the cord and stitches around so you can start a new row. You know that you insert the hook from left to right into the stitch, and you don't "yarn over" – you "yarn under". You may have watched the video many times. You may have even Knooked a sampler piece like I did. It sounds complicated, but it really isn't.

Here is the video, in case you haven't seen it. And some of the patterns that you can make with the Knook.

In my sampler, I did a few rows of the Knook Knit stitch, and then I worked one knit row, one purl row, and repeated that for a few rows. Here is what it looks like:

When I Knooked this sampler, I looked at the pictures and read the instructions in the book that's included in the set. But first – I looked at the video on-line. And even then, I missed some points that were made about how to insert the hook into the stitch. I went from right to left, what I'm used to, instead of left to right, which the directions tell you to do. Sometimes I forgot to do a "yarn under" - I did a "yarn over" like in crochet. I should have read each line separately, or stopped the video at each part of each step. Instead, I thought I would remember what to do. And that's why my sampler looks a little "different" in places. Remember, this is my first try at Knooking. And I plan to work at this some more. A lot more, because it's really a lot of fun to do. It's knitting with a hook! The fabric is so much like knitted fabric – if you didn't know how it was created, you would think I used 2 needles, not one Knook hook. I just have to practice!

If you're interested in knitting, this will help you learn. If you know how to knit, this will give you another way to knit. Just remember, it takes practice! And more practice! Remember when you first learned to crochet or knit? You had to practice! But once you got it, you were okay. It's the same with Knooking.

The Knook kit comes with 4 easy patterns to practice with, so you can be making a scarf or baby blanket, spa cloth or lap throw before you know it. I think my first Knook project is going to be the spa cloth. I may even enlarge it to make a scarf! I'll be able to practice my knit and purl Knook stitches, and from there – I can conquer the world!!! Okay – maybe not the world, but at least some pattern that's a little more difficult!  

Here are some more Knook patterns that I want to try:

Bottle Cozies - but I'll turn them into Coffee Cozies

Potholders - I'll learn a basketweave stitch and can make a baby afghan!

What are you going to try Knooking first? If you leave a comment about what you hope to make with a Knook, you'll be entered into a drawing, and you could win one of 2 Knook kits that I'm giving away. Write your comment before midnight (Eastern Daylight Time) on Monday, August 8, 2011, to be entered into the drawing! Please include your email address. I'll pick 2 winners using a random number generator.


Good luck, and happy Knooking!!!