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Knitting and crocheting! You mean to tell me I had the ability to 3d print my own custom fitted, seamless clothing with designs of my own choice on them this entire time? Seamless socks were always achievable??
… tell me more about this seamless magic?
Basically, a lot of things can be knitted in one piece so that there are no seams, socks included. Generally, toe-up socks (socks where you start knitting the toe and then knit the rest of the sock) are the easiest to make seamless. Socks knitted toe down are seamed up with a stitch called the Kitchener stitch, which, because it completely matches the way that stitches work when knitting, is flat and often perceived as seamless, too, but I prefer to do toe-up socks.
When I started learning to knit, I did a few very basic flat pieces and then jumped right into socks. After struggling with various patterns, I found this video, which is long but does a very good detailed breakdown of how to knit socks, with a corresponding pattern that’s like 2 bucks USD as I recall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxiCUqujZnY
I did, however, still have to restart my first sock like five times before I made a successful sock, because it is just a lot of things to learn if you’re totally new. I found it easier from a motivation perspective to start with a project that I really wanted to do and tolerate multiple failures than to do several smaller projects first that would have helped me build skill but did not interest me. Your own mileage may of course vary.
A few notes on sock knitting for folks who, like me, hate seams. They will not make sense to you without some experience under your belt, but will be useful later:
- Be careful with tension on the toe box, or else you can end up with “ears” (little bumps at each end of the area where you cast on) which you may notice on your toes. You want it a bit looser than usual.
- When you start your sock, you will have a bit of leftover yarn on one side, because that’s how it works. This yarn is typically woven into the sock. If you do it wrong, you may end up with a bump you can feel. I suggest doing a duplicate stitch up above your big toe area, where it will not be very perceivable.
- I personally like to make fitted “left” and “right” socks for even more comfort. This video just does a symmetrical sock, though.
Knitting takes some time to learn, requires a tolerance for failure and restarting projects, and is a slow way to make clothing (expect to spread each sock over the course of 2-3 days of knitting for a few hours each day.) But it also will provide you with some of the most customized and comfortable stuff you have ever worn. This is a trade-off that works for me. I hope it will work for you, or that if it does not, you are able to find someone who knits who you can arrange to acquire socks from!
(Edited to add: socks are the easiest and quickest example of this, but you can get a lot of clothes made seamlessly with knitting. Ravelry has a whole tag for it: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/attributes/seamless)
Thanks! I think the chance is indeed high that I’ll end up in the “acquire” zone but super interesting!
Lifting!
And gender therapy. I’m calling it a hobby.
If I’d known that my knuckles would eventually fall apart playing guitar, I’d have focused on singing, earlier. Maybe drumming, too.
It’s not just range and power that are key, but breathing technique, nuance, phrasing, voice character… loads of stuff that one doesn’t necessarily first think of when it comes to the challenge of singing well.
Drumming! I wanted to play the drums starting way back in Jr high, but they wouldn’t let you do it unless you had previously had at least 2 years of piano lessons. Way to keep out the poor kids. I wish I had lied.
Dunno if this would have helped, but as a middle-aged man I discovered the wonder of hand drums to accompany karaoke and such.
Djembes, congos, tambo-drums, whatever. You can take the smaller ones with you anywhere, mess around as you like, and the good ones can produce a surprisingly big sound.
- Long walks.
- Sketching & watercolor.
Therapy
