Penny Smith knits
Penny Smith
Writer and GMTV presenter Penny Smith lives in London with the actor Vince Leigh.
“Staying in is the new going out. We’re all tightening our belts, but the trendy thing in credit crunch Britain is to knit them. Yes, knitting is officially trendy. And never one to be left behind, I raced off to Regent Street and Liberty department store, where special craft workshops have been re-introduced – Liberty Stitch. Or, in my new language, ‘Lib St’ – since all knitting patterns are nothing but lines of abbreviations.
To take the class, you can be a beginner or a rusty starter, like me. Jane Crowfoot, my tutor, gave me a pair of needles and I knitted up a square, while she gave me some tips.
I’ve never known any knitters, apart from Nanny and, until I decided to get in touch with my woolly side, I had looked on with awe at people who could knit. Now I realise that I, too, can become a knitter.
Jane suggested I make a bag, but I wanted a slouchy polo neck jumper with raglan sleeves from the Rowan pattern book. She took me through the abbreviations and I cast on 43 stitches. I left three hours later with the first 20 centimetres of the back of the jumper done! Only another mile to go.
Knitting is apparently excellent for those who want to give up smoking, lose weight or get away from their problems. You can lose hours in contemplation and it’s a good way of keeping your hands occupied.
Other than that, I can highly recommend it. Now that I’m not scared about dropping a stitch, I can press forward with confidence. Now excuse me, I’m just on the P2tog part of the armhole and I need to concentrate.”
Penny Smith’s novel Coming Up Next (Harper Perennial, £6.99), is out now.
Jane’s top tip
The key to a good cast on (the basis for a good result) is even tension – “tension” referring to the number of stitches and rows in a four-inch square. Prepare a small swatch to measure the tension before you start. Your pattern should state the ideal tension for the garment, so adjust yours until you get it right.
Jane Crawford is a tutor on The Liberty Stitch Programme. One-day workshops cost £50. liberty.co.uk
Other courses to try…
Stitch and Bitch, nationwide. Free weekly meetings with experts on hand to help. stitchnbitch.co.uk
Knitted Accessories, West Yorkshire.£75 for the weekend. knitrowan.com
Embroidery, West Sussex. £40 for the day, with materials. larasparks-embroidery.co.uk
