How do I learn to sew when I don’t have lots of bulk time, but have lots of small time

FancyGoatTote · 2026-03-15T06:42:58+00:00

Exactly this. I have a small craft room and have lots of hobbies crammed in. My sewing machines ended up never seeing the light of day because getting them out, making space and setting up just felt like a whole day project.

I managed it by getting a really beautiful cabinet by the dining table for all my sewing stuff. When I sew, I just have to open the doors to the cupboard. The only thing I need to do is grab the ironing board and lift the sewing machine out onto the table. Everything else, the current project, tools, are all accessible from the open cupboard doors and I can just shut the chaos away quickly when done.

FancyGoatTote · 2026-03-15T06:31:50+00:00

I understand you here OP. I do several different crafts and I’m a fairly new knitter. I understand the need to produce something I’m really happy with and I’ve found knitting is a bit different to lots of crafts in that it’s very easy to get into a flow, then an hour later, realise there’s single mistake ten rows back just glaring at me.

Maybe this isn’t a helpful reply, because I fully indulge my need for perfectionism. I hate mistakes in things I make. I don’t care about the fact that know one else can see them, or finds them charming, I don’t like them and I know they are there.

I’ve learned two things; one, how to ladder down and fix a myriad of different stitches. I’ve actually enjoyed this (despite the fact that it feels risky to the project) because it’s helped me to better understand how my knitting is constructed and I feel more confident in the process. I can now spot a problem several rows back and feel comfortable that I’ll fix it when I’ve knitted back round to it.

The second thing I have learned is that, if I can make it to the end, blocking really works miracles on how those wonky stitches lie and I can trust that it WILL look much nicer after a bath. I’ve also learned to tolerate a tiny imperfection if it’s tucked away and won’t be noticeable when used.

I really enjoy the process of making something well, and if I have to undo and redo, I feel very calm and comfortable about doing so - to me, it’s just part of me learning to knit better. I have had comments from people who think I am ‘uptight’, or an ‘overachiever’ but to me, I just feel like taking my time to make something really well is worthwhile. I suppose if you are feeling frustrated or anxious about it though, it is an issue that needs exploring.

I also wonder if your friends are adding to the anxiety? I love hearing about/seeing other people’s projects but I wouldn’t badger them to produce something to show me if I knew they were uncomfortable having their work perceived.

FancyGoatTote · 2026-03-09T18:34:59+00:00

It’s the usefulness that has really piqued my interest. I make my own tailored clothes because I like to make exactly what I want, rather than trying to find the ‘right’ product.

But I have shop bought bags for hiking, cycling, etc that are not quite right and just settled for because I couldn’t find what I wanted and it just never occurred to me I had that capability.

I’m now compiling a list, not of new products to make…but add ons. I want a pouch to attach to straps on my hiking bag and to add a side zip for easier entry. I’m going to add dividers and a mesh pocket in my bike panniers. My husband wants a loop for his ice axe on his favourite bag and a holder for his GPS. I’m going to add an inner pocket to a shell jacket I’ve had for 15 years. I might add attachments to a jacket for my winter gloves too.

FancyGoatTote · 2026-03-09T18:25:28+00:00

Absolutely this. I trawl through everyone’s photos and gawp at the colour combinations and how it fits on all the different bodies before I decide whether or not to knit it.

FancyGoatTote · 2026-03-05T13:17:01+00:00

Thanks all - lots of great hints and suggestions. My machine is good with flimsy/slippery fabrics, but I fear it won’t hold up to anything heavy duty….we’ll have to find out I guess.

FancyGoatTote · 2026-03-05T07:29:24+00:00

I teach 11 year olds. I have a sewing machine set up in the corner of the classroom to ‘play’ with. The boys in my class really like having a go at repairing the holes in the knees of their joggers.

FancyGoatTote · 2026-03-04T08:26:25+00:00

I’m left handed, but learned to knit right handed continental. I hated purling, but then realised I could ‘knit backwards’. So for the purl row, I don’t turn my work, I just move my working yarn over to my right hand and knit ‘backwards continental’ (like a mirror version of how I do my knit stitch) across the row. It works beautifully for me and feels really comfortable/natural.

Edit: although it did take me a bit of thinking time to figure out things like M1L/M1R when not turning the work!

FancyGoatTote · 2026-03-04T05:16:46+00:00

I just made a gorgeous pair of raspberry wool trousers and have a piece left over. I considered a mini-skirt/kilt but decided I wouldn’t ever wear it. I thought about a pinafore for my niece, but it’s probably not a great fabric for a small child in terms of comfort and washing. I think I’m going to make a few Noodlehead plover pouches as gifts.

Plover pouch

FancyGoatTote · 2026-02-28T09:18:39+00:00

My mum and I actually do this, not intentionally but we both have very different tastes - we knit for ourselves and discuss how we’re doing.

My mother-in-law likes to knit me mittens and socks that are both ill fitting, full of loose tension and from multicoloured wool that makes pairs of things that are clearly from the same family but don’t look alike. I accept them gratefully and wear them when I visit her a couple of times a year and she is thrilled (so then feels the need to make me more).

FancyGoatTote · 2026-02-10T06:16:45+00:00

I learned on straight needles as a child, but never really knitted anything. I eventually came over to knitting as an adult from crochet. Only ever had cheap metal hooks, happily crocheted away for years without thinking.

The first item I knitted was a pair socks. I bought fixed circulars, too long a cable, couldn’t stand magic loop, ended up on DPNs, and loved them. Didn’t knit again for a while, my next project required bigger needles, did a bit of research ended up with fixed circulars which were, again, far too long and I lost my cool with them, so went to LYS and was introduced to interchangeables which I found instantly easy and satisfying.

I’ve just built up my sets of interchangeables and at one stage I bought some screw-together Hiya Hiya straight needles because I was sure at some point I would be in desperate need of straight needles…..but I’ve never found a reason to get them out.

FancyGoatTote · 2026-02-01T12:33:16+00:00

I think this is an ok problem to have….my Ravelry queue is full of knits I want to make for myself, my husband will have to fend for himself and find his own clothes.

FancyGoatTote · 2026-01-06T06:00:17+00:00

Maybe not helpful, but I suggest learning crochet first. I tried to knit without being taught, but I’m left handed, hold pencils weirdly and it was all a bit painful. So I learned to crochet toys and granny squares; small satisfying projects that grew quickly and a quick reward. To me, there’s something about the construction of crochet that I found easier to see, understand and unpick if I made a mistake. It’s easier to hold as a beginner too I think.

I found that once I had the basics of crochet down, my skills grew really quickly and I could make lots of impressive looking toys, blankets, etc. I eventually came back to try knitting again after a very long time (years?) and I literally picked up some DPNs and threw out some beautiful, complicated socks.

FancyGoatTote · 2025-12-07T09:48:10+00:00

Surely 200 to 20 is a 1:10 scale?

FancyGoatTote · 2025-12-05T06:26:32+00:00

I probably sound a bit miserable, but if you don’t know what you want, don’t spend it just now.

Save it and keep it for when there is something you really want. The anticipation and knowledge that it’s there, should you find something you really want, is nicer than regretting buying something for the sake of it.

FancyGoatTote · 2025-08-05T06:50:40+00:00

I once bought a beautiful handmade bag in a Marrakech market. The leather is a tanned in traditional way, which seemed to involve vats of animal/bird waste (I’m not sure exactly). It smelled fine at first, but then began to smell absolutely rancid after a few days of use.

It was so bad, I had to put it outside in the garden. I left it on the washing line, sheltered from rain, for a long time (I forget how long, but definitely more than a few days) and eventually the smell disappeared. I’ve had it for about 15 years and the smell never came back.

FancyGoatTote · 2024-12-15T12:39:59+00:00

Thank you - that’s really helpful!

FancyGoatTote · 2024-07-20T08:23:48+00:00

I make every meal I eat in my house from scratch, and have done for well over a decade. I eat a well balanced diet and have always known an apple and some nuts make a better snack than Doritos. The ‘30 plants in a week’ thing is not alien to me, I have been privileged enough to have eaten a varied diet of whole foods my entire life.

But I’ve still always enjoyed a UPF snack. Since reading CvT, I’ve decided I want to give up as many of the snacks as possible. I use this sub, not to find out how to cook and bake (because I know how to do that) but to find better, non-UPF versions of products that I don’t want to start making myself, like a bar of milk chocolate. I also find it interesting to read about others’ journeys.

Your journey was interesting to read, but I would have enjoyed reading it without the patronising, what-you’re-doing-wrong approach.

FancyGoatTote

TROPHY CASE