u/Bernina_4049

Dear knitting community, I apologize in advance for my complete ignorance: I am grateful for any pointers.

I used to knit a bit when I was a teenager, but never went very far and I can basically only do straight rows of “normal stitches” (I am sorry I don’t even know the vocabulary for it). I have this woolen poncho that I love very much: it keeps my back and neck warm while I sit at my desk, is super light and does not restrict movement in any way. I would love to have a second identical one in a different color, and I believe I can knit it myself… but it has been a long time. What would I need to do? What would I need to buy? I can see the wool thread is quite thick and the knit very loose, so I probably need thick needles as well? And how do I do the transition to the neck? Sorry if these are silly questions, I am just completely ignorant and I’m not really sure where to start, or even what to search for for tutorials, etc.

I’ve started learning piano (with a teacher) almost two years ago, starting from scratch but with the specific goal of playing the WTC ...and whatever else will be reachable before, around, and beyond. I am currently learning some of Bach’s Inventions. I’ve been studying music theory by myself, with a combination of books and online courses, and can read music serviceably, if not super fluently.

I have recently changed teachers and my new teacher has quite a standing, particularly in ancient and baroque music...which makes for incredibly fascinating lessons. Last week we were talking about doing harmonic analysis with Bach’s music, and he said that modern harmonic theory is not very useful in that context, and I should go back to how music was taught in Bach’s times. He mentioned, among other things, the rule of the octave, and casually demonstrated it on the keyboard in a couple of keys. I was immediately captivated. I have done a bit of simple counterpoint and encountered the concept of figured bass at some point, but had no idea of the depth of the rabbit hole until I started searching for “rule of the octave”.

So now I would love to explore that universe a bit, but without getting too academic and getting caught up in music history. Just hands-on, at the keyboard, and with the specific aim to understand how Bach and contemporaries structured their music.

Which resources would you recommend for someone who is not a student of music history but rather interested in the practical musicianship in Bach’s times?

Help on how to make this poncho