Knitting: Where to start
Jan. 6th, 2012 07:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
loquaciousThere's been a lot of interest on my Plurk List recently about knitting and I've had several people ask how to get started. So here's a quick and dirty get started guide that's focused mostly on what you need to buy to get started and why.
Basics:
I learned to knit from Martha Stewart with the help of a friend when I was in high school. Everything I did in high school was pretty basic and it wasn't until years later when I was out of college that I really started to get more interested and pushed myself to learn more complex things. I am by no means an expert, and leave the finer points of stitches, cast ons and more to people who are.
This information is all common enough to find, and I'm not giving any new or different advice besides a few tidbits from my own experience. I wanted to put it all in one place considering how often I've been asked lately what someone needs to get started. If those of you with more experience have other suggestions, I'm happy to add them in!
As for what to do once you're ready to learn I will let people who have better video skills have a go:
Needles:
There are three main types of needles; single pointed, double pointed (dpns) and circular.
For the purposes of starting out, I would not suggest dpns or circular needles. They can be more expensive, less useful for easy designs and are just confusing to learn on.
Needle sizes range from 000 to 15 US (metric conversions), each a different diameter and meant for different sizes of yarn and stitches. The most useful needles for beginner knitters will be 7, 8 or 9. Those are right in the middle and do best with worsted weight yarn which is the most common yarn weight.
For the most part needles will come in either bamboo, metal or plastic. Personally, I don't like plastic needles. The only way I can work with them is in large sizes or with specialty yarn, it's definitely my least favorite of the three.
Between metal and bamboo I tend to lean toward metal for single point and bamboo for double pointed needles. (This has to do with how "fast" the surfaces are and the way I, personally, knit.) In general, there isn't much difference between them other than the bamboo can break down with a lot of use. I destroyed a bamboo circular needle knitting an afghan on it, so I can say for sure it is definitely possible.
Lastly, all needles come in different lengths. I don't think I'd recommend very long needles for a beginning knitter just because they can be a pain to work with and for basic block projects you don't need that much real estate.
My suggestion is to get a pair of ~13" (~33cm) long size 8 (5mm) needles in either metal or bamboo. (Example bamboo and metal needles I'm quite fond of)
Yarn:
Yarn comes in weights from 1 (super fine) to 6 (super bulky) and various types within those sizes. A good breakdown by yarn weight can be found here.
Weight is super important in knitting, it determines the size of needles you use and the look of the finished product. Larger needles for larger weight yarn. Or larger needles for a looser look with smaller weight yarn.
The most common size you will find all over the place is worsted weight, which is size 4. Most of the cheap and plentiful yarn you will find in craft stores will be worsted weight. If you look on the label it should either say it's worsted weight or have a little square symbol with a skein of yarn with a number 4 on it. Other indicators are a recommended needle size of 8 (Or crochet hook size H if it's tricky like that) or 10ply.
There are more yarns in the world than stars in the sky and you'll probably figure out what you like to work with fairly easily when you start experimenting with it. I don't really recommend starting out with something very expensive because as nice as it looks, it really sucks if you have something go wrong and end up needing to cut it. Most mistakes can be unraveled, but occasionally something gets messed up so badly there's just no hope for it and it's way less painful to cut a few inches off a giant skein that cost $4 than a specialty hank of hand dyed wool that costs $40.
As a small note to anyone like me who is allergic to wool: A lot of yarn, especially specialty yarn, has wool in it. I find that the more I work with wool the easier it gets in general. Very low quality wool does make my hands burn from time to time, but mostly I don't have issues with working with wool yarn, just wearing it. I should also note that I am VERY allergic to wool, even expensive high quality wool clothes make me itch all over. So if I can still work with it chances are you can too. Don't let that scare you away.
I recommend getting relatively cheap size 4/worsted weight yarn in any color you like. (This Caron Simply Soft is probably one of my favorites overall for feel, color and ease to work with)
Other Stuff:
None of these things are necessary when you first start off, but will be useful to get eventually if you want to continue knitting. These are general items I find useful in almost all of my knitting as opposed to specialized things like stitch holders and cable needles.
Markers: Some patterns will call for you to mark a spot or a stitch and store bought markers can be helpful for this. I have two different types, one made to go on needles and one made to go in the yarn itself. They are extremely easy to make yourself with extra bits of yarn, but I got a bunch with a knitting kit I bought a long time ago so I use those.
Counters: Definitely useful once you start getting into working from patterns. I will sometimes just write down where I am so I don't lose my place, but having a counter that fits on a needle is helpful, too.
Scissors: I use special sewing scissors with a very fine tip that I took from my mother when it was clear she was never going to try quilting again. They're not necessary by any means, but I would suggest using very sharp scissors so you don't risk splitting or unraveling the yarn when you cut it.
Yarn Sized Sewing Needles (there's a better word for this, but for the life of me I can't remember it): Not necessary for starting out, but yarn sized sewing needles are very useful for connecting and finishing pieces. I have a standard straight and an offset one. Both are very useful.
If anyone has questions, or if I missed something, please let me know.
I am happy to help out with advice and WTFs, both here on my journal and on Plurk. Otherwise, any beginner pattern suggestions? I'll add some in when I can!
Basics:
I learned to knit from Martha Stewart with the help of a friend when I was in high school. Everything I did in high school was pretty basic and it wasn't until years later when I was out of college that I really started to get more interested and pushed myself to learn more complex things. I am by no means an expert, and leave the finer points of stitches, cast ons and more to people who are.
This information is all common enough to find, and I'm not giving any new or different advice besides a few tidbits from my own experience. I wanted to put it all in one place considering how often I've been asked lately what someone needs to get started. If those of you with more experience have other suggestions, I'm happy to add them in!
As for what to do once you're ready to learn I will let people who have better video skills have a go:
- Casting on
- Various knitting tips (thanks, Boatmom!)
Needles:
There are three main types of needles; single pointed, double pointed (dpns) and circular.
For the purposes of starting out, I would not suggest dpns or circular needles. They can be more expensive, less useful for easy designs and are just confusing to learn on.
Needle sizes range from 000 to 15 US (metric conversions), each a different diameter and meant for different sizes of yarn and stitches. The most useful needles for beginner knitters will be 7, 8 or 9. Those are right in the middle and do best with worsted weight yarn which is the most common yarn weight.
For the most part needles will come in either bamboo, metal or plastic. Personally, I don't like plastic needles. The only way I can work with them is in large sizes or with specialty yarn, it's definitely my least favorite of the three.
Between metal and bamboo I tend to lean toward metal for single point and bamboo for double pointed needles. (This has to do with how "fast" the surfaces are and the way I, personally, knit.) In general, there isn't much difference between them other than the bamboo can break down with a lot of use. I destroyed a bamboo circular needle knitting an afghan on it, so I can say for sure it is definitely possible.
Lastly, all needles come in different lengths. I don't think I'd recommend very long needles for a beginning knitter just because they can be a pain to work with and for basic block projects you don't need that much real estate.
My suggestion is to get a pair of ~13" (~33cm) long size 8 (5mm) needles in either metal or bamboo. (Example bamboo and metal needles I'm quite fond of)
Yarn:
Yarn comes in weights from 1 (super fine) to 6 (super bulky) and various types within those sizes. A good breakdown by yarn weight can be found here.
Weight is super important in knitting, it determines the size of needles you use and the look of the finished product. Larger needles for larger weight yarn. Or larger needles for a looser look with smaller weight yarn.
The most common size you will find all over the place is worsted weight, which is size 4. Most of the cheap and plentiful yarn you will find in craft stores will be worsted weight. If you look on the label it should either say it's worsted weight or have a little square symbol with a skein of yarn with a number 4 on it. Other indicators are a recommended needle size of 8 (Or crochet hook size H if it's tricky like that) or 10ply.
There are more yarns in the world than stars in the sky and you'll probably figure out what you like to work with fairly easily when you start experimenting with it. I don't really recommend starting out with something very expensive because as nice as it looks, it really sucks if you have something go wrong and end up needing to cut it. Most mistakes can be unraveled, but occasionally something gets messed up so badly there's just no hope for it and it's way less painful to cut a few inches off a giant skein that cost $4 than a specialty hank of hand dyed wool that costs $40.
As a small note to anyone like me who is allergic to wool: A lot of yarn, especially specialty yarn, has wool in it. I find that the more I work with wool the easier it gets in general. Very low quality wool does make my hands burn from time to time, but mostly I don't have issues with working with wool yarn, just wearing it. I should also note that I am VERY allergic to wool, even expensive high quality wool clothes make me itch all over. So if I can still work with it chances are you can too. Don't let that scare you away.
I recommend getting relatively cheap size 4/worsted weight yarn in any color you like. (This Caron Simply Soft is probably one of my favorites overall for feel, color and ease to work with)
Other Stuff:
None of these things are necessary when you first start off, but will be useful to get eventually if you want to continue knitting. These are general items I find useful in almost all of my knitting as opposed to specialized things like stitch holders and cable needles.
Markers: Some patterns will call for you to mark a spot or a stitch and store bought markers can be helpful for this. I have two different types, one made to go on needles and one made to go in the yarn itself. They are extremely easy to make yourself with extra bits of yarn, but I got a bunch with a knitting kit I bought a long time ago so I use those.
Counters: Definitely useful once you start getting into working from patterns. I will sometimes just write down where I am so I don't lose my place, but having a counter that fits on a needle is helpful, too.
Scissors: I use special sewing scissors with a very fine tip that I took from my mother when it was clear she was never going to try quilting again. They're not necessary by any means, but I would suggest using very sharp scissors so you don't risk splitting or unraveling the yarn when you cut it.
Yarn Sized Sewing Needles (there's a better word for this, but for the life of me I can't remember it): Not necessary for starting out, but yarn sized sewing needles are very useful for connecting and finishing pieces. I have a standard straight and an offset one. Both are very useful.
If anyone has questions, or if I missed something, please let me know.
I am happy to help out with advice and WTFs, both here on my journal and on Plurk. Otherwise, any beginner pattern suggestions? I'll add some in when I can!
