DIY: Learn to Knit!

So I do plan on going crazy with posting up knitting projects of mine, but before I get too far into it, I thought it'd be good to have a post all about how to knit.

Knitting may be a bit scary for some people to try,but trust me, it's way easier than you think. There are a lot of great teaching tools out there and I'm going to share some with you.

First, I think it's good to have an easy to understand book to refer to every now and then. I recommend:

This book is super easy to understand. It explains everything from how to pick out needles, how to read a yarn label so you get the best yarn for your project, detailed pictures of how to do almost every stitch you'd ever need to know, and good starter projects.

 Another thing to keep in mind when starting: THERE ARE 2 DIFFERENT KNITTING STYLES so if you don't get one, try the other one. There is the American way of knitting called "Throwing" or "English" and then the way I knit called "Continental". This video is a great demonstration of both ways.

Which brings me to my next point, if you don't understand what your knitting pattern is telling you to do, I guarantee that there will be an excellent knitting how to video on you tube to help you! Just make sure to specify continental or english (although it's pretty obvious which knitting style is being used do to which hand is holding the yarn).

The next important thing to do is to pick an appropriate level project for your knitting ability. If you have never knitted before or have tried it before and gave up but want to try again, DON'T start by knitting a hat or socks or gloves or anything with cables or holes!!! Those patterns may be too difficult for a beginner.

Think of it this way, when you learned to walk you didn't start out by running, you started to learn how to move by crawling. Start with something simple. I suggest a washcloth because it's small or a scarf. Whatever pattern you choose to start out with I'd choose one whose only instructions are knit & purl (k & p). Those are the two basics knitting stitches that you'll need to know. And if you can learn them, you can learn any of the others.

Another thing you could do is investigate your local yarn stores. Locally run yarn stores are going to be run by people who love to knit! And most people that love to knit, love to teach others how to knit. A lot of yarn stores even have knitting classes where you can have someone there to help you through a whole project.

The only other bit of advice I can give you is to try. Just try knitting. I promise you your first project will look terrible! There will be holes, it'll probably be crooked, but by the time you finish your project you'll understand the basics of knitting. You'll probably see your progress in your actual project as well! just don't give up!