Unlike what many people think, learning how to knit is quite easy and simple. Kitting is considered a therapeutic hobby that is not only enjoyable, fun, and extremely useful, but it also helps in soothing the mind and reducing anxiety and stress levels. Some people find that knitting is the only thing that helps them in making sense of the world. However, beginnings are always confusing and hard. If you want to start knitting but you are not sure how you should start, then this guide is perfect for you. Here is everything you should know, as a beginner, about knitting.
Beginnings Are Always the Hardest
As a beginner, you should know that the hardest thing about knitting is learning the basics. Once you have had it all figured out, you will find that it’s one of the easiest and sustainable hobbies in the world. This also applies to busy people. A lot of times, learning how to knit is extremely hard because most guides explain the steps like you already know how to knit. Also, figuring out the right needle size you should use along with the type of yarn is extremely overwhelming at first.
Start Big
As a beginner, you might be confused regarding the type of needle you should use for knitting. It’s highly recommended to start with the biggest, longest, and thickest needles. This means that the best needle for your start is the 14-inch needles. While straight needles might be easier for beginners, circular needles are much easier to handle as they don’t put nearly as much strain on your hand as straight ones. However, you can start with straight needles until you figure knitting out.
As for yarn that might be confusing as much as the needle size and type, chunky yarn is the perfect option for beginners to start with. As per experts from www.makersnook.com, starting with thick yarn types makes it easier for beginners to learn how to handle it without struggling. For chunky yarn, you might want to start by arm knitting to familiarize yourself with it before moving to needles.
YouTube Is Your Best Friend
For many years, beginners have been depending on books to learn how to knit. While books are extremely useful in learning different techniques and making more sense of the whole knitting deal, still videos are the way to go for beginners. Instead of reading about different methods and struggling with the application process, watching videos that walk you through the required steps for knitting is much more practical. You can just play the video and try to mimic and follow every illustrated step until you get the hang of knitting your own clothes.
Books Come Next
After you have learned enough from YouTube videos, you can start considering different knitting books to understand more about the logic behind choosing a certain yarn or picking one needle type over the other. Investing in a high-quality book that will walk you through different vague knitting categories is completely worth it. Some books even come with basic knitting supplies for beginners to spare them the hassle of spending hours looking for the perfect way to start. If you are not sure which book is worth your money, you can go through different online reviews from fellow knitters to find the most popular and admired book in the community.
Patterns
Patterns are slang for “instructions” in the knitting world. These are usually used to show knitters what the final product should look like. While many experienced knitters might start and complete their projects without having to take a look at the pattern, patterns are almost as essential as needles for beginners. Unless you are trying to knit a simple triangle, patterns can’t be done without.
Knitting Kits
To spare yourself the headache, you can always resort to buying a knitting kit that includes everything you might need as a beginner. These kits usually contain two pairs of needles, stitch markers, gauge, a cable hook, and yarn. While these kits’ quality might not be the best available quality in the market, they are still extremely useful if you are too overwhelmed to make any buying decision.
Learning how to knit is not only a hobby that will entertain you in your free time but also an extremely useful hobby for people who aspire to be self-sufficient. This hobby also provides the perfect escape from daily stressors and worries. As a beginner, you might find it extremely confusing and overwhelming, especially if you are not sure of the perfect place to start. However, these previously mentioned tips might help greatly.
