A complete beginner! Much help is needed!

#1

I really want to knit, and have been wanting to start crafting for a really long time…thing is, I know nothing, and have no one to teach me. :C

So, I was wondering…what’s the best way to go about learning? I’ve looked at books, but none of that really helps, because it all seems advanced to me.

And I really don’t know anything at all. I don’t know stitch names or anything, but I really do want to learn!

I think at this point if I could just knit at least a scarf I could die happy lol. So any help at all would be more than lovely. Thank you so much!

#2

Welcome to Knitting Help.
There are great videos online and just a Google away that will teach basic and advanced techniques. You can look right here at the Free Videos tab at the top of this page for Getting Started. There are also all kinds of demonstrations of stitches and even a complete project. And a glossary to help you learn the names of stitches and all the pattern abbreviations you’ll come across. Seeing the videos may make it easier to look at books and decide which ones are really clear and helpful for you. There’s lots of good books out there (try the library, too).

People here are ready to help if you need it with all sorts of projects. Just make a beginning and enjoy knitting!

#3

Thank you so much. I’ve gotten really excited about learning it, and then I actually settle myself and try to learn and it gets a little overwhelming at times. But thanks for the tips! Tomorrow, hopefully, I can get to do a little yarn shopping and see what I like, and what kinds I like the feel of. :smiley:

#4

My suggestion would be to get some cotton and knit yourself a dish cloth or wash cloth. It’s small and you can practice your stitches knowing that it’s something you can use no matter how it turns out. Trying to make a scarf when you’re first learning is not such a good idea because scarves take forever to make. At least a dish cloth is small and you can see your results quickly.

Just my humble opinion!!

Susan

#5

Get some smooth, light colored yarn in a medium weight. I don’t recommend cotton for beginners because it has no memory…go with acrylic, wool or a blend to start with. Knitting needles sized 8-10 are good to learn on.

Watch the videos linked at the top of the page and we can give you more help as well. :thumbsup:

#6

One of the biggest helps I’ve found in other needle arts is to buy a good stitch dictionary which is available at most book stores. The one I personally recommend, [U][I]“Super Stitches Crochet: Essential Techniques Plus a Dictionary of More than 180 Stitch Patterns”[/I][/U], made all the difference in my crocheting. My mother started teaching me to crochet when I was only 6, but for YEARS my squares weren’t square and had more issues than you can even imagine. I could read the patterns and understand the abbreviations, but I couldn’t visualize what it was telling me to do. This stitch dictionary actually has a chart with symbols showing me where everything goes for a specific pattern, so it makes it make SO much more sense. The BEST part is that they also make one for knitting that’s done the same way, and if memory serves me, the name is identical except that it says Knitting. Either way, it looks identical on the cover except for the Knit distinction in title. (I’ve not bought it yet, though I’ve been drooling over it extensively.)

Like you, I’m a complete beginner, and this book and the videos I’ve found online are all I’m using to teach me to knit. Those paired with time, patience, and inexpensive yarn to practice with means that if I’m lucky I’m only four years from my goal of knitting a wedding ring shawl.

I hope this helps.

Tresha

#7

I concur with Jan. Get yourself some light colored yarn so you can easily see what you’re doing. I’m knitting a market bag right now in black yarn and it’s extremely difficult to see, especially at night when the lighting isn’t so good. When I want to learn something new, I view videos on Youtube. Sometimes the sound quality may not be good, the poster’s voice will be annoying, or they don’t teach the concept that great. Try a couple of videos until you find a teacher that explains things easily for you. It’s okay to keep replaying them until you understand it. All knitting is based on two stitches: knit and purl. You’ll also need to learn how to cast on and bind off.

Youtube is great. I don’t think there’s anything you can’t learn on there. My favorite was how to make a tv antenna from a styrofoam cup and a bent fork. lol Also check out Useful Pet Tricks by Jesse. Somebody posted it in this forum a few months ago and it’s hilarious.

#8

Something else to think about is how you learn best. I find on-line videos great if there is one specific stitch or technique I need help with. As a very rank beginner, I found the book, Teach Yourself Visually Knitting, an excellent resource, covering everything from choosing yarns and needles, various ways to cast-on, and tons of stitches to practice. I use it frequently as a go-to resource.

#9

Thanks for all the help, guys.

I bought a knitting starter kit as a present to myself, and everything seems to be going well. I’m working on a washcloth. Or rather, stitching a bunch of things in a square shape that will eventually resemble a poor washcloth. Lol.

It took a while to learn even just to get a slip knot done correctly. But I’ve got it down now along with the cast-on and knit stitch. Knit stitch took forever to learn, until I watched the video on here! It just clicked after that. Now I’m attempting the purl stitch, and I’m not sure how well it’s going yet.

However, I was wondering: Why in the world does it keep getting smaller? The further I go, the more the bottom gets closer together, and instead of a square, it starts looking like a triangle. Help?

#10

Count how many stitches you have on the needle and see if it is the same number of stitches that you cast on. If it’s more than you cast on, you may be making a mistake at the beginning of each row by pulling up on the first stitch so that it looks like two stitches. If you have fewer stitches than cast on, you may be dropping stitches or knitting two stitches together. If you have the same number of stitches, your tension may be getting tighter or looser as you knit. In that casse, just keep knitting and eventually the tension will even out.
This is all good because you’re making a beginning and learning as you go.