Hi! I am JUST beginning to try to teach myself to knit. I bought a kit at the store, but I have a few questions . . .
What style is best for a lefty? I tried English style and continental and the continental seemed to feel a bit better.
What is a good needle for a beginner? The kit has a pair of 6 and 8 size needles. But they are metal. Should I get some wooden needles? The yarn seems to slip on these a lot.
What is a good type of yarn to begin with? I bought some pretty yarn but it is very slippery (bamboo and acrylic).
What style is best for a lefty? I tried English style and continental and the continental seemed to feel a bit better.
Either will work. Do what is best for you. Continental seems to be faster for most, but can cause looser/slower stitches when purling.
What is a good needle for a beginner? The kit has a pair of 6 and 8 size needles. But they are metal. Should I get some wooden needles? The yarn seems to slip on these a lot.
Great sizes to start with. Can makes lots of hats, scarfs, pot holders, dishcloths with those.
Metal is slicker and the yarn will move easier on them. This is good for some projects (big blankets and sweaters), not so for others (lace).
Wood needles will "grip " the yarn. This is good if you don’t want things to slide (lace), but bad if the yarn is sticky/catching or if you are a tight knitter.
Again, use what feels best to you, and is best for your project/yarn.
What is a good type of yarn to begin with? I bought some pretty yarn but it is very slippery (bamboo and acrylic).
Cotton (as long as it is not mercerized) seems to be less slippery, and works well for those potholders and dishcloths.
Acrylic is usually not too slippery, unless it is a blend. It is washable (as is cotton) so great for kids clothes, hats and scarves.
Wool yarns vary a lot, depending on animal type and blend. It can’t be washed (unless you want to felt), so use it wisely for nice projects that you are willing to wash/tend to by hand.
Most lefties I know knit right handed…that is they go from right to left along the row regardless of the style of knitting they choose to use. I personally only know one lefty who knits truly left handed going from left to right along the row. She has to rewrite most patterns to work with that.
So if you’re going to knit right handed use whichever method works best for you.
I find worsted acrylic or wool the best options for new knitters. Cotton is not easy to knit with because it has no memory so your stitches often don’t look as nice and makes your tension look off. Once you learn how to knit you can use it.
Any needle you’re comfortable with is fine. Try the metal and see how you do. I started with bamboo myself, but prefer metal now. Best size to start is usually 8-10.
Are you using printed material to learn how to knit? This is going to sound stupid, but hold it up to a mirror to reverse the how-to illustrations. You can also scan the pictures into your computer and edit them. Photoshop has a setting where you can reverse the pictures like a photo negative.
