So I’m nearing the end of my baby blanket and trying to figure out what to knit next since I’m a new knitter. Lol. Do I work on something simple like a scarf or dishcloth or start the afgan I want to make for my cousin for her wedding? It will probably be some dishcloths for my cousin for her wedding shower then the afgan, but there’s just so many things I want to knit and start learning how to make.
Go with whatever you feel comfortable with. A baby blanket is just a really big dishcloth. You will have no trouble with that…
Afghan is a big undertaking, but definatly a good step! Especially if it is done in pieces.
I use two pieces of criteria for my next projects…
Is it going to challenge me?
Do I really like the piece?
It doesn’t need to challenge me if I really like the piece, and I won’t do a piece I don’t like the look of just cause it is going to challenge me, but it has to be doing one of those two things, with one exception…
I am going to be paid for or gifting an item on a time restriction. 9x out of 10, I get bored with these projects, but they do get done…
If you plan to give your cousin an afghan for her wedding, you have to gauge the amount of time needed to complete the afghan. When is the wedding? The date of the wedding may determine whether or not your next project needs to be the afghan.
An afghan isn’t a hard project, but as a project for a new knitter it may not be the best for two reasons.
- It’s far from instant gratification…they can take forever…or just seem like it. :teehee:
- As a gift you want it to be “perfect” and a new knitter could get frustrated easily.
I think if you want to learn new techniques and want a fairly quick project to use and show off then a smaller project is a good idea. 
I think an afghan is a great idea! However, I tried to knit one when I was new to knitting and I got soooo bored with it. I have never finished it to date and ended up frogging it. If you think you have the patience then go for it! I am a very impatient person but that’s just me. If you want something new and challenging then I would try socks or maybe a shoulderette. A lovely white shawl/shoulderette would be a great wedding present! There are very nice ones on Ravelry and Knitty. I also made some nice socks with Silver’s Sock Tutorial when I was still new to knitting. I think with clear instructions socks aren’t too hard to make although they are challenging. Whatever you do, I’m sure it will be great! Good luck!
well the wedding is the end of july and the afgan I have narrowed it down to is like a patchwork one her wedding colors are pink and white so I’d most likely do those but I have a feeling with a patchwork one it wouldnt be a tedious, I’m leaning more towards the first one
http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/90209AD.html?keywords=noImages&r=1
http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/kwetq-9CousinsThrow.html?noImages
Personally I’d avoid anything required that much seaming, but if you don’t mind then those are pretty.
yea the seaming won’t be too much fun but after the baby blanket I’m working on I think I’d rather do a bunch of small pieces that are easier to transport since I often knit at work, but I do think before I start the afgan I’m going to make myself a scarf out of some fabulous yarn in like a coral color to wear when I go to Paris this summer…since all the other projects I have planned are gifts for others
I had to LOL at this part. Welcome to the club! I don’t think it matters how long you’ve been knitting, your list of wannabe projects seem to constantly far outweigh the time you have to knit.
As far as what to do next? Personally I prefer to get my deadline projects out of the way before I start personal projects. But that’s just me. And those patterns you’ve picked out are all pretty. I’m like Jan though, I really don’t like seaming so I’d probably go with a log cabin pattern before I’d sew a bunch of squares together.
We look forward to seeing what you decide!
yea I like the look of the log cabin patterns but I’m not quite sure on how to pick up stitches, I’ll probably try a log cabin pattern for the one I’m going to make for my moms dog
Picking up stitches is just like anything else you have to learn to improve your knitting. It’s not hard and there’s a video under tips (I think).
If you have a deadline, start the afghan now and when you need a change you can set aside and work on your scarf. If I was doing the one in your first link, I would do it in strips which would cut down on the seaming later on. Still wouldn’t be too awkward, heavy or warm to handle with summer coming on. good luck and have fun with your decision!