I decided to learn to knit, and since no one I know knits, I’m trying to learn from KH and a book I bought (The Knitting Experience by Sally Melville), but unfortunately, it’s much easier for me to learn by watching someone in person. I can’t for the life of me figure out how to hold the needles and keep my stitches from a) falling off the needle, and b) being too tight and/or loose. I know that it takes practice, but did anyone else have difficulty handling the yarn and the needles at first?
YES!!!
At first, my hands hurt, my stitches were uneven, and at one point towards the very beginning, I was SO proud of myself…I was going to show my sister my new skill, and I COULDN’T REMEMBER HOW TO DO IT!! :wall:
It gets better, really!!! Keep at it!! Do you have a yarn store nearby? They offer lessons, and usually they’re really friendly too.
Good luck!!
Oh yes… that first evening I was about to throw the yarn and needles out into the yard… kept frogging and frogging… best advice I got was quit frogging and just go with it… you will get the hang of it and see your process as it goes… it does feel weird in the beginning but gets easier… the way you hold your needles and yarn is up to you as well… just keep trying different ways until one feels right to you… hang in there 
firts time knitting is realy realy hard but in like 2days or something u’ll think what was all the fuss about. good luck!
Yep, I agree 100%! When I was first learning to knit, the best advice I received was to spend the first week practicing the knit stitch so that it becomes second nature. So I cast on 25 stitches and just kept knitting, even when I made mistakes. That’s how I found KH. I just didn’t feel comfortable holding the knitting needles, and did a search to see if there were any videos out on the web. Woohoo, Amy! Amy’s videos on the knit stitch were so helpful. I just sat in front of the computer with my knitting and played the videos over and over and over…Kept trying both English and Continental to see which was a better fit for me (Continental won).
So just keep trying and you’ll get more comfortable with it. You can do it!
Definitely! I felt like I was all thumbs! Hang in there, you’ll get it!
Here’s another couple sites that you can use to help you along with KH.
Lion Brand - Learn to knit
Knitting at Noon Videos
Oh yes of course! I REALLY struggled at first but thank gods for Amy’s videos and the people in this forum! It’s a good thing that you’ve found this site, sooner or later you’ll begin to find this website very helpful and supportive. Don’t worry, we all had the same problems before :), just keep at it and you’ll become addicted to it :teehee: Good luck
Yes! I had learned to crochet as a little girl, so the idea of how the yarn would actually work off of straight tips and not hooks without falling off every two seconds was very intimidating for me (and frustrating!). To just keep knitting and not frogging is great advice–this is how I learned how to knit, and I think if I had to frog every time I made a mistake, I’d probably have given up knitting, I would’ve gotten so disheartened. There are really great videos on this site that may help you…I’ve learned quite a few techniques by watching because I too am the type of person that learns by watching. If it makes you feel any better, I think I was knitting for a whole year :oops: before I learned how to hold the yarn for my tension. One day I was just knitting, and it just clicked and felt so very natural for me, like I had always done it. Just keep trying to practice, maybe on a small project or on a swatch with just maybe like 10 stitches across. That way, it’s easy to count your stitches to make sure that you didn’t drop any or pick up any extras along the way, and you can see your progress faster because the row is shorter. Try to practice every day even if it’s just for like 15 minutes (if you can) so that you don’t forget what you’ve mastered and learned. Don’t give up–you can do it!!! :cheering:
Welcome to our world! (Love your name… :teehee: )
Hang in there. We were all where you are once. You’ll get the hang of it in no time and will soon be making socks!!
I definitely had a hard time at first, but Amy’s video’s helped A LOT. I was trying to show a friend of mine how to knit the other day, and she was getting very frusterated because she wasn’t holding it the right way which was making it hard for her. Even with me showing her she had a hard time…I think that’s just how it is in the beginning. Hang in there and you’ll get it!
Yeah, I tried learning from the Stitch n Bitch book and while the book is very good, I too learn better from watching something being done. So, I stumbled upon this site and just kept watching and watching Amy’s videos! At first it all seemed soo overwhelming, I thought there was no way I would ever learn anything past knitting and purling…lol…It was definitely very awkward starting out, but I swear, if I can knit, anyone can! lol…Keep at it and even just months from now you’ll be questioning why you ever found it so difficult…haha
I was very frustrated too - I started a little over a year ago. My first night in class I broke the yarn becasue I was knitting so tightly. Just keep practicing - pretty soon you won’t be able to stop! 
Don’t be frustrated. If you practice, you’ll soon find that it’s really not that hard. Remember, knitting should be fun!
You could also visit the “Knitter’s near you” part of the forum and see if you can find fellow-knitters in your area. Madness is always better when it’s shared :teehee:
Wow… you guys are awesome. I was beginning to think I was too clumsy to knit! Thanks for the encouragement!!!
Thanks, knittingdork, for expressing exactly what I’m feeling as a total newbie, too. :wall: I guess I just expected I’d catch on immediately, when I really know it’s all about practice, practice, practice! I don’t know why I can’t just start out being able to make a sweater!! LOL xxx
Ya know, knitting is kind of like a stick shift…lol…I had always driven an automatic and thought there was absolutely no way I could ever drive a stick; I figured I was no where near coordinated enough to move both my feet around and mess with the stick…lol…It took a while for me to learn, and a lot of killing my truck, especially in traffic…And, hills were HORRIBLE! I’d take long round about ways to wherever I needed to go just to avoid hills…lol…Eventually, I got the hang of it and now do it without even thinking of what I’m doing, it just comes naturally. We recently got another car (the “family car” hahaha) and that is an automatic. Being home with the kids all the time, that has become my car and hubby drives the truck, however, on the rare occasions I do need the truck, I get in there and, just like a bicycle, I haven’t forgotten how to do it. I promise you, that is how it will get with knitting. I began knitting just over a year ago and already feel confident enough to tackle more intricate projects. If you just get the knit stitch and purl stitch down, you’re golden! BTW, don’t even think about gauge right now! When I started, I made scarves, scarves and more scarves! I worked my way up once I became confident with garter stitch and moved on to the purl stitch and just kept going from there. I won’t lie, it did become a bit boring and monotonous doing the same thing over and over again, but, that enabled me to see what kind of knitter I am. Some people knit tightly, some knit loosely, some in between. Once you’re comfortable with your style, then worry about gauge. Honestly though, I still haven’t done anything that requires gauge…lol…Just keep at it and don’t let yourself get frustrated. I have little patience and get frustrated quite easily, however, knitting is an art I had wanted to learn for a long, long time. No one I knew knit so I knew the only way to learn was to be patient and vigilant. Like I said, if I can do it, anyone can…I have to be the most impatient person I know…And I HATE reading instructions, AND, I usually give up on things if I can’t get the hang of it quickly…lol…But, I knew I had to be patient and take it one step at a time or I’d never progress.
Sorry for the novel…lol
I guess I’m lucky that my grandmother and mother taught me and my sisters how to knit and crochet as young children. Like someone else said, it’s like riding a bicycle - I go years and years without doing it, then the knitting or crocheting bug hits! Not that I’m GOOD at it, but I have the basic feel for how it works and can jump in and start a project even after having been away from needles for several years.
So - knittings moms (and dads) of the world - compel your children to learn to knit! and play piano! and dance ballet! Sure they may hate it now (oooh I hated ballet as a child) but later they will thank you. (Well, I don’t thank my mother for ballet because she actually let me quit when I complained, and as an adult I wished I had tried harder!!)
It is all about practice, and I need lots of practice when I’ve gone too long. and I don’t worry tooo much about perfection. I ask myself: will the mistake I made 5 rows back ruin the item? Make it fall apart? Cause bodily harm? NO? then it stays as is!!
Good luck!!
Hi Everybody - this is my first post to the forum.
Knittingdork - I felt the very same … had a little booklet to teach basic knitting steps … and it was so awkward and confusing…I gave up. Then I took a free 2 hour class at a local arts/crafts shop … walked out still a bit confused but at least could do something! Just kept at it and knitted a couple of scarfs … couldn’t even purl at at that point - ha! put aside for over a year. Recently I got my needles and yarn back out (a few weeks before Christmas) and could not remember a single thing! Started over … kept at it … and it finally clicked … well, a little … but I managed a few scarves for Christmas presents and the past couple of weeks I’ve made a couple of hobo bags (they are knitted but not finished - still need to sew together).
I can now gladly claim that the knitting bug has bitten - and hard! I love, love, love it … and just found this site today and joined. I can’t wait to watch the videos and LEARN more! I’m thinking about switching to continental style now before I get too accustomed to my present knitting skill (?) - ha! - I like that it is faster.
Anyway, hope to be here often and maybe soon I’ll be able to post pictures of my first few projects. I have so many more lined up I want to do. But sometimes I have to take time out for … uhmmm… life you know - ha!
Notice you’re a Southern CA’er too! You have company in a fellow newbie - maybe closer than we realize?!
Good luck … and may you be bitten too!