I’m a beginning knitter, and I’d love to have a list of things you long-time knitters have learned along the way. What do you wish you had known when you started that would have helped you avoid knitting disasters/headaches or wasted money/time? What should I look for in yarn/patterns/needles and what should I avoid?
Thanks so much for your advice! 
I would have bought an interchangeable needle set. I wouldn’t have ever bought straight needles.
As far as techniques, I wish that I had known to cast on with two needles held together and then slide one out in order to keep my cast on from being too tight.
Welcome to the club!
Hmm…have to think about this, but here’s one thing I do remember was very helpful. Learn to tell the difference between knit and purl stitches by looking at them.
I, too, wish I had known about both interchangeable and addi turbo needles. Of course, now there are the KnitPicks Options interchangeable set! I wish i had known that you can knit with circular needles exclusively, I would have saved a good deal of $ because I bought many straights, good, expensive straights, that I ended up selling on Ebay.
I wish I had known about www.knittingpatterncentral.com and all of the tutorials that are found on the web.
Organization…keep everything organized from day one!
Stretch your hands/fingers before you begin to knit and about every 15-20 minutes. Take breaks during marathon knitting or you will end up with shoulder pain!
I have to agree with buying an interchangeable set. Also, be sure to relax every couple of minutes…it seemed like in the beginning when I was concentrating so hard I would end up with sore shoulders and hands in a death grip on the needles!
I wish I’d used lifelines earlier.
Oh my gosh, YES…that is my #1 wish. Related to that, I wish someone had told me earlier that a knit stitch on one side produces a purl stitch on the other side, and vice versa. Things made a lot more sense once I realized that and it wasn’t, like, HUH? anymore when a pattern told me to knit the knits and purl the purls.
omgoshh thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu 
Had I known that earlier!!! my hands and shoulder wouldn’t hurt so bad!! 
Acquiring skill takes practice… 
I wish I would have ignored the rule of thumb that Beginning knitters should start on sz 8 needles and with worsted weight yarn. :wall: :wall: I have been kintting approx 4 mos now and I have learned FOR ME that knitting on larger needles (sz 11,13, 15) and chunky/ or superchunky yarn (sz/wts 5/6 ) ARE SO MUCH EASIER TO WORK WITH AS A BEGINNER!! I know MANY people prefer sz 8 and smaller but I was FOREVER trying to figure which bump went where, what loop went in the front and what went in the back) When I tried LARGE needles and LARGE yarn I coulld SEE what I was looking at/for so much easier … especially as a new knitter when everything looked like such a complicated mess!!! :?? :??
also my teacher at Michaels taught me a trick that helped to knit with the working yarn and not the other yarn. I was taught the long tail CO method and so I always had an excess on the left side needle. When I just pinned up or tied the extra yarn loosely in a knot I QUIT knitting with the wrong yarn and started knitting with the working yarn (yarn from the ball)… I hope this didn’t confuse you too much. … If it did just remember TRY LARGER NEEDLES AND YARNS AS A BEGINNER… IT WAS SOOOOOOO MUCH EASIER TO START WITH!!!
The lady at the LYS recommended worsted weight yarn and size 7 susan bates straight needles to start so that’s what I ended up with. When I found KH (googled for knitting videos because the book I was using was bogus), I saw Amy’s comment about how size 10 1/2 needles are ideal for a beginner and how it’s preferable not to go below 8. Well, was she right! The yarn I first bought was also mainly acrylic, and not very stretchy. Once I got some larger Denise Interchangeables (nice because they weren’t as slippery as metal), and some decent wool yarn, I had a much easier time knitting.
To sum up:
[ul]Avoid metal needles to start – too slippery
Use at least size 10 1/2 or larger needles
Find a nice stretchy yarn (like wool) – it is much for forgiving than cotton or acrylic.
Avoid novelty yarns and dark colors.
Make use of Amy’s videos on KH. They are the best!
Come to this forum when you have questions. Everybody’s really nice![/ul]
I think the best thing to learn in the beginning is gauge. Mostly just know that if you use a chunky weight yarn and size 15US needles, your scarf will be much bigger (unless the pattern calls for chunky weight yarn and size 15 needles. In that case, use the latter). Don’t worry about stiches per inch or anything, just use the same needle size and yarn weight as in the pattern. They know what they’re talking about.
And HAVE FUN!!! That’s the most important part. :happydance:
Don’t buy super-cheap circular needles! They’re completely unusable.
Any pattern/garment is possible if you take time to read and understand it!
Knitting stuff you really need: needle gauge (more than one if you take your knitting with you), tape measurer, tip protectors (although you can use the erasers that you put on pencils)
Knitting stuff you don’t really need, but people will try to sell you:
Stitch holders - size 10 mercerized cotton works GREAT for these
Stitch markers - the plastic coil ones will melt in your car, and paper clips or loops of yarn will do the job just fine
Cheap yarn is not necessarily bad, but it’s not necessarily good either. Yarndex.com is your best friend.
Novelty yarns may look pretty in the skein, but unless you like lots of monotonous stockinette stitch, they’re not much fun to knit with, because their fuzziness can obscure almost all stitches.
Oh, and knitting needles look cool in a tall glass vase from the thrift store!
:happydance: gotta go with the interchangeable set and no straight needles… and learning how each stitch works together… once I realized how my sts worked together I could then fix my errors without having to frog everything… not to be afraid of trying a new techinque cause its labeled advanced knitter, try it all… also when I first started I would rip it out and then start back and rip it out… finally brendajos told me to stop ripping it out and just continue with it… this way I could see my improvements…
I wish I had known not to buy Lion Brand Homespun. Ick.
The interchable set suggestion is good, but they are expenisve and it seems daunting to purchase something so expensive when you are only a beginner, but if you really think you’ll stick with it the earlier you purchase it the better.
But in any case, always buy circular needles. I only have a few straights and don’t know what to do with them- though one set is bamboo and I just like the look and feel of them, but don’t use them except for when I first got them.
On the Knittinghelp web site it’s helpfult to read the how to forums even if you don’t understand what they are talking about. Several times I have done projects where I need to do something and I think “Oh yeah, I’ve read about that”, so either I remember the gist and understand the instruction or I know where to look for the answer.
Have fun and good luck.
I have only been knitting since January, but here are the things I have learned that I truely value.
Stockinette stitch curls-if you plan to use it for a scarf, plan to add a border.
Put tape over the mouth of that little voice that says a pattern is too complicated for you. If you can read, you can follow instructions. As Ingrid says, “Trust the pattern.”
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. 
KH
Cheap chenille yarn is NEVER worth the price you pay-even if its free. One washing and POOF! You are left with a pile of shaggy string and lint on everything else you own.
Use lifelines. They call them lifelines for a reason. Many a project could have been saved by just a few inches of scrap material. Which leads me to # 6…
The best lifeline is fishing line. Easy to thread, doesn’t slide out, doesn’t affect stitch size, pulls out effortlessly.
i also never use my straights anymore. if you dont want to plunk down 50-60 bucks for a set, buy once circular needle (preferrably an addi turbo or a knitpicks options) size 10 1/2 24". I use the 24" the most it seems. able to knit most things on it and not too much wire.
if youre freaked out by the circular, (and i was as well) ask someone to teach you how to use it. this way you dont waste money on straights.
and when trying to knit a scarf, be sure to check that last stich at the end of the row to make sure that the stitch hasnt fallen towards you and youre actually about to knit into the back of the stitch (there is one stitch in the front and two in back) my first scarf ended up wavy because i kept adding stitches and had no clue WHY. i finally figured it out after like three weeks of being totally unsuccessful at knitting. i did teach myself the k2tog that way though; i thought i made up k2tog by myself and was surprised that every knitter on the planet knew about it. :roflhard:
I taught myself knitting, so there are a lot of things I could list. However, here’s my two cents:
Careful which interchangable set you buy. I have needle master and hate it.
Pricey yarn is worth it usually in the long run. Although there are some that still pill. Yarndex is a friend. So are yarn reviews.
Take breaks and stretch. It is a lifesaver.
Get a good how to for help. This site is great!
Find a knit group to join in person. It’s great meeting people with the same interests.
My #1 thing is that you should go with what you like the best, for instance I love all of Lion Brands yarns, I know many other don’t, but I do so that’s what I buy.
I also love my interchangable set It’s Needle master, but I had a bunch of Boye’s metal needles before that so I knew I liked it. I tried others becasue so many people said they were great but for me it was just a waste. So go with what you like.
I agree with the life lines they are the best thing you can do
And learning what a knit stitch and a purl stitch do, this helps also when you pick up work that you havn’t done in a while and figure out where you are in it.
Learn how to knit backwards (unknitting) because you can fix a lot of problems that way
Little hair ties make GREAT stitch markers and if you have daughters then when you are out and need them you have them (You do take you knitting EVERYWHERE right )
And last but not least I also agree with reading the how to questions and answers. You will learn a lot that way.
Try out different types of needles and sets before buying, if possible. I like my Denises, but I would have only bought Addi Turbos and bamboo in different sizes if I had my choice. Now, I would probably just buy KnitPicks Options and bamboo needles. Oh, and I like some of my straights. I got most of them at garage/estate sales and I find them useful for some things and they are handy to leave projects on them.
Try out different yarn fibers and different brands before deciding you hate all cottons, or you’ll never use acrylic. Not all wools are equal either, nor are all hemp yarns.
Some lys owners are helpful and will steer you toward the right yarn/pattern. Others will rip you off (ask me how I know). Get to know yours. They can be a lifesaver if honest.
Check out pattern books before buying if possible - otherwise you’ll be trading/selling them soon. There are alot of free patterns online and some are just as good if not better.
Don’t ever hesitate to ask for help!