5 Tips For Knitting Beginners

A simple knit item, such as a washcloth or scarf, doesn’t generally strike us as a work of art. These items are everyday and mundane, nothing terribly unique about them. Even so, there is a kind of beauty in each item.

I started knitting at a young age. I always felt it was almost like a kind of magic, taking one long piece of yarn and intertwining it until you have created something entirely new. With a guiding hand and a creative spirit a messy ball of fibres becomes a neatly structured pattern, and in its own right, a work of art. With a bit of time and imagination that one long strand has a million possibilities. It’s up to us to decide how it will take form.

Knitting has been practiced for a long time and is often thought of it in a more utilitarian light. We make things that serve us. They keep us warm, help us to clean up, and many other useful applications. We don’t often think to ourselves “what a lovely piece of artwork” as we wipe a counter or scrub a dish. Despite their purpose there is a simple beauty in even your basic kitchen washcloth. The crossing patterns of the yarn, woven together with care from an intricate network of delicate connections. By coming here today to check out these 5 tips you have taken the first step toward being a master artist!

5 tips for knitting newbies

1- Use a paper towel roll and countertop paper towel holder to wrap yarn around for easy dispensing. This will help to avoid tangling or knots in excess yarn. You can fit two different colors easily on one roll if your project includes a color changing pattern.

2- YouTube is your friend! Knitting patterns can look daunting at first when you don’t understand the language involved, but don’t be discouraged. Check out a few videos that demonstrate the basic terms you need to understand such as a particular stitch or just how to get started (cast on) for your first try. After seeing it demonstrated and practicing their movements a while you will start to build muscle memory and memorize the different terms. This is a great first step for new knitters who want to learn solo but aren’t sure where to start. I recommend that you start by learning to simply cast on and master the basic knit stitch before moving on to more complicated projects.

3- Don’t be afraid to go off pattern and experiment! You can write your unique pattern down as you go if you want to keep the idea to recreate later. One of my favourite design from my personal collection was created by fusing a simple dish cloth pattern and basic scarf reimagined into a summer crop top design. The worst that can happen by trying it out is to end up unraveling a problematic project. That just meant you have all that yarn back to try again!

4- If you find that your struggling with certain skills you can find tons of great online knitting groups. You could even start your own club with some friends and help each other learn as you go. Everyone has different strength and working with other creatives is a great way to expand on new skills. Your friend may find that they are a master of that stitch you just can’t seem to get. Team work makes the dream work!

5- Circular needles are an excellent choice for your first pair. Two needles connected by a cable are more comfortable and manageable to use, especially when your just starting out. They are also an excellent way to prevent accidentally loosing one of your needles! Circular needles also have the added benefit of being easier to store. You can slip your project onto the cable ring and wrap it up neatly to prevent any stitches from slipping off the needle in transit or while being stored.