What’s Needed To Begin Knitting
If you’d like to create your own winter fashion, nothing beats the warmth of wool, and becoming a knitter is not as difficult or expensive as you may have first thought!
In the past knitting has been unfairly misrepresented as a hobby for grandmas! This is far from the truth and the craft is now enjoying renewed popularity. Celebrity knitters such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts, and Hilary Swank have made knitting Hollywood-cool, and with little expense and some basic stitches, you too can be warm in wool next winter.
Reasons to Become Knitter
The joy of knitting goes way beyond the excitement of wearing something that you created yourself. The clickety-clack of knitting needles makes this hobby a great form of relaxation and a stress beater that results in a unique finished product. Knitting can be enjoyed by young and old and is a great pastime to involve the kids in. Children love the magic of turning a ball of colored yarn into a fabric that grows and grows before their eyes!
Starting to Knit – What You’ll Need
To start knitting you will of course need a pair of knitting needles. When purchasing a set of knitting needles remember that the larger the needle size – ie the thicker the needle – the looser your stitches will be. Fine, tight knitting is done on smaller sized, thinner needles. Experienced knitters will often have sets of needles in all sizes but there is no need for the beginning knitter to purchase needles other than the ones required for the project at hand.
Yarn of course is the other essential and it is best to start with a plain colored and textured yarn. Although the fancy and feathered yarn is lovely, it can be hard for the beginner to distinguish stitches. 8 ply is a standard type of yarn and perfect for the new knitter. With so many shades available you will be sure to find something suitable.
Knitting Patterns – Start Knitting With a Basic Pattern
A knitting pattern will provide you with the instructions required to finish a project. Most often the pattern will advise a suitable yarn type and needle size and it is best to take this recommendation on board. The internet is a great source of free patterns suitable for beginners and performing a search for “free easy knitting patterns” should yield many results.
Some Basic Stitches Will Get You Going!
There are some basic stitches that you will need to learn – casting on, the knit stitch, the purl stitch, and then casting off. Luckily there are many places for the novice knitter to find instructions and technique tips. The website Learn-To-Knit has knitting instructions for both left and right-handed knitters and the site Knitting Help features instructional videos, heaps of free patterns, and a forum to connect and chat with other knitters!
Do be aware that knitting can be a very addictive pastime! Enjoy the relaxation that knitting will bring to your life and soon you’ll be looking a million dollars in your handcrafted creations!