Tuesday, January 16, 2007

~Knitting for Beginners~

In a previous post Rona asked:
What knitting projects would you recommend for beginners? I'm tired of knitting scarves.


But scarves are fun! ;-)

When I first started to knit, I checked out dozens and dozens of knitting books out of the library! In the evenings, I would sit and flip through the books, looking at the various projects. Of course, I found different projects that fit in my skill level, and some that were beyond my skill level that I wanted to do in the future.

There are scarves that are knit back and forth (easiest) and scarves that are lace or have detailed cables running the length (hardest). The same is to be said about most projects. There are easy dishcloths and more complicated dishcloths. Socks can be simple or extremely difficult with charts and fancy stitches.

If you have a yarn store, I suggest asking for their help in selecting a suitable pattern. If you have a baby to knit for, baby things are small, and some of the cutest sweater patterns and blanket patterns are available, that really aren't all that complicated.

The other thing to remember is that if you go outside your comfort level, you just might surprise yourself!

Happy knitting!

Image source: http://www.agoodyarn.net/KnitImages.htm

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

In Australia our major bookshops usually carry books wholly devoted beginners that feature very satisfying small projects (both useful and decorative). I'm sure major bookstores in other countries would have similar books? I can't vouch for second- hand bookshops though as knitting has only recently re-emerged as a 'trendy craft' in the mainstream.

Happy knitting!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tips. I would love to learn to knit, but sewing's up higher on mylist. Knowing me and how long it takes to learn on my own it may be quite some time before I get to knitting. ;0) I love the socks you have shown on here, though....so cute!

Jenn

Julieann said...

Learning to knit is definately on my list of things I want to learn to do--Thanks for posting some tips--I never even thought of going to the library to get books to learn, that is such a great idea:)

Julieann:)

Anonymous said...

Tammy,
Thank you for posting my question and a response. I definitely appreciate it.
Rona