“Letting go is the lesson. Letting go is always the lesson. Have you ever noticed how much of our agony is all tied up with craving and loss?” - Susan Gordon Lydon
When looking for a particular sweater or scarf, whether it's alpaca or mohair, double stich or triple stich, knitting can be a good way to design the garment of your dreams. Because yes, it's all about getting out your needles and balls of yarn and letting your inspiration flow.
Well, yes, but not quite, because first, knitting is often done from knitting patterns. Secondly, you should know that making a pair of socks with knitting yarns involves some techniques. In other words, in order to start learning how to knit, you need to know which tools you need, a pattern guide and how to use them. And don't forget about time!
There are many common techniques that come into play when you knit. But there are many things to know about knitting before you even start. From which yarn to use to what different needle sizes mean, the first step is always the hardest. Don't panic, we are here to help you discover this wonderful world, both rich and full of surprises, that is knitting!
Here are all our tips you need to start to knit everything from mittens to sweaters and more. Get out your circular needles out!
What are the Reasons to Learn to Knit?
Like crochet or artistic drawing, there are a thousand and one reasons why one might want to learn to knit. Reasons that can sometimes seem obscure to beginners, but that, with a few knitting lessons, make sense with practice. The first step, as we mentioned, is the hardest one and always takes the longest time: knowing how to use the tools, finding the right needle and yarn size, and what the stitch jargon means in every guide.
Let's examine some of the reasons to learn to knit:
- To de-stress, and focus your attention on a specific subject, from patterns to the final step in a garment!
- To stimulate concentration, but also memory. Knitting can be the one time of day you use your brain creatively,
- To disconnect from the screens, and take a break with a ball of wool,
- To enhance creativity, with or without a knitting kit,
- To make original and personalized gifts for your loved ones,
- To make your own clothes and accessories,
- To be proud of yourself by simply looking at your hat!
- And many more.
It is easy to understand that there are many reasons to learn knitting, simply because knitting is a dense discipline and perfect for working on many aspects of your life. A complete creative hobby all around!
It's enough to make anyone want to knit a scarf, but where to start?
Our 10 Tips for a Good Start in Knitting!
When one has their knitting needles, it is not rare that a beginner does not know well what to do with a stitch, how to loop or cast the yarn and how to use their beginner's guide. Logically, they needs advice on how to start knitting. Tips in the form of inspiration, which allow anyone to get the gist of the tools and time it will take to learn.
Here are 10 tips, not one less, that will allow all beginners to learn knitting easily:
- Gather all the material to start knitting: it is important to have everything (needle, guide, pattern, time) beforehand so as not to find yourself lacking in the middle of your stitches,
- Choosing the right needles to start knitting: nowadays, circular needles (they have a loop between them) are preferred, especially bamboo needles when starting out, in order to reduce the pain in your hands,
- Choose a size 4 or 5 needle as this is the average size in any guide you'll find when starting,
- Choose a fibre of yarn that is easier to work with than cashmere initially, such as merino, alpaca or acrylic,
- Choose an accessible knitting project to start with,
- Do not forgo creating a sample before starting your knitting session, in order to measure the right size of needles (knitting square),
- Think of knitting kits for beginners as supports that make life easier,
- Follow the patterns well when you start knitting, they are the best friends of a successful cardigan!
- Do not neglect washing and favour hand washing for many wools,
- Familiarize yourself with the basic vocabulary of knitting so you don't feel lost.
With this you will have understood that to assemble the stitches in the most beautiful way, to succeed in making any garment, the knitting pattern is often essential.
In the UK, find all the sewing courses available in London and beyond.
Find sewing classes near me here on Superprof.
What are the Best Easy Knitting Patterns?
Yes, it is not enough to knit a yarn or to have a desire for a scarf to succeed in crochet knitting! The number of stitches is often determined by tutorials, or better, knitting patterns.
And among the best and easiest knitting patterns, we find for example those of AllFreeKnitting, free, simple, and very rich for beginners. There you will find free e-books, guides and projects that you can submit yourself.
FreePatterns has also established itself as a good source of easy to make patterns that are free and accessible online. However, one should not neglect the advent of social networks, such as YouTube and tutorials like those that Noble Knits, Sudio Knit, RJ Knits, So Wooly and more!
Because yes, in addition to offering different levels, youtubers and youtube knitters also give us access to free content and materials. And need we mention that this is often sought after by knitting beginners? Youtube s also a great place to start because you can actually see someone knitting and pause or slow the video down as needed.
Fortunately, it is not only in video that you can find knitting patterns and other scarf models, far from it!
Taking online sewing classes is also a great way to develop your creativity.
How to Find Free Knitting Patterns?
When we wonder how to find free knitting patterns, some reflexes come naturally. That's why knitting websites such as AllFreeKnitting and FreePaterns as almost a knee jerk reaction.
These sites are real bibles for any self-respecting beginner who wants to discover both the big wool, the creative hobbies and the basics of a neckline in a very accessible way.
Because often, between the paid patterns, a category dedicated to free knitting patterns is proposed, always with this primary ambition to make knitting and crochet easier to start.
In parallel, as for any artistic and manual discipline such as sewing courses, knitting blogs are becoming very good platforms to learn knitting stitches. We could then quote some platforms like Lovecrafts, Yarnspirations, Knitting-bee, Interweave and more.
These are just a few of the many names that make knitting a rich and varied discipline, but they all have one thing in common: they are free! Your dream poncho has never been so accessible!
Now, social networks are also great platforms to find content for free. First of all, Pinterest has established itself as the ultimate inspirational social network, with most of the photos linking directly to a particular site or blog.
This allows anyone who spots a pair of mittens or a necklace to find the free pattern. But social networks are numerous, and on Instagram or Facebook, it is not impossible to find your happiness. with well-targeted hashtags, or profiles of knitters, everything is accessible!
And of course, we would be remiss to mention a platform that is now undeniable the giant in the big world of social networks: Tik Tok. Thanks to its little videos, some people are starting to democratize knitting for free, and it must be said that knitting socks has never seemed so easy.
Finally, it has already been mentioned, but YouTube is a particularly popular platform for finding free templates. But on top of all that, these patterns will also be passed on in a selfless and educational way. A great way to enjoy a nice tutorial in addition to making a knitting pattern that we care about.
As you can see, from hats to straight needles, via acrylics or cashmere, knitting is an activity that is open to all profiles, and particularly to beginners. In fact, it's one of the easiest hobbies to start learning online. With these tips for a good start, you should whet your appetite in the most beautiful way. Now it's off to the haberdashery!
Find sewing classes here on Superprof.
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