We've all been there. Haven't we? When you're first learning something new and you're so close but just can't get it right. It's that feeling deep down in the pit of your stomach - that tells you to give up - over and over again. You keep telling yourself.. "I'll never get it by just watching a video." "I wish I had someone to show me." I admit.. it's really hard when you don't have someone standing in front of you, pushing you to succeed and showing you IT CAN BE DONE. It seems like no matter what you do, you just can't get it right. You feel defeated. I know this feeling a little too well...
I first attempted knitting 3 years ago. I struggled a lot with casting on. I didn't realize it at the time, but that wonky cast on was the reason I had so much trouble. It wasn't a very pleasant experience. I just wanted to get it done so I could say that I knit something. I picked the knit stitch up right away. I just couldn't get the purl down. So, what did I do? I knit a hat without a brim and then hand-stitched a crocheted brim onto the bottom so it wouldn't roll up. Did it look the same? Haha.. no, not exactly. Was it worth it? Definitely not. I look back on that day and wish I could of told myself to keep going and not to give up. I was so close! Instead, I simply gave up.. and 2 weeks later, I bought myself a knitting loom. Looms are a really great tool.. I'm not knocking them. I just didn't enjoy it as much. It kind of felt more like a chore. There was no relaxation, no rhythm, no needles. I made a few hats and that was that.
My mindset at that time didn't help. It's much easier to give up and go back to what's comfortable.. but, sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone when learning something new. 3 years later and I'm knitting! Not only am I knitting, but I'm sharing beginner tips for other newbie knitters! Who would have thought? Definitely NOT this girl!
1. Don't try to learn when you're stressed:
Knitting and crochet are great stress relievers! In fact, craft therapy is my favorite kind of therapy.. but I've learned from experience that learning something new when you're stressed out isn't always such a good idea. If you've got a lot of tension built up in your hands you might cast on too tight. Casting on too tightly will make your first row very tight and hard to knit. So, pick a nice and quiet relaxing time to sit down and learn. You'll thank yourself later!
If you want to make a beanie hat, don't waste your time with straight needles. Grab a pair of circulars and you're set! In fact, you can make almost anything using circulars.. so, grab all the circulars! But, read this first.... As a crocheter, I assumed that you needed a particular sized needle depending on the weight of the yarn you'd be using -- that's not always true. If you're working with circular needles, there are TWO sizes you need to pay attention to. The size of the needles (i.e. 8mm, 9mm, etc.) AND the length of the cord or cable. I had NO flippin idea.. but, essentially.. the smaller the project, the shorter the cable. **Funny story: When I went to purchase my first pair of needles to make a beanie.. I ended up buying these super chunky needles with a 29in. cable!** Needless to say, I learned the hard way.. almost all knit hats - baby all the way up to adult - require a 16" cable. Who would've guessed that?!
Needles shorter than 16": socks, tiny baby hats, or narrow sleeves.
16" needles: all the hats (toddler to adult size), baby sweaters and collars/sleeves on adult garments.
24" needles: children's garments, small garments, smaller shawls.
29" - 32" needles: shawls, medium garments, even baby blankets!
36" - 40" needles: large garments, circular shawls, and blankets if you can manage the weight.
3. Learn to cast on: Take your time.
Casting on was always the most daunting part of learning to knit for me. I was rushing to get the cast on complete so I could start knitting. I would get this build up of tension in my hands and wrists. I wanted my stitches to be neat, so the first few times I cast on - I did it so tightly that I couldn't even slide my needle in to knit the stitches. I learned the hard way that a "too tight" cast on will only make knitting harder. I recommend taking your time, and learning the "Long Tail" cast on. Trust me, it's not as big of a pain as it seems. Practice. You will get it - and once you do - it will be like second nature to you. Be sure not to make it too tight. You want a relaxed cast on so you don't have any trouble getting your needle in those stitches. You can find a lot of videos and tutorials on "how to cast on" over on YouTube. I'm going to link to the one that I used below. (NOTE: I am a lefty, so this particular video may not be the best example for everyone.. but if you search "Long Tail cast on" you'll find lots of other really great tutorials!)
4. How to tell if your cast-on is twisted:
This is something I struggled with a little bit. I did twist my cast on a couple of times and have to go back and re-do it. It's a silly mistake and quite simple to check. See my example photos below! You can see in the left photo, that the edges of my cast on stitches are all in the center of my needles. There are no twists. In the right photo, you can see that some of my top stitches (on the top of the right needle) have spun around. The edge is now on the outside of the needles. Always make sure the edge of your stitches is in the center and you won't make that mistake again!
There are a couple of different joining methods. My favorite? Just start knitting! It's the quickest way to join. Perfect for a beginner! They say this method leaves a tiny notch at the edge of your knitting, but it's not very notice-able. It's easily adjusted when you weave in your ends. Once you've finished casting on, pop a stitch marker on your needle. (This is to remind you where each round ends and a new one begins.) Grab both strings (working yarn and cast on string) and knit your first stitch. Now, drop the cast on string and continue knitting with your working yarn only. *NOTE: When you get to the end of the first row and you're about to start the next -- you have to remember that the first stitch is going to look doubled (like 2 stitches). Knit them together (this time only) or you'll add an extra stitch.
6. Learning how to knit and purl:
Learning the knit stitch is easy. It's switching from the knit to the purl that always confused me! Once you have the knit stitch down, start to practice your purl. Knit 1 stitch, then Purl the next. If you make a mistake, keep going. Not only will you learn the stitches faster.. you'll notice the different appearance of each stitch and you'll be able to identify which is which much easier! It took me a while to finally figure out how to purl. I was close so many times, but I would rush through it and sabotage myself. After frogging my first few rows because I kept dropping a stitch over and over.. I finally got it. So, my best advice is: work a couple of rows, then frog them and start over. Practice the first few rows a couple of times. Once you get the feel for it, those daunting first few rows will fly by and before you know it you'll have a hat! Knits and purls are the foundation of knitting. Once you know how to do them correctly, you can make all kinds of things and even play around with different combinations of the two stitches!
Learn your knits and purls first. Once you've got them down, try the Irish Moss Stitch! This was the first "new" stitch that I learned.. but it's really not new at all! It uses a combination of knits and purls to make this super pretty, very textured pattern - that looks far more advanced! So far, it's my favorite stitch! Here's how to create the "Irish Moss Stitch": do 2 rows of Knit 1, Purl 1.. then do 2 rows of Purl 1, Knit 1. It's that simple! Continue on, doing as many 2 row repeats as you need for your project. Take notes as you go and mark off each row so you don't mess up the pattern!
8. Fancy knitting tools: Do you really need them?
There are SO many fancy knitting accessories out there. Some are pretty spiffy.. but, do you really need all of them? NO. You only need a couple of things to get started: some yarn, your circular needle, a stitch marker or 2, a pair of scissors, and a tapestry needle (for weaving in your ends). I also recommend having a notebook (or piece of paper) and a pen handy to jot down your rows. It's much easier to keep track of your rows this way - when you're new to knitting. If you're a crocheter, you probably have most of those items laying around. As you move on and begin learning new and different techniques you may need a few other things.. but even then there are some pretty simple "knit hacks" or alternatives that you can find right in your own home! I'll save those for my next post.
9. Fixing a pulled stitch: A beginner's worst nightmare.
The perfectionist in me almost frogged half a hat because my ring pulled a stitch. One stitch. Oh my goodness.. guys, DON'T do that! A pulled stitch is actually really easy to fix. Definitely NOT worth frogging all of your hard work! I was going to share a few photos here of how to fix it.. but I don't think photos would really be as clear.. and since I don't know how to make a video yet.. I'm going to link you guys to a quick little YouTube tutorial that explains it!
10. Once you've mastered the basics:
Continue to learn something new with each project! Don't ever give up! Before you know it, you'll be knitting all the things.... learning new stitches and different knitting techniques.. and maybe even creating your own knit patterns!
Happy Stitchin'
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