Welcome to the KnittingHelp forum! ...Introduce yourself!

[salmonmac]

Welcome Andrea, Nikomikiri, Tessa and nedine! We're glad you found KnittingHelp and that you're enjoying knitting. Good to have you here.

[funkyjedi]

hey everyone. My name is chris and I just started knitting. I have always wanted to try it, and finally got to stay home with my kids the other day when they were sick, and during the off day, you tubed some videos, grabbed some chopsticks out of the drawer and started messing around. Later that afternoon I took my two kiddos to Michaels and bought some needles and the yarn they liked. The lady there wasnt super helpful, but I figured out that you have to match the yarn to the needle, got the right sizes and voila, here I am.

I love to build things, golf clubs, fly rods, flies, ukuleles, etc. It seemed a natural fit to want to make my own beanies as well. My wife always jokes about the two month hobby, but its nice to be able to pick things back up and keep working on them when I get an itch to do so.

I havent done much, Ive spent about 6 hours on a scarf, and its about 2 inches long. is so unbelievably slow, Im not sure how much longer I can work on it....thats why I stopped by, to find out what kind of time it takes for these kind of things...by the look of it, I will have spent a good 40 hours on a scarf that looks like something jabba the hutt threw up, and thats a little frustrating...

anyway, Im headed next to the help section of the forum for some specific advice.

thanks for having me on... have a great week!

[suzeeq]

Hi funkyjedi (star wars fan?), don't despair. I think one of the mistakes a new knitter can make is to set out making an item. Your working with chopsticks reminds me of how I learned to knit - sharpened a couple of my brother's tinkertoy sticks and used my mom's package string. I spent a long time playing with them learning the stitches before I got some yarn and needles. Speed will come with practice, so if you have some time to spend every day, you'll get there. You might need a more efficient way of holding the yarn and making the stitches. Take a look at some you tube videos for the style you use (yarn in left hand is continental, yan in right is english - usually) and see if you can find a way that improves your productivity. Keeping your hands close to the needles will help with that.

[funkyjedi]

I've been pouring over youtube, I suppose I find myself naturally going for the english type of knitting so far... left brained thinker and all, so I will keep on keeping on. thanks!

[nedine]

Hey funkyjedi, not to worry. You will get faster! Not that I'm that experienced, but I started with dishcloths. Lots of free patterns on line & YouTube is my friend as well. I figured I could always use a dishcloth, & who cares what it looks like right?? Great for practice!

[john0425]

Hello everyone!!!! My name is John, Im from Oak Ridge NJ. After hurricane Sandy hit we were without power for 6 days. During that time we thought of ways to occupy ourselves. Thats when my interest in crocheting was rekindled, which led to an interest in knitting. I’ve been watching youtube videos and searching the web for basic knitting info. I’ve been able to start a scarf with some success but eventually mess up because the needles come out of the stitches or I stitch improperly, this results in me starting over. Never the less, I actually find that the redundancy of constantly starting over is helpful. My question for this board would be, where in this forum would you suggest a newbie look to further research the basics of the craft? Or, other than the actual knitting, what should I learn that would help me better understand the craft. Any help would be greatly appreciated….

Thanks so much….. John

[Jan in CA]

I've been pouring over youtube, I suppose I find myself naturally going for the english type of knitting so far... left brained thinker and all, so I will keep on keeping on. thanks!

There is nothing wrong with knitting English method. I can knit both ways, but my go to method is English. Do what works for you and don't worry about it. If you want to learn continental you can learn that anytime.

And welcome to Knitting Help!!

[Jan in CA]

My question for this board would be, where in this forum would you suggest a newbie look to further research the basics of the craft? Or, other than the actual knitting, what should I learn that would help me better understand the craft. Any help would be greatly appreciated….

Thanks so much….. John

Welcome John!!

We have a great database if videos here in Knitting Help. Plus just reading the forum and asking questions is an excellent way to learn. I joined and learned in October 2005 and owe most of what I know to this forum.

[john0425]

My question for this board would be, where in this forum would you suggest a newbie look to further research the basics of the craft? Or, other than the actual knitting, what should I learn that would help me better understand the craft. Any help would be greatly appreciated….

Thanks so much….. John

Welcome John!!

We have a great database if videos here in Knitting Help. Plus just reading the forum and asking questions is an excellent way to learn. I joined and learned in October 2005 and owe most of what I know to this forum. [/quote]

Thanks Jan!!!

[NotSewCrafty]

Hi!

My name is Jessica. I chose NotSewCrafty as my SN because I am...not so crafty.

I am trying knitting because I have ADD and I am perpetually plugged in because of my job, and honestly, because it is a habit. I am wanting something to do with my hands to keep me from constantly messing with my phone, checking Facebook and stuff. I also have always envied people who make their own scarves and hats and mittens and things and thought it would be fun.

I am a mom to a two year old and work in marketing by day, and sometimes night.

I look forward to getting to know you all and hopefully getting some help.