question about yarn

[tennleslie]

Hello friends!
I have a question about yarn. I am a new knitter. I have been a crocheter for years but recently have picked up the two needles in place of the one. Using some of my scrap yarn that I have lying around, I am confused as to which type of yarn is best to practice on. I tried my hand with cotton yarn as I love it to crochet with, but had a mad fit with it when trying to knit. Do you guys have suggestions as which type of yarn is best to practice/learn with? I have the bamboo needles in a size 8 but I am seriously considering trading them for bigger ones. Any suggestions would be of great help. BTW... the video for casting on is awesome!! Too bad I can't make an entire project just with casting on! LOL

[suzeeq]

Cotton probably isn't the best to start out with, it doesn't have as much stretch as other fibers which you need a bit more than in crochet. And since the bamboo needles are 'sticky' and so is the cotton, that makes it worse. I'd say go for larger metal needles to learn on especially if using the cotton, but keep the bamboo 8s too, because a thinner yarn or one that's more slippery will be better with them. Or if you have some acrylic use that with the 8s.

[Jan in CA]

I generally recommend a worsted weight, smooth yarn and size US 8 or 9 needles. A soft inexpensive yarn is fine to learn on. Acrylic or a blend is fine to learn on. Cotton isn't easy even for advanced knitters although there are some people that like knitting with it.