Teaching myself to knit

jamieleel1983 · 03-30-2012, 10:37 AM

i've been wanting to teach myself for a long time...now i have a little extra time, and was wondering what size knitting needle is the most common? i have no idea what to buy lol

suzeeq · 03-30-2012, 04:02 PM

To learn on, get some size 10/6mm needles and some medium weight (thickness) yarn which will have worsted or the number 4 on the label. Don't get a fuzzy or dark yarn, one that's smooth and lighter or multicolored will be easier to see the sts.

suzeeq · 03-30-2012, 05:54 PM

Actually, you don't have to do 'a project' to learn to knit. Just cast on 20 sts or so and do a sampler - practice knitting every row first for a few inches, then throw in an alternate purl row for a couple inches. Then try mixing knits and purls on the same row, do some increases and decs. Try out some other stitch patterns too, and if you make it long enough, you have a scarf by that time.

trvvn5 · 03-30-2012, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by suzeeq

Actually, you don't have to do 'a project' to learn to knit. Just cast on 20 sts or so and do a sampler - practice knitting every row first for a few inches, then throw in an alternate purl row for a couple inches. Then try mixing knits and purls on the same row, do some increases and decs. Try out some other stitch patterns too, and if you make it long enough, you have a scarf by that time.

This is what I did when I first started knitting. I just cast on a bunch of stitches and started trying stuff out. I'd knit for a while, then purl for a while, then do stockinette for a while, then I tried seed stitch for a little bit and did some ribbing. I just kept knitting on the same "project" for a while. The thing was god awful when I was done, but at least it was practice and it wasn't something that I cared about enough to get upset and frog when something didn't go right, or I added a stitch or dropped a stitch. I think doing an actual project would have disheartened me because I would have messed it up the whole way and would have had to stop and start over to much. That would have been very frustrating. At least with the practice scarf there was no real goal so it was ok when I made mistakes.

suzeeq · 03-30-2012, 07:17 PM

Quote:

it wasn't something that I cared about enough to get upset and frog when something didn't go right, or I added a stitch or dropped a stitch. I think doing an actual project would have disheartened me because I would have messed it up the whole way and would have had to stop and start over to much. That would have been very frustrating.

Yeah, I think that's what sets up new knitters for high levels of frustration. They want to make something specific and rip out and reknit when it doesn't come out 'perfect' and just throw it all out. It's much better to learn to knit by 'playing' with the yarn and needles and learn from the mistakes instead of getting upset by them.

suzeeq · 04-03-2012, 03:23 AM

Well you have a point about a practice piece being a project. If you try out different stitch patterns with the goal of learning new stitch combinations and to see what they turn out like, it doesn't have to be boring. A garter stitch scarf is boring, a practice piece does not have to be.

GrumpyGramma · 04-04-2012, 02:37 AM

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I understand that a project is a task with a start and and end that has a specific objective. A gauge swatch is a project, a pattern test swatch is a project, a swatch to practice a stitch or a group of stitches is a PROJECT.

cacunn, unless I misread, casting on with the objective of practicing different stitches is an open-ended project. Your definition might not allow for open-ended projects?

I too like having something that I can consider "finished" but if I need to practice a stitch pattern that I expect will be frogged repeatedly, I'm not likely to start out on what I personally in a non-technical way consider a project.

As with the right way to hold needles, which technique is right, which needles are the right ones, it's a matter of what works best for the individual.

Knit on!

suzeeq · 04-04-2012, 03:20 AM

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Basically a project has a beginning, and end and an objective.

Right and a sampler fits that criteria - it has an objective (learn sts, decs, whatever), a beginning (cast on) and an end (bind off). Though you might bind off whenever you feel like it that's the same as knitting a scarf when you get tired of it.