Very overwhelmed!! Help me please

wearingmyboy · 03-10-2006, 05:52 PM

I just started knitting yesterday so I have tons of questions!!!

How do I use the gauge measure Thingy? Don't understand it at all
Do I have to bind off every stitch I make or just when I am completely done with a project?
I mainly want to make afghans and baby blankets right now and will want to use just one color yarn, can someone give me some easy patterns to do this with?

Thanks so much and I am sure I will have more questions later.

Ingrid · 03-10-2006, 10:57 PM

When you knit, you cast on, knit however many rows you want, then you bind off once at the end.

For your sanity, I suggest you start with something along the lines of a scarf. You can cast on for as wide as you want the scarf to be and practice knitting. You'll see a marked difference between the tension and evenness of your stitches from the beginning to the end of the scarf.

Gauge is important later on when you want to make garments that must be a certain size. Since you've just started, you haven't developed an even tension yet, so your gauge will differ throughout the pattern, anyway.

If you're interested in making a scarf, I'd suggest knitting the first and last five rows, and knitting the first and last five stitches of each row. In between these five stitches, knit one row and purl one row. You'll get a nice stockinette stitch, non-curling scarf.

wearingmyboy · 03-10-2006, 11:09 PM

Thank you so much, that is really helpful.

geekgolightly · 03-10-2006, 11:44 PM

ingrid is so patient and awesome. like the godmother of knitting 'round here. if it werent for her i would have given up in disgust weeks ago. thanks to her and breandajo im :XX: like mad!

Ingrid · 03-10-2006, 11:49 PM

That's so sweet! Thanks.

Sara · 03-11-2006, 04:00 AM

Dishcloths are also good starter projects. They are small and you can try new techniques. And if they are ugly, you can still use them to wash stuff. Nobody wants to wear an ugly scarf. It just sits in your closet and mocks you. You can find patterns in the "Free Patterns" section. Just click on the tab at the top of the page.

kd1949 · 03-12-2006, 02:26 AM

Just wanted to chime in and say Ingrid saved my (knitting) life too! I am still a RANK beginner, but if it weren't for Ingrid's soothing words a couple of weeks ago I would be an ex or a never-knitter!

Ingrid · 03-12-2006, 02:36 AM

:D You just made my day!!

wearingmyboy · 03-12-2006, 05:03 AM

Thanks everyone. I have started on a dish cloth and made a few mistakes but it doesn' t look horrible.

Amber · 03-12-2006, 05:11 AM

Yay! It looks like it's coming along nicely! Great job!