What to Know Before Knitting
During the pandemic, knitting became a popular quarantine hobby, no longer something relegated to elderly women as some often assume. It can be an easy and inexpensive activity if gone about in the right way. However, while learning, knitting can quickly go from a fun activity to a source of frustration.
One of the first steps to take is to find a pattern that would work for your skill level. Some yarn brands, like Lion Brand, Red Heart, and Patons have free patterns on their websites. You can also search on Ravelry, a website that is akin to a social media site/search engine for knitting. You can search for patterns based on various attributes and find free ones to follow. Once you have decided what to make, the process of selecting materials will be much easier, since you will know exactly what needle size and yarn thickness to look for.
One of the most important parts of knitting, which is sometimes overlooked, is materials. Different yarns and needles can create wildly different outcomes, making the same pattern look unrecognizable. Yarn is categorized by thickness, going from finer threads with lower numbers to thicker ones, designated by higher numbers. The thickness category is listed on the label of most store-bought yarn. Thin yarn can be used to create lace-like fabric, whereas thick yarn makes bulkier, warmer items. Thicker yarn is easier to start off with, since it makes the whole process much faster and is easier to start off with. Thick yarn is also far better at hiding mistakes than finer strands. Along with thickness, the composition of the fibers can also have an impact. For instance, natural wool can look completely different from synthetic fibers. When beginning, it’s best to choose a simple, inexpensive yarn, since you are likely to make plenty of mistakes on your first few projects. Another thing to remember is to check whether your yarn of choice will shrink so that you are not unpleasantly surprised once it goes in the wash. Needles also come in varying thicknesses and lengths, which is important to consider when getting your materials. When selecting materials, one should also keep color in mind. Dark colors are the bane of many a knitter’s existences, and if you do choose to knit something black, be prepared for plenty of struggling to see stitches. Generally, you can get everything you need at craft stores like Joann Fabrics or Michaels.
In order to test out your materials, most patterns recommend starting off with a “gauge,” in order to see what size you need to make the pattern in. This is especially important for garments if you want to avoid drowning in a sweater a couple sizes too large or struggling to fit into one that is too small. Another way to guarantee a more satisfying final product before you begin is to read the entire pattern, to make sure everything makes sense beforehand.
Once you have all of your items, the tricky part, actually learning, begins. When figuring out stitches, YouTube is your friend. Search for tutorials in which you can clearly see how the yarn moves, and attempt to replicate it. Learning to knit takes trial and error, but with the endless online resources at your fingertips, the learning curve can become a lot faster.
