crochet or knitting kit for beginners?
my friend has suggested i start either crocheting or knitting to help keep my mind free of stress, and after tons of researching i became extremely intrigued on both subjects. now im currently looking for beginner kits to help me learn, since getting lessons is hard when you live out in the middle of cow country with the nearest town being almost an hour away. i can’t learn from manuals (my mom got a beginner’s kit with one and i could not figure out what i was supposed to be doing) so if anyone could suggest kits with DVDs, videos or some other visual aid i’d greatly appreciate it.
Hi and welcome to the wonderful world of fiber art needle crafting.
Before jumping into my explanation, I would like to suggest that you join the on-line community at ravelry.com. There are over 1M people who have joined since the beginning and you can find help at any time – day or night – with your work. You can post videos (camera shots / phone) and someone can help get you going in the right direction – always. It is free, it is fun. Feel free to look me up – TelefonicaRobsMom.
Crochet:
Tools: A good quality crochet hood – Bates, Boye etc. If you see a set that has D3 up to H8 on sale – go for it. Do yourself a favor and get a foam sleeve to slip over the handle end, it helps keep you from gripping it too tight. Also, stitch markers that look like baby safety pins are very useful when you begin to do interesting things. And some folks like one of the row counters that you press (kaching) to keep track where in the pattern they are.
You will need some kind of a basic pattern. Print one off the internet there are literally millions of patterns out there.
Instruction: There is the most wonderful world of free videos over on YouTube. A wonderful crochet teacher is Teresa and she has an amazing collection of videos. http://www.youtube.com/show?p=Nf83vF1w3bU&s=1 is the beginning of single and double crochet. She has one if you are left handed, how to make toys, simple projects, etc. A real resource.
Do yourself a favor and don’t go for a kit. Get yourself some nice REAL wool — superwash is wonderful – your projects can go through the washing machine. Acrylics are a wonderful idea for home decor items, but wool is best for wearable creations – unless of course you have an allergy. Don’t spend the money on wonderful sock yarns or anything else tempting at first. Go with a light colored wool – no tweeds, heathers, or variegated wools – they are too hard to see the stitches and that is so important at the beginning. And don’t limit yourself to a scarf – potholder or any other boring project. Yes, you need some practice so a pot holder or washcloth is a great first project, but you will be able to quickly progress.
If knitting is more your style – some folks think this is a little harder, because it has 2 needles instead of the hook. The material that you make typically drapes easier, not as architectual – so it is better for clothing – sweaters, hats, etc.
The tools are a pair of straight needles – I would suggest a US 5 to US 8 for easy handling. Stitch markers, and a row counter are still very useful. And of course, you still want a pattern.
Don’t be be afraid to just knitting scarves, etc. Even if you just mater the knit stitch, there are so many other things that you can make.
There are only 2 real stitches in knitting, everything else is a variation on a theme. The first one you will learn is a knit stitch – done from the front. Later you will learn to purl – which is just an opposite knit stitch.
Left or right handed? You also want to decide whether to learn Continental or English methods. As you have no one to teach you on site – I would suggest that you go Continental – it seems like you will be able to knit faster in time, and it is much like crochet – you ‘pick’ the stitch. English method has you stopping and wrapping the yarn around a needle – takes longer for most knitters and seems harder to catch on. Many many Americans knit English, but people of European extraction – Swedish, Danish, German – seem to favor Continental.
Again, YouTube is your best source. Knittinghelp is a wonderful collection of videos – over 150 free
http://www.youtube.com/user/knittinghelp
Here is there begging basic knit stitch
They are also available directly at http://www.knittinghelp.com/ many of us very experienced knittists consult this site on a regular basis when we encounter an abbreviation we don’t know or a stitch that needs better explanation
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