I thin k one of the best wys to learn a new skill is to use a book intended for children, IF it is well-written. I like the project and most of the advice in Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick, but you might still want to consult a different book (or an experienced knitter) about how to hold the yarn in your hands. She says to pick it up and wrap it around and then drop it again for each stitch, which might seem easier when you first begin, but I think it's better to start out actually holding the yarn the whole time, because if you get in the habit of dropping it, it will be very hard to change later. Wether you learn to knit English style or Continental, it will be easier in the long run if you hold the yarn correctly from the beginning. Other than that, I really think this book is fantastic.
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Thea
wife to Chris since 8-7-99
mom to Louisa May 9-30-2002
and Morganna Rose 6-17-06
Location: baking a happiness cake with the ingredients I already have...
Posts: 3,447
I always recommend that book to beginner,s it's got good illustrations Also, there's a great website with video of how to do the knit, purl, cat on,a nd cast off. It's http://www.fiberartshop.com/knclbg.htm. teh online videos are very good and easy to undertand, I think
For yarn, I'd start with 100% wool, worsted weight, on size 7 or 8 needles. Whatever you do , DO NOT start with cotton yarn. It's not resilient enougha dn has no stretch, so you will wind up with cramped hands and dropped stitches.
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Theresa, Mama to AJ, Ethan, Greg + Rusty Little Turtle Knits
I learned to knit with only links from the internet, the one Theresa provided and this one: Knitting Information | FreePatterns.com A year after I am still happily knitting away! I think I watched the little videos 20 times each before really getting what I was suppose to do and still when there are some stitches I'm not used to do, I gladly refer to the internet!
Good luck! Ask questions if you aren't sure about what you are doing, sometimes different ways to explain help you to get that a-HA moment! They all gets clear and knitting becomes an addiction! Ask my lonely unused serger. LOL!
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~Jo~
Last edited by RocketScientist : 01-18-2009 at 02:51 PM.
Reason: changed link - old one was obsolete
That is one thing I did wrong, I was using cotton yarn to try and learn on, and it was very tight. If that makes sense. I found it hard to maneuver. I'll have to get some wool yarn. Dang, I almost bought some from a local woman this past weekend at the harvest festival, but didn't b/c it was $12 a skein But I guess it's probably what I'm going to have to pay to get it, huh? Maybe I'll try ebay.
First it was cows, then chickens, soon we'll have to get SHEEP! Or alpacas, lol. Have you ever priced alpacas? Holy moly, they are $7000-8000! Yowza!
First it was cows, then chickens, soon we'll have to get SHEEP! Or alpacas, lol. Have you ever priced alpacas? Holy moly, they are $7000-8000! Yowza!
Dh just spent most of a weekend hanging out with alpaca owners and asking questons. When we got home, he started reading local ordinances to see if there might be a loophole allowing us to have alpacas in town. Fortuntely, he knows we don't have enough room for them, but now he's talking about moving eventually to a house with a bigger yard so we can. Yikes! I guess it was my fault for dragging him along to a Spin-In. I'll just have to try to redirect his attention toward the circular sock machines or electric spinners, since he spent a lot of time admiring those, too.
I like Lamb's Pride Worsted wool yarn (I think it may have some mohair in it as well). It's a nice stretchy yarn in a weight that is good for beginners -- comes in tons of colors, is readily available at almost every yarn shop, and is pretty reasonably priced (around $6 for a 190 yd. skein). Your local yarn shop is also a great resource when you get stuck -- I always see people in the shops I visit in their asking questions and the owners are very helpful.
Ah yogamomma, you're assuming I live near a yarn shop! LOL. Closest thing is Joann's and all they have is wool-ease, which is only a small percentage of wool. I did find some really neat stuff on ebay though. Beautiful handpainted yarns!
Thea, aren't alpacas SO CUTE though??? We have a local alpaca farm and I keep meaning to take Lydia. They do have a shop actually, I've never been to it, maybe they have yarn!
they have an awesome selection of mail order yarns (including the Lambs Pride) in a wide range of colors. I have ordered from them MANY times! That doesn't solve your problem of getting help if you get stuck while learning, but at least you can get access to all those yarns called for in the knitting books!
You could ACK! how shall I say this nicely...... start knitting using....... oh dear......... maybe I shouldn't say.....
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100% ACRYLIC yarn! There I said it. ROFLOL! I am actually working with acrylic right now making Zoe some fancy froo froo mittens that she just LOVES! Cotton just has no give to it, that's why it's hard to learn using it, wool is better but I can't buy it often. Most of my projects are with acrylic, not the best but hey, my kids are so happy to get a little loving knitted project, they could care less what it's made out of!
LOL Jo. I'm not opposed to using acrylic, but I want to learn to knit hats and mittens for Lydia, and I remember the ones my mom made when I was little from acrylic were not very warm.
Oh! And I just ordered Knitting Without Tears from Overstock.com! Yay!!
Alpacas sure are cute! While he was talking to the alpaca people, Chris bought Louisa the cutest little alpaca hat. It's made of cotton, not alpaca, so it won't be a good hat to wear outside in the winter, but it's a perfect fall hat. It has sweet little ears so she looks like a little alpaca.
Brown Sheep (the maker of Lamb's Pride) makes a lot of nice quality, affordable natural fiber yarns. I don't actually buy much yarn, since I spin, but one of my favorite mail-order suppliers for yarn (as well as spinning stuff) is Woodland Woolworks. I don't think they have a website yet, but if you email them at info@woolworks.com , they will send you a rather large catalog. You can ask for the knitting/crochet one or the spinning/weaving one or both. They have great sales sometimes, too. Also, definitely try the alpaca shop. If they have yarn, it won't be cheap, but working with alpaca is a treat.
Location: baking a happiness cake with the ingredients I already have...
Posts: 3,447
Y aknow I carryyarn, right?
And beware the spinnigna ddiction. I hear it's worse than knitting, LOL! Cause you've not only got oodles of yarn hanging around, but loads of fleece, too Spinnign si the one fiber art I've been able to resist (although my resolve weakens every time I go to a fiber festival and see spinners doing their work)
Now, alpacas I swear, when we move out and get more land, we'll have two alpacas as the family pets. They make wonderful pets, don't need a ton of space (1/2 an acre is sufficient for two animals) and are gentle and great with kids (can you tell I'm practicing my speech for convincing DH, LOL?)
I just thought of another excellent book for beginning knitters: A First Book of Knitting for Children , by Bonnie Gosse and Jill Allerton. It shows all the basics, including how to unknit if you make a mistake. It has lots of nice little animal patterns and verses to help you remember the steps. You can get it from A Child's Dream Come True .
What's the absolute best resource for beginning knitters?
Also, there's a great website with video of how to do the knit, purl, cat on,a nd cast off. It's 
But I guess it's probably what I'm going to have to pay to get it, huh? Maybe I'll try ebay.
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