Article Six Successful Tips For Beginner Knitters!

 You’ve started knitting or are thinking of starting to knit congratulations! Knitting is a terrific activity that is not only is fun and interesting but is a proven fact to improve memory and mental health clarity as well as meeting many others that enjoy the same craft of knitting.

 Maybe you have seen a jumper that you would like and must have so you would like to knit it for yourself, or maybe its just that mediative calm you get from knitting that jumper that you enjoy, as it brings a calm and peace to your lifestyle.

Whatever your reason for starting, here are six tips to help you as a beginner so that you may have the most successful journey with your knitting!

1. Try, Try, And Try Again! Repetition!

Knitting isn’t necessarily difficult however as a new skill to learn it can actually be really challenging and since we as ourselves like to succeed in learning a new task and one which may not be the best at to start with and may even find it frustrating at times. It is all a part of learning to knit that all of us have gone through weather we are a beginner, an intermediate knitter or even an experienced knitter repicking that skill after a few years off, we all have been there!

Try to remember that repetition is the key to learning, and you need to revisit and re do that new task many times to really learn it, so just keep going by repeating those sills and learning them successfully by learning reputation! 

2. Find Your Style!

One of the best things about knitting is that there are many, many different ways of doing things to do the exact same thing and also the exact same way but in doing each way differently it is still the same.

         Essentially with knitting  we are moving thread over sticks by looping the yarn over them, by throwing the yarn you are knitting the (English Method) and by picking up the yarn you are knitting the (Continental Method), and by running yarn around or over the back of your neck for better tensioning you are knitting the (Portuguese Method).

With needles that can be held in your hands, or one can held in your armpit (Lever Knitting) or held even in a leather belt at your waist (Shetland Waist Belt Method). To which the point I’m trying to make is even though there are many ways of knitting find what method works best for you individually!

3.Choose Your Tools Wisely!

When it comes to buying needles and accessories always remember that what you pay for can be indicative as to how easy or hard it may be for you to knit. Sometimes that crafted yarn or acrylic yarn that you bought on sale, and those stiff needles you bought from the internet or local chain store can infact be challenging to use at times.

   Yes they are the cheapest needles to by they are that for a reason! Your yarn may be sticking to the needles, preventing the stitches from sliding smoothly and causing you tension issues like uneven stitches popping up in your knitting. So, think about matching your yarn and needles a little better to that pattern especially when you are substituting different materials to use.

   Sometimes buying a good quality knitting needle set as a lifetime investment can save you hours of frustration and difficulties. Then there is also that plastic part of the circular knitting needle which can be stiff and difficult, and never uncurling from its shape it took from in its package, making your knitting unpleasant to work on and causing you significant issues.

You may even want to consider using a natural material and or a yarn that is made of 100% wool to use as it definitely has more spring and bounce which to will make it easier to knit with as a beginner and it is also smoother on the needles, plus it is a sustainable resource. I am talking about using merino wool as a learning tool.

Smooth block coloured wool is the best to start with examples being pink, or blue in a bright or pastel coloured wool. Stay away from the dark yarns they are hard to see the stitches, feathery and even crumply yarns, to start with too as a beginner as they can make your stitches difficult to knit.

You will progress over time with practice and experience. Also Join a knitting group near you and ask your knitting community those questions if you are having difficulties as there may a ways to make that circular plastic uncurl and make your knitting life more pleasurable plus you will make a few more friends in a crochet or knitting community as you all have the same interest and the experienced crafters can help you with those harder issues you may be having or areas you would to progress in with your crafting.

4. Count!

Remember count Dracula from sesame street? Well, you to need to count for a while and channel you’re inner counting as you count those stitches onto your needles as well as counting your stitches with each and every row until it becomes a natural thing to do. Channel your own count or countess Dracula.

Counting may seen tedious work to start with, but it will help you avoid making mistakes and having to rip out (Frog) rows and rows of work when you can find your mistake as your going by counting and seeing your pattern in front of you as you work.

 5. Read Your Pattern Like A Book. Then Write It All Out!

 You don’t know what you don’t know sometimes, so it is important to read that pattern all the way through before you start knitting it can prevent mistakes and improve your knitting experience.

   Copyright laws allow you to photocopy a pattern for personal use, so get a copy of the pattern and a pencil and read the pattern all the way through, mark the areas of the pattern that you may find confusing or you simply just don’t understand.

   Look those areas up! & check out any learning videos you can find on the internet to help you with that particular area you either don’t understand or find confusing.

   Next go through the pattern and circle every stitch and area that is your size and relevant to what you would like to knit (example: size 14 or 110 CMSs) and make checkmarks next to rows of your pattern as you complete them on your copy of the pattern. Even I 20 plus years later still do this with each and every pattern I do it helps you understand what you have to do for the pattern and will show your weaker areas that you need to work on so for me personally it is a personal lifetime habit! And it to may become one for you.

    NB: Write down the needle size as well that you have chosen, after you have knitted that tension square. So that you can check you have gotten the right number of stitches to the pattern and also matched that substituted yarn you have chosen to use from your stash.

This information will also come in handy later on if you choose to knit the same pattern again in a different size for someone else or just if you want to create another perfect garment!

6. Create Your Gauge Swatches, They Can Tell You The Future!

Have you realised yet that knitting patterns are actually based on maths yet?

   When that gauge is stated in a pattern for a number of stitches and rows over 10 cm/ 4 inches, that then is the stitch ratio for creating all the sizes in that pattern! The gauge and weight of the sample item is also used to create and determine the yardage number that the pattern calls for. So, if your gauge is different to what the pattern calls for it can affect the size and yardage of your own completed project.

   Gauge is something that is important to consider when substituting yarns, designing your first pattern, or even knitting a project by memory. Gauge is important to consider to having a fitted and polished completed garment that fits you or that family member perfectly!

   So do not skip knitting a tension gauge squares they are invaluable to your own project and also come in handy later on when wanting to compare samples or even substitute a yarn! Gauge swatches are an important and tedious piece of knitting and they might seem tedious at times, but they should not be skipped!

They allow you the knitter to tell if your needles, or your yarn combination are a good fit for the pattern that you want to knit. They can and do literally tell the future, if your gauge matches then your project will turn out in its intended and size!

I Do Hope These Six Tips Help You With Your Learning Journey. Carey.

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