If you're a beginner, want to start knitting but have a lot of questions... these are the things you should know before diving into a knitting project:
Materials
There are many useful knitting accessories on the market, such as stitch markers, yarn guides, row counters, etc. But if you're just starting out, these are the basic materials you'll need to have on hand:
- Wool for your project
- Knitting needles
- A wool needle
- Scissors
Find your materials here
Important guidelines
Before you start knitting, there are a few things you should know to avoid mistakes and prevent frustration before you've even begun your project. It's happened to many of us... That's why we want to help you avoid it! xD
- The composition of wool matters. Depending on its composition and thickness, wool will be more or less flexible. That's why it's important to consider the composition of the wool.
- The thickness of the yarn you use will determine the size of needles you'll need for your project. Therefore, you should buy needles appropriate for your yarn weight. If you have some needles at home that you think might work, you can use a needle sizer to determine their size.
- Note the serial number of your yarn. This is important because each yarn dye lot has a serial number, and different dye lots of the same yarn can have slight color variations. It's helpful to note the dye lot number or serial number of your yarn because if you need more skeins than you anticipated, you'll be able to get the exact same shade as the one you already used.
- Knit a swatch. Knitting a swatch will help you determine how many meters of yarn you need for your project. However, if you're using a pattern for your project, this will already be specified by the designer.
Basic Techniques
Before starting your project, you'll need to familiarize yourself with basic knitting techniques. We recommend searching YouTube for the following techniques and watching some videos to understand what each one involves. Then, practice each technique separately, and once you've mastered them, start a small project to solidify your knowledge.
- Casting or "cast on"
- Point of law
- Purl stitch
- Finish off points
And that's it, you're ready to start your first basic knitting project :)
