Would you like to spend your free time with something creative? In this post we have a great suggestion for you – learn to knit! In this post you will find everything about knitting for beginners – which are the most important basic techniques, what you should consider when choosing the materials, etc. We hope that you will be inspired by our ideas, to throw your first stitches. Have fun and success!
Knitting as a creative pastime
Knitting is neither old-fashioned nor difficult – you should master only a few basic techniques to make small pieces of art out of yarn for you and your favorite people – cuddly sweaters, warm hats and socks, pillows and blankets, and even small pieces of wool! As a hobby, knitting is also very relaxing and gives you the opportunity to show your skills and creative thinking. With the knitting needles you can make beautiful gifts and decorations for your home – with a little more patience and exercises you would learn how to knit like a pro. This contribution could only be of help – so that knitting is not difficult for beginners, we offer here a detailed guide and many practical tips. The photos would give you a more accurate visual idea of the main knitting techniques and can also be used as a source of inspiration. Enjoy reading!
Knitting for beginners – choosing the materials
First, of course, you should get the materials for knitting. They are actually present in every hobby shop, but for a good result they should be above all high quality. The knitting needles are round or straight and could be made of wood, metal, bamboo or plastic. Their strength depends on the type of yarn you have chosen – for lace yarn you need knitting needles with a needle size of 1.5 mm, and for extra thick yarn you need needles with a thickness of 9 mm or more. The Yarn Banderole usually has an instruction for knitting needles, and you may of course be advised by the seller. As a beginner, it is recommended to start with thin cotton yarn and straight, long needles made of wood or metal (needle size 2 mm). Once you have mastered the basic techniques, you would choose yarn and needles depending on a specific knitting pattern. You will also need knitting needles with large heads to put together the individual knitting pieces, a needle with a large ear for stitching the thread, as well as scissors and tape.
Knitting for beginners: use stitches
The first step in knitting is stitching stitches. The thread should be about three times longer than the desired width of the piece of knit – do not cut it off! Start by holding the thread in your right hand between your middle and index fingers. Extend your thumb and forefinger forward and hold the two ends of the thread with the remaining three fingers (as shown in the photos above) so that you get a noose. Insert one knitting needle from the bottom and wrap the thread around it with your thumb. Then let the noose slide off the thumb and pull the stitch tightly on the needle. Finished! To make further stitches, retrieve the end thread with your thumb and repeat the steps.
Knit right and left stitches – instructions
Each piece of knitting consists of right and left stitches, so you should learn to do it yourself. The right stitches appear on the back on the left and the yarn is actually behind the knit. Take the knitting needles, poke right front to back in the last stitch of the left needle and pull the thread through it. So you get a new stitch on the right knitting needle. Now let the stitch slide off the left needle and repeat the steps. The reverse is true for the knitted stitches on the left – they appear on the back on the right and the yarn is in front of the knit. Compared to the right-hand stitches, however, the work thread is always ahead. Therefore, you should first lay the thread in front of the left knitting needle, then push the right needle through the stitch, and pull the yarn by holding it with your left hand. The left stitches can be done with a little more practice than right and are needed for knitting with two sides.