BikeBookBread Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Last year (almost to the day) I started up crochet. I took to it like a duck to water; so when I decided to go ahead and try knitting a few months later, I was surprised just how difficult I found it to be. I taught myself continental method, which being a crocheter, was easier and more natural than the English "throwing" style I tried first. For example, the woman at my LYS told me to just "jump right into a project" so I did - a VERY simple rib knit sweater (no purling at all) for my daughter. Small and done in one piece, bottom up. I worked on it for two months - frogged it two or three times back to the beginning, and then just gave up, crocheted her a darling shrug and called it good. So I set knitting aside for a few months and only now have decided to give it a try again. I'm not doing any project, just practicing, practicing, practicing. In your experienced knitting opinion, how long does it take for a knitter to get into the knitting groove? What I mean is this: how long should I just knit/purl row after row after row? Will it just click at some point? Does it just take time to get a feel for it? I just GOT crochet...my stitches are even, I can easily fix mistakes, etc. I would really like to knit. I have the ambition and drive to do it. I just don't understand why I'm so BAD at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 What gauge are you knitting with? Honestly I never did any practice. The first thing I ever knit was the red sweater in this blog post: http://hmsindefatigable.blogspot.com/2005/08/finally-photo-upload-thingy-relents.html I took a small class, knit a few rows on a bit of scrap yarn & just started. Also, if you knit with something variegated, it covers up a multitude of sins :D Try to pick some variegated yarn with a bit of give to it (not pure cotton, that was a ***** to learn on: it splits and uneven stitches show a lot more). I'd go for a merino wool blend..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I would start on a smaller project than a sweater. I wouldn't just practice. Maybe make some fun washcloths or something? What are you "practicing?" Do you just make swatches?? You can make a swatch scarf. I have knit a LOT but I haven't made a sweater. I have no sweater ambition. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Last year (almost to the day) I started up crochet. I took to it like a duck to water; so when I decided to go ahead and try knitting a few months later, I was surprised just how difficult I found it to be. I taught myself continental method, which being a crocheter, was easier and more natural than the English "throwing" style I tried first. For example, the woman at my LYS told me to just "jump right into a project" so I did - a VERY simple rib knit sweater (no purling at all) for my daughter. Small and done in one piece, bottom up. I worked on it for two months - frogged it two or three times back to the beginning, and then just gave up, crocheted her a darling shrug and called it good. So I set knitting aside for a few months and only now have decided to give it a try again. I'm not doing any project, just practicing, practicing, practicing. In your experienced knitting opinion, how long does it take for a knitter to get into the knitting groove? What I mean is this: how long should I just knit/purl row after row after row? Will it just click at some point? Does it just take time to get a feel for it? I just GOT crochet...my stitches are even, I can easily fix mistakes, etc. I would really like to knit. I have the ambition and drive to do it. I just don't understand why I'm so BAD at it. No advice - just glad to read that I'm not the only one! I also took to crocheting right away, and have struggled with learning to knit - still haven't learned. Maybe someday it will click . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Knit a scarf, or dishcloths or something. It doesn't have to be extravagant to be a project. I can knit, but find it difficult and time consuming. I have knitted 2 pairs of longies and a jumper along with squares for blankets for the poor. Tension comes with practice. I knit in the english way so no advice on your style. Persevere, you will get better :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I learned to knit as a child. I started teaching my daughter when she was about 8. She is now 12 and knits quite nicely and can do cables. All I can say is practice, practice, practice. I would not start with a sweater. Scarves are much more forgiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 It took me a few years to really get knitting. (Looking back, I thought I got it before I actually got it, know what I mean?) I never just practiced, but I did start with simpler projects than a sweater. I knit several scarves in progessively more difficult stitch patterns, then hats, then mittens, then an afghan. After the afghan I went on to socks, sweaters and lace, in that order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Hmmm... I have no idea how long it takes to get into the groove; I learned as a child and then picked it up again several years ago. Once I started again, I fell into the groove pretty easily. I'm not sure a sweater (or anything we a great deal of shaping, not to mention a really high stitch count) would be an ideal first project, either. (And I am really trying to figure out how you get ribbing with no purling - I hate k/p ribbing and sock cuffs are the bane of my existence) I'd probably go with a hat in an interesting stitch pattern (cables or something - cabling isn't hard and looks very clever), perhaps a matching scarf. Ditto what hornblower said: stay away from cotton or any other material that has little give to it, you want to be comfortable and not have every variation in tension show like a neon light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 This is the most frustrating part of knitting. I have asked my 2 local knitting shops, multiple times, to offer a workshop just on correcting errors. Every single time I make this suggestion, as the employees are saying, "No, no, no plans to do that, wouldn't work, blah blah blah," other shoppers chime in to say, "Yeah, what she said, I'd sign up." Sorry, no advice, but I do think this is a need the knitting community should be more eager to address. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I learned to knit two years ago, and since then have taught 3 others how. I have found that it can take anywhere from about 3-6 months before someone feels they "get it" enough to advance on to socks or sweaters or other more challenging projects. I echo the advice to start by knitting dishcloths and scarves... it's a great way to practice different stitch patterns/striping and working with different yarns, they knit up quickly, and make great (and functional) gifts. You could also do potholders, headbands, baby blankets.... lots of great things to practice with. Then I usually suggest moving on to hats before venturing into sweater or sock territory. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 How long to get in the groove? How about 30 years! Someone taught me to knit when I was 12--just cast on, knit stitch, and bind off. Made a small project. That was it until right after college. Saw an afghan pattern in a magazine. Bought needles and yarn. Project was too big. Put it down for many years. Finally tossed it out. About 6 or 7 years ago I picked up knitting again. Made a couple of scarves. Then decided I wanted to knit socks. That took several tries and after 5 years I had a pair of socks. But that pair of socks is what really kick-started my knitting habit. I found the book Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick to be very helpful. Also, I learned continental via this video: It's long and I had to watch it a few times. Lots of practice afterward knitting a scarf and I got it. KnitPicks has just put out a beginner's kit with yarn and needles and lots of instructions to make a scarf and hat. Their latest podcast talks in great detail about it. Cinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMA Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 If possible, take lessons with someone or take a class. It really, really helps to do a project all the way through with someone from casting on to finishing. I know many knitters who can't cast on, fix their stitches when they fall off the needle, decrease or increase, pick up stitches to put a sleeve on or put together a sweater. They can knit cables and fancy stitches to make the body, and then they pay someone to finish the rest. I tried to teach myself and it didn't work. I then took lessons at a yarn shop and I did my first sweater in two months. I went every week and she taught me how to fix my mistakes. It was well worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MgoBlue Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I agree with the above. Knit a scarf...just do an easy pattern. Then if you want to knit a sweater, start with a top down raglan. Elizabeth Zimmerman's books are good at explaining the proportions--check to see if you can get them from the library. Start with something pretty basic & keep charts/sticky notes to tell which row you're on. Keep counting each row to make sure you're not forgetting your increases/decreases. Sounds stupid, but I get a lot of interruptions & frustrations with my knitting & sometimes when I don't keep my notes--that's when I screw up! Good luck. Paula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaZ Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Start with washcloths to work on stitches. Then once you get your tension under control then move on to something more challenging. Washcloths are scary if you make mistakes on them and you don't mind playing aound with the stitches to learn how to fix mistakes. It took me a couple of months to get comfortable knitting. I started in early October and by Christmas I had knit 6 new Stockings for my mantle. Of course, before the stockings, I made a couple of unfortunate hats with poor yarn choices and guage. That was before I learned the beauty of knitting washcloths. Now, before I sit down to knit a in intricate lace pattern...I knit it as a washcloth first for practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avila Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Another dishcloth knitter here. I did it for 3 months and got pretty good at it. The only trouble with that is that the cotton yarn feels and works a lot different than wool or even good acrylic. For some reason, I tend to get stuck on things in knitting, and right now, I am a sock knitter. I am, for no reason other than I like them and I want to, only knitting socks. NO way I would start with a sweater though! :lol: That would have made me quit knitting completely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaZ Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Another dishcloth knitter here. I did it for 3 months and got pretty good at it. The only trouble with that is that the cotton yarn feels and works a lot different than wool or even good acrylic. For some reason, I tend to get stuck on things in knitting, and right now, I am a sock knitter. I am, for no reason other than I like them and I want to, only knitting socks. NO way I would start with a sweater though! :lol: That would have made me quit knitting completely! I'm a sock knitter too. I have an addiction to sock yarn. I've knit 50 pairs of socks and am just now knitting my very first sweater. And I knit a sock monkey. :D The whole reason I learned to knit...was to knit socks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan25 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 This is so funny to me! About 5 years ago, I bought a cheap teach yourself kit from Walmart and taught myself to knit. It came really, really easily--the basics, anyway. I figured I would do the same with crochet. Bought the same type of kit from Walmart and everything! I ended up throwing it out!!!!! It was the most frustrating thing I have ever done!! I wonder if some people are just knitting people and some are just crochet people??!! :001_huh::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MgoBlue Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I'm with Rowan...can't follow a crochet pattern to save my life! Paula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I think kid's sweaters are good to start on. There's a sewing teacher here who gets people to start on a teddy bear sweater. The sweater is a 'sampler' - lots of various stitches & designs, and then you learn to piece it too. It's done in 6 weeks of classes. I personally have seen too many people get discouraged on scarves because they're so bleeding long & boring. When you're a good knitter & fast, you can make good progress on them, but otherwise it's just row after row after row....... The teddy bear sampler patterns give you lots of variety. And a bear will wear it so it's not the end of the world if one sleeve is longer than the other :tongue_smilie: I can't find a pattern like the one the woman I know teaches but either of these would be good - look like moss st & a cable too :-) http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=e00515&categoryid=32 http://www.aranknits.com/teddy.htm or http://www.sunkidstore.com/pdf/winter_sweater_for_12_inch_teddy_bear.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 (edited) I knit the way my grandmother taught me, which is a variation of the continental way, so my suggestions should work for you, too. Try to use a yarn that doesn't split easily into strands. I find that bamboo or wooden needles are much easier to use because the stitches stay put more easily. Don't try to knit too tightly (my biggest mistake when I began). Knitting fairly loosely is much easier. When you are hooking the new piece of yarn through the loop on the needle, try to push the hooking needle against the stationary needle until you get near the bottom of the stationary needle where the loop goes down into the row below, THEN pull the new piece of yarn through. The bottom of each loop is where there is room for you to pull the new piece of yarn through. The top of the loop is pulled tight to the needle by gravity and isn't easy to work with. The same goes for poking the hooking needle through the loop at the beginning of the stitch - do it at the bottom of the loop where there is room. Try different ways of winding the new yarn through your left hand fingers. I used to come up through once between my ring and middle fingers, but my stitch was too loose and it was hard to hold onto everything. Now I wind in and out of each finger. If you need to unknit or unpurl a stitch, follow the yarn with your needle when you put the needle through the stitch, don't put it into the stitch from the side that the yarn isn't on (hope that makes sense). I found knitting easier than purling for a long time. Slide some of the stitches on the left hand needle up to the tip and bunch them together to make it easier to pull the new stitches off. It is a nuisance to keep having to do this, but it makes knitting much easier. You might find that it helps to slide the new stitch off the old needle with your thumb. Don't make anything that has to be symetrical because your tension probably isn't going to be very consistant at first and things will come out different sizes. It is hard to explain in writing, but hopefully some of this made sense. HTH -Nan Edited August 31, 2009 by Nan in Mass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SapphireStitch Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 This is the most frustrating part of knitting. I have asked my 2 local knitting shops, multiple times, to offer a workshop just on correcting errors. Every single time I make this suggestion, as the employees are saying, "No, no, no plans to do that, wouldn't work, blah blah blah," other shoppers chime in to say, "Yeah, what she said, I'd sign up." Sorry, no advice, but I do think this is a need the knitting community should be more eager to address. Terri :iagree::iagree: This is my big pet peeve with knitting, too! I've been crocheting for 20 years and have been trying to get somewhere with knitting for a couple of years now. This is where I get stuck every time. I get several rows into a pattern and need to correct a mistake, and all I can find for information in books is something along the lines of "undo stitches back to the error, being sure to keep the yarn oriented properly on the needles.: Well, if I could keep the dang yarn oriented properly on the needles I would know how to fix the mistakes already! When I "tink" (unknit) I don't know how to get the loops sitting back on the needle the way they are supposed to go. My daughter can knit a bit better than I can, so sometimes she can help me get stuff straightened out. I'm used to crochet where you only have one "live" loop and it's fairly straightforward to go back and fix things. Maybe I just haven't found the right knitting resources yet. The things I've read have sort of an intuitive, mystical (not exactly the term I want) feel to them...like if you're meant to be a knitter you will just KNOW how this stuff works. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SapphireStitch Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Something else for crocheters trying knitting...try knitting Continental and purling Norwegian. (There are videos on Youtube showing how to do both.) This combination seems closest to crochet for me, in terms of how the needles and yarn are positioned. I can knit and purl nice and neat and evenly. If I can ever figure out the fixing problems thing I might actually enjoy knitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 Everyone has given me SUCH encouragement. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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