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Knitting & Crocheting

Delurking....and want to learn to knit

18 years ago

Hi! I've lurked and learned here. You seem like such a great bunch I finally decided to come out in the open. :o)color>

I'm a crocheter and now want to learn to be a knitter too. Could anyone please suggest an on line site with good instructions? Please don't feel you need to spend a lot of time searching, I can do that, but if you know of any I'd appreciate the help. Thanks! BTW, I did a search of the forum and it came up with nothing but if there is a thread that I can look at, please feel free to point the way.

LOL I only have about 5 crochet projects going right now, just finished a triangle shawl for my sister, so I need to add to my madness by learning to knit too. Guess I'm beyond help.

Comments (6)

jjknitter
18 years ago
10-15-05
One site comes to mind with videos: www.stitchguide.com
I know others will have more sites for you.
Hope this helps and good luck.
socks
18 years ago
Purple Rainbow, I'm glad you "delurked!"

Have you checked out Lion Brand's site? They have a learn to knit section as well as free knit and crochet patterns.

Also, to get started you might consider a couple of knitting lessons at a knit shop or Joanns if you have one. My Joanns charges only $12 for one lesson, and my knit shop is $15. It's fun to learn with others.

Good luck. Keep posting now that you have "delurked."

Here is a link that might be useful: Lion Brand
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That was different. I cast on with the long tail method--much easier for me. My daughter uses another method that looked so awkward to me but it works for her. I knit continental or English--just depends on how bad my hands start to hurt. I too think there is no wrong way--the way that works for you is "your" right way. I would love to be able to get together with someone who has been knitting for a long time--I taught myself and have never been around anyone else who knits except my kids--both my daughters taught themselves too. We sometimes have knit and crochet days where that is about all we do.
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I also learned both before the internet. I started with a magazine and the basic instructions in the back and sat down on the sofa and kept trying. My grandmother had tried to teach me to crochet and that was a major frustration for both of us. A guide is needed, but in the end, you need to practice until your hands get comfortable doing something new -- holding the yarn in a way you have some control on tension as well as the hook or needles and then manipulating them to make loops and pull more loops through them. In the end, it's just a lot of variations on that theme. If you have a yarn shop, they probably have classes and may be a good source for help when you can't figure out what you've done or need to do next. It might help to have a book, magazine, pamphlet or something printed in front of you. A computer screen might work for you, and you can do video tutorials. I' sure there are you tube videos as well as classes. Craftsy is another source for online classes. I've taken a couple of baking classes that I thought were very good and suggested them to my sister when she wanted to learn knitting. I'm not sure which one she started with, but she found it helpful. You get online videos you can stop, start and easily come back to (they remember where you left off), can ask questions and my baking classes had printed materials too. Start with one to try -- both so you can see if it works for you and because they have had some sales. I wouldn't buy ahead until you've tried one, liked it and they have a sale. But that's me.
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PurpleRainbow
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

socks, your link did it! I am now a knovice knitter! Yippeee!!!! I just did 2 rows of 20 stitches. Sloppy, but then so was my first crochet and the first time I try anything new in crochet. JJ, I'll check out stitch.com for more help. Right now I'm just excited that I did it!

Lessons sound like fun. Only problem is I'm more of a night owl and do best trying to learn something new at night. It's 10:30 p.m. now. And I think I'm going to keep at my knew knitting for a while.

:o)color>
flowersandthings
18 years ago
First let me suggest continental knitting. I think it is much easier. Here is a site that has been an enormous help to me. Very detailed instructions. Free video downloads. Watch them again and again untill you get the hang of it. Here is the site: click on basic techniques and knitting (and purling when you want to learn that) click on the continental methods which are all in pink. Good luck! :)
Here is the section you need:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/knit.php

Here is a link that might be useful: Here is the main page:
PurpleRainbow
Original Author
18 years ago
flowersandthings, thanks for the link. I've looked a little and will check it out more thoroughly.

Right now I'm working on a muffler in light blue acrylic. I decided that working row after row of K stitches would be a good way to practice getting the tension right. If I get too bored with it I guess I'll rip it out and reuse the yarn. Purling isn't too bad and I've started slipping the first stitch for a nicer edge as was suggested on another thread.
PurpleRainbow
Original Author
18 years ago
f&t, that link was the best! I guess partly because I already crochet I find holding the yarn in my left hand makes sense, I was fighting doing that because I thought it wasn't the right way. It was nice to find, either in that site or another I went to, someone said there isn't just one right way, if it works for you it's right. I already knew that about crochet and suspected it about knitting. After I've worked with this method a while I will learn the other way (throwing?) if for no other reason than because I can but also because it seems to be a good way to switch colors more easily. I want to download the videos but on dialup it takes a long time and I don't want to tie up my phone line that long. Maybe I'll remember to dl them at night. Thanks for the help!

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