Did you know that knitting can improve your mood and reduce stress?
The repetitive motions and ability to see your progress can help your mind and body relax. Weaving colorful, soft yarn can inspire creativity and keep fidgety hands from moving around. Learning to knit could be a fulfilling activity if you’re looking for a new hobby.
Keep reading below if you want to learn how to knit, it’s not just a hobby for the elderly!
Invest in Knitting Supplies
If you don’t have the right tools, learning how to knit will be more challenging.
As a beginner, you’ll want to buy needles that are comfortable in your hand, there are several options. Other basic supplies include yarn, scissors, and stitch markers. All of these items should be selected by you since there are many styles to select from.
If you’re worried about spending money on a hobby you aren’t sure you’ll like, you can get supplies at a discount. Wholesale stores and sales are great opportunities to get yarn and needles at an affordable cost.
Pick a Pattern
Knitting tips often include customizations to basic patterns, but you should wait to try these.
As a beginner, it’s best to start with a simple pattern so you can learn how to better manipulate the yarn.
Before you knit something, you should have a good idea of what you’re creating, the type of yarn you’ll use, and the dimensions. The yarn will impact the dimensions of your clothing, so pay attention to cotton blends.
Cast-on
The first place to start when learning how to knit is with the cast-on technique.
This technique is a simple procedure to get your knitting process going. Casts are rows of loops that you make about your needles, they act as the base of your creation.
The longtail technique is often the easiest for beginners since it provides extra room and works for various projects. Start by wrapping some yarn around your finger in a clockwise position, and create two loops. Make sure you leave plenty of yarn on the other end, it will look like a tail.
Next, with the yarn still wrapped behind your pinky, lay it across the top of the rest of your fingers. As you place the yarn over your index finger, take it to your thumb and wrap it clockwise. Slide the yarn between your pinky and ring finger and it should lay across your palm.
Place the knitting needle in the opening at your thumb and loop the yarn onto it. Next, wrap the yarn on the needle and place it through the thumb opening again to secure it.
Doing a Basic Knit Stitch
Online tutorials can quickly get confusing when people start teaching their personal techniques.
When it comes to the knit stitch, you can’t go wrong since it creates a solid foundation. Once you complete each stitch, your strands of yarn will start producing clothing and other items.
With your casting complete, you want to pull the needle toward you and create a “slingshot.” Keep repeating these steps until you’ve reached your dimensions. Keep your tail hanging off the bottom of your needle while you do your stitches.
With your other hand, wrap the yarn still connected to the ball around your pinky finger again, and do this twice. It helps to imagine you are holding a knife while completing this process, you don’t want to create too much slack.
Make sure your working yarn stays at the bottom of your needle so the stitches lay correctly. With your other hand, grab a second knitting needle and create your first loop from the left to write on your original loop. Wrap your yarn around the needle in a counter-clockwise direction from the backside.
Bind off
There are a few different knitting techniques you can try to bind off your garments.
Binding off the yarn means that you do specific stitching to prevent it all from unraveling. When you’re running out of yarn or completing your work, create two stitches and insert your needle into the second stitch. You must then lift the second stitch over the first, once you’re through, you can drop the needle.
Next, knit another two stitches and lift the new second one of the first. Keep repeating this step until you have one final stitch remaining. In the end, you have to break the yarn by pulling it through the last stitch with the needle and cutting it.
How to Knit with Textured Yarn
Whether you’re knitting a sweater or gloves, you need to change your routine with textured yarns.
Textured yarns made with a variety of fabrics require unique stitching. If you follow a standard stitch, it could hide part of the material and impact the final appearance. Do your best to keep each stitch in a neat row so they don’t tie together.
When you’re using a variety of yarns, you will also have to tie them off. When you tie off yarn, you connect a new piece of yarn when you run out of the other or want to blend colors.
You can tie off yarn by creating a knot at the tail end of the old yarn. Keep about 5 inches of tail extra on the replacement. Afterward, you slide the knot through the base of the first stitch and continue the process.
Stitch Yourself Something New
Learning how to knit can help you calm down at the end of the day and practice creating something.
You don’t have to have muscles or money to create something with yarn, and knitting is easy to catch onto. Some people get so much joy from the activity, that they turn it into a revenue stream and make custom items for consumers. If you stay organized and keep your yarn neat, you can complete rows and develop something unique.
Be sure to read our blog for more info about how to create with your hands, you could even make a profit!
