From Zero to Hero: A Beginner's Guide to Knitting & Crocheting?

When you are entering the shop or doing online shopping, all that varieties of yarns, hooks and needles are staring at you the way you are staring at them. If you're new to knitting & crocheting world, you're undoubtedly wondering how to get started and what is the best way to start knitting & crocheting. You will be able to comprehend all the nuances with the aid of this article, and we will try to assist you in making your journey enjoyable and simple. 

What will I need to start knitting & crocheting?  

Of course, here you are at the beginning of the journey. Be sure that in this path quality is over quantity. You become so enthusiastic when you begin knitting & crocheting that you want to purchase all that beautiful equipment. Better to start with a pair of good needles for knitting and a hook for crocheting and most suitable yarn for your project.

According to experienced knitters, bamboo needles are the best choice because the stitches will not fall off so easily and you’ll be able to learn. Here are some wood needles that you can choose from the link. You should start knitting with medium-sized needles that fit nicely in your hand. Later on when you discover different patterns you’ll be able to change it.  

If you want to start crocheting then you need to choose a great hook. The most universal type is hooks measuring 2–5 mm. They are suitable for crocheting scarves, toys, blankets and stoles. Thinner ones 1–2 mm are good for crocheting children's clothes and connecting parts of the product. But hooks thinner than 1 mm are ideal for openwork napkins or Irish lace. You can choose the most suitable hook on our website. 

The best thing about knitting & crocheting is that the yarn companies provide you with the information on the yarn skeins which needle or hook to use and how many mm it should be. So you can also choose a matching needles and hook but in the beginning you can buy universal hook or needles. 

The yarn is the next item you will need. 

How to choose the correct yarn?
 

Initially, you must choose what to knit & crochet and for what season. Would you prefer to begin with a pair of socks, a gorgeous hat or a sweater? Do you like natural materials or do you like things that will last longer?  We advise using wool yarns when crafting during the warmer months because they are not only incredibly easy to use but also help to keep you warm. 

We suggest using cotton, bamboo or acrylic yarns when beginning to knit & crochet summer clothing or accessories. Yarns designed specifically for crafting purposes are available if you plan to make toys, amigurumi or items using the macrame technique. Also it’s important to pay attention to the following details while choosing the yarn:   

• Thickness,
• Yarn Weight,
• Yarn twist,
• Content,
• Evenness and strength of yarn,
• Color fastness,
• Brand Quality,
• Recommended hook or needle sizes,
• Knitting or Crocheting Gauge,
• Recommended Season 
  
  

The skein is weighed to determine the thickness of the thread. As a rule, before knitting & crocheting something of a certain size, you need to calculate how much yarn will be used for, say, a hat. This information is indicated before the knitting & crocheting pattern.

The last items you'll need to get started are scissors and a tapestry needle in addition to your positive attitude. The needle you'll need to start and finish since, even with a blanket, there will always be a beginning and an end—in knitting & crocheting, these are referred to as cast on and cast off. After you finish knitting & crocheting, you will need to weave in the tails of the thread.

It's not hard to get started with knitting & crocheting; you can pick up the basics and create your first project in a single day probably even in a couple of hours. The first things you should learn are how to knit & crochet, purl, and cast on and off stitches and it will be enough to start with. And these are some fundamental guidelines for creating your first knitted or crocheted items. 

FOR KNITTING 

Before you knit a simple thing with knitting needles, you need to learn how to cast on loops. There are two ways to do this. You will need a ball of wool and one knitting needle. 

Step 1 – Pick a matching yarn and needles (read the yarn's label to determine the appropriate needle size). 

Before you knit a simple thing with knitting needles, you need to learn how to cast on loops. There are two ways to do this. You will need a ball of wool and one knitting needle. 

Step 2 – How to cast on  

https://youtu.be/1vm6oaYzHyA?si=gQZ4lequB1EE-3Wl 

Step 3 – Knit across the row  

https://youtu.be/mWDsMG51YDQ?si=LTkaIs44RU2McpSR 

Step 4 – Knit as many rows as you wish to continue. 

Step 5 –  How to cast off  

https://youtu.be/VSwjIUiQZlM?si=nH8BXsusiQ-iQilJ 

FOR CROCHETING 
You can crochet all the same items as you can with knitting needles. A beginner needs to learn how to crochet chain stitches, single crochets and double crochets. Then you can move on to more complex patterns. 

1) Chain stitches 

This is the foundation of crocheting; it cannot be done without a set of chain stitches. The length of a set of chain stitches will determine how long the product is. 

For example you need to make 20 chain stitches, so you start and you don’t count the first one. You crochet 1 stitch and add 20 more to it.

https://youtu.be/JW5wb9-nOfg?si=w4WJBcALv87ZjuSF 

How to make a chain of air loops? 
 
https://youtu.be/jNJZUWLdE30?si=nnF8hmcZM9YSab67 

2) How to make single crochets 

Single crochets are usually used for knitting belts, cuffs, straps, as well as for finishing the edges of the product. 

https://youtu.be/K6Q-zjb24Vw?si=cOurTMPsrJHQyzkE 

3) Double crochets 

Double crochets way of crocheting is more complicated than single crochets and air loops but still as useful in the beginning as that ones. 

https://youtu.be/qx9a-OlMbEk 

4) Granny’s square 

After learning the first crocheting stitches you’ll be able to crochet a very simple pattern which is called «granny’s square» 
 
https://youtu.be/NoC_5dBdREo 

How to Interpret Knitting & Crocheting Patterns 

Most of the time, each pattern defines what each expression or symbol means. Although there are minor differences from pattern to pattern, the symbols and abbreviations in the recipes are generally as follows. Right to left reading is used when knitting in the round. A plus sign denotes the edge loop, a white square with the interior cut out indicates the purl loop and a black square indicates the front loop. Yarn over indicates with an arrow. Any novice who understands this basic science will gain confidence in a matter of days and be able to produce beautiful things alone. 

Patterns for regular crocheting (not circular) are read from bottom to top, for circular crocheting from the center to the edge. Odd rows are read from right to left, and even rows vice versa. Circular rows are read from right to left. As in knitting, in the crochet pattern there is a repeat (a repeating fragment of the pattern). 

The circle represents air loops, which are mainly used for casting on the first row and starting knitting. A cross indicates a single crochet, which increases the density of the product. The symbol in the form of the letter “T” denotes a half double crochet; such columns make a less dense row. The crossed out "T" represents a double crochet stitch. The letter “T” with two dashes, respectively, a double crochet. The triple crochet stitch is a “T” with three dashes. The crossed out "T" represents a double crochet stitch. The letter “T” with two dashes, respectively, a double crochet. The triple crochet stitch is the letter “T” with three dashes. The connecting crochet loop is indicated by a cross with a line above it. Used for circular knitting. 

Hope this article helped you in the beginning of your journey. If you have any questions or comments, we’d be happy to reply.