Hey friends! I hope you are all staying safe and taking precautions to protect yourself and others at this crazy time. If you’re cooped up and feeling like you need a hobby, I figured I’d publish this guide a little early in case you’re interested in trying out a new craft! So here goes…

If your circle is anything like mine, it doesn’t include many knitters, especially knitters in my age group so I really didn’t know where to start when I decided to pick up this new craft. Maybe you were inspired because you saw something cute on Instagram or are into the latest trend of bulky knit beanies and want to make one for yourself because, well, you can! My knit journey actually started by a weird late night urge to learn something new. I couldn’t sleep one night sometime in January 2017 and the thought popped into my head that, “If I knew how to knit, that’s what I would be doing right now.“ Instead of just a passing thought, it became a challenge to myself and the very next day I went to Michael’s before work. I really didn't know what I was purchasing when I went, I just stepped into the yarn section, picked up some yarn I thought was pretty and a pair of straight knitting needles. This guide is a compilation of the advice I wish I knew right then, on that trip to Michael’s, for the very first time knitter. Here are a few steps and resources for the beginner knitter that I wish I knew when I started out on the DIY journey.

My advice for the beginner knitter

The Yarn

Lionbrand Thick and Quick

I often preach about working with natural fibers, but in this case, for those just starting off, I think Lionbrand Thick and Quick is the perfect yarn.

• WHERE TO FIND IT: Both Michael’s and Joann’s stock this yarn. From my experience it’s more affordable to purchase at one of these stores plus if you chose to order online, there’s usually free shipping and they ALWAYS have coupons and sales (they honor one another’s coupons too).

• WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT IT? It’s a super bulky yarn, which means it’s not too thin for the beginner plus it will knit up relatively quickly compared to thinner yarn (which is great because, if you’re like me, you’re probably already knitting slowly as a beginner).

• SO HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR YARN IS SUPER BULKY? Every yarn is categorized in a weight category in terms of thickness of yarn. One is the thinnest, lace weight yarn (still intimidates me!) … five is a bulky yarn, six is super bulky and seven is jumbo. I recommend the size six super bulky weight for beginner knitters. On the yarn label, as you can see in the picture below, you will find an image with a number of what yarn weight that specific yarn is. Lionbrand has a great resource on their website for help with reading a yarn label.

Needles

10mm/US size 15 Knitting Needles

• 10MM, US SIZE 15, HUH?! Knitting needles come in different sizes and they’re also labeled in metric sizes and US sizes. Therefore you’ll probably see both sizes on the packaging, thus MM and US sizes are interchangeable.

• SO HOW DO THE SIZES WORK? Just like yarn, the lower the number, the thinner the needle. Sizes range from zero all the way up to specialty extra large needles in 15mm/US sizes 17 and up. However, traditionally, the 10mm or US Size 15 is the largest size needle and they work perfectly with super bulky yarn (as mentioned above).

• WHICH NEEDLES SHOULD I GET? I started off with straight knitting needles, which is probably what you think of when you think knitting, but now I much, much prefer circular knitting needles. They hold more yarn and are much easier on my wrists (see bullet point below for circular suggestions). So if you want to go the traditional route with the straight needles, I found a pair of straight knitting needles on Michaels.com that would work for you here. These also seem great and are from Amazon. Full disclosure, I used these for my first project, a scarf, and are great for learning, but I strictly use circular knitting needles now, which is also what you’ll need if you want to knit a hat.

• TRUST ME? THEN GET CIRCULAR NEEDLES INSTEAD Circular knitting needles follow the same sizing guidelines as straight needles, they just look a little different.

  • Pro’s of circular needles: Easier on my wrists; hold more yarn; more versatile because can knit hats, blankets, scarves and more on them!

  • Now I use better quality circular needles, but starting off, I found an extremely affordable set on Amazon that includes all different sizes in case you are confused by the sizing system. So, circular needles are two shorter needles connected by a cord or tube that allows you to knit anything you want. For hats, you will need 16inch circular needles because you are knitting in a circle (think circumference of your head). Here is my recommended set!

Other Tools (notions)

Large sewing needle

• To save yourself an extra shopping trip to Michael’s, I’d recommend grabbing a large sewing needle on your very first trip. This way, when your first project is done, you can weave in the ends of your yarn to really make your first project officially complete!

• HOW TO FIND IT: I honestly just went into the sewing section at Michael’s and picked the sewing needle with the largest eye I saw and I still love it! Mine is a metal needle, but you could use plastic as well. Here’s one at Michael’s. Just make sure the eye of your needle is large enough to poke your super bulky yarn through.

Where to start actually learning to knit

First project: Scarf

Scarf! A scarf is so easy to knit and you can complete the absolute most basic steps when it comes to the craft. I followed the YouTube tutorial by Sheep & Stitch, which I wholeheartedly recommend. She’ll teach you how to get your yarn onto your needles (i.e. cast on) then make the most basic stitch- the knit stitch. She also has a bunch of separate tutorials if you need to slow down and reference videos for each individual step.

• Don’t give up, just keep trying! My first time I was confused about the fact that I’m knitting, but the most basic stitch is called the knit stitch. So, just so ya know, there is a knit stitch in knitting. Knitting is basically just different knit and purl stitches in various combinations.

• Also, I had such a hard time keeping stitches on my needles and figuring out what is a stitch and if I had dropped a stitch or not. I ended up with a different number of stitches every row, dropping stitches and picking up what I thought were stitches. I was on the struggle bus for sure, but eventually I figured it out!

Second Project: Hat

The second project can really be whatever you want (within reason). I don’t wear scarves often and really wanted to knit a beanie so that was my choice for my next project. I again used a video tutorial from Sheep & Stitch and it was amazing. This is where the circular needles become imperative. Make sure they’re 16 inches long (my first time, I ordered 40in circular needles and they turned out way too long). Here is the tutorial I followed for the Big Hat by Sheep & Stitch. And here’s a reminder for the needles I recommend (they’re not perfect and have since broken on me, but for just trying they’re a great value in my opinion). So, instead of trying to walk you through what all this means, I’m going to revert to a video from Sheep & Stitch because it was a perfect video for me to understand the process of knitting a hat. Here it is:

Alright that’s a wrap, now you have everything you need to make your first project! The only thing left to do now is grab your shopping list, head to the store or order the materials and get to learning!

Shopping List

In short, here is your beginner shopping list for your first-ever knitting experience:

• Lionbrand Thick and Quick yarn (Note to self: there are sales ALL THE TIME, don’t feel like you need to buy tons of yarn all at once)

• Knitting Needles: 10mm/US Size 15 straight or circular knitting needles. My recommendation here.

• Any pair of scissors

• Sewing needle with large eye (can fit your super bulky yarn through)