Advice for Beginning Knitters

I posted the following message to one of the knitting lists I read. A woman who learned to knit as a child was returning to knitting and wanted some pointers. This note is one spot where I put together everything I usually tell beginners. It's worth posting here, as well.

Knitting is a great way to keep your hands busy. I got back into it a few years ago when I was dieting. Can't do mindless eating when you have two sticks in your hands. :)

Since you are refreshing dormant skills, start with something basic. Don't be too hard on yourself if there are mistakes at the beginning. Frogging (Rip-it! Rip-it! ) and Tinking (Knit spelled backwards which refers to unknitting stitches one at a time) are a very real part of knitting.

I'd suggest a simple garter stitch scarf. I start beginners with size 15 needles, worsted weight yarn of their choice, and have them cast on about 20-25 stitches depending upon how wide they want the scarves. Garter stitch is created by knitting every row. By the time you have a five or six foot scarf, you will have the mechanics of tension and stitch creation under control. Your second scarf can be a k2, p2 rib to let you practice the purl stitch. After that, check some online sites, such as Lion Brand's website ( http://www.lionbrand.com/ ) or www.knittingpatterncentral.com to find new projects to create. The Lion Brand site rates their patterns by difficulty. I'm sure you will find other sites that do the same.

Two mnemonics my grandkids use to remember stitch formation are these ditties:

Knit stitch:

In through the front door,
Run around the back;
Out the window,
Off jumps Jack.

Purl stitch:

Under the fence,
Catch a sheep,
Back we come,
Off we leap.

A note on needles: metal and fiber (bamboo, wood, etc.) needles each have their purposes. Fiber needles work well with slippery yarns because they grab them better than metal. Metal, on the other hand, lets rougher yarns slip off the needles easily. My beginners usually like to start with short, size 15 bamboo needles because they feel good in their hands. It's part of the tactile experience of knitting. You should pick the needles that you like. Many experienced knitters only use circular needles, even on flat project. I prefer circulars when I'm traveling. I can't loose a needle if I drop it. (I can guarantee I will drop a needle at the most awkward moment, in the most crowded situation.)

Another note on yarn: don't work with too cheap yarn. After you put hours of work into a project, you don't want it wasted on a yarn that doesn't hold your stitches well, or that is scratchy and uncomfortable to work or wear. My mother made me a pull-on vest when she was a beginning knitter. She worked too tightly (it's a common problem with beginners) and she literally stretched all the spring out of the yarn. The vest couldn't stretch enough to go over my head and shoulder! I was never able to wear it. We always felt half the problem was her too-tight stitches and the other half was cheap yarn that didn't have a lot of memory. (Memory is the quality that lets yarn spring back after stretching.) Your work is worth decent yarn.

By the same token, don’t be a yarn snob. Every yarn has its purpose. Some folks who start knitting with the “good yarns” such as wools, wool-blends, and other animal fibers, decide they are too good to knit with acrylic or plant fiber yarns. The animal fiber yarns are lovely to touch and work up beautifully, but they require special care and they cause some people to itch. Don't forget to look at the other yarns. Suit the yarn to your project.

If you are making a baby blanket that will be washed constantly or a hat for a rough and tumble child, acrylic is a far better choice. Acrylics and other synthetic fibers can be made to feel like animal fibers, but the are wash and wear. Many of your fun furs, ribbon yarns, and other specialty yarns will only be available in some sort of man-made fiber. If you don't use man-made fiber, you will never have the joy of making items from these yarns. Lower priced acrylics often feel scratchier than those that are more expensive. The oils and sizing used in the processing of the yarn will generally wash out over time and the product will become softer, but that doesn’t help your hands while you are making it. Touch your yarns and see which ones feel better right now. After all, you are going to be handling this yarn a lot while creating your project.

Plant fibers don't have the spring that animal fibers have, but they are cooler, they wick moisture and they breathe better. A summer tank top or a kitchen dishcloth is far better made from plant fiber (cotton, linen, bamboo, etc.) than from wool. If you want to make socks or something that needs the springiness of animal fiber, but you want to make it from a plant fiber, look for a blend that has some elastic in it. The elastic will help your socks keep their shape.

You can check further on my blog for hints and directions for doing the thumb cast on (a variation of the long-tail cast on) and other helps for beginners.

Happy Knitting!

Beginning Knitters, Big Stitches, and Yahoo Answers

This person had the opposite problem from the one I mentioned earlier. Her stitches were too big. Another Yahoo Answerer, named Sue, suggested she rip out and reknit. I came back with "the rest of the story."

Sue gave an excellent answer. Frog it (rippit rippit) to a few stitches before the bobble, then knit it better on the next try. My Mom always said "If you don't rip out, you don't wear out." meaning "if you don't go back and fix it, you won't want to be seen in public wearing it." I will give you a no-rip solution at the bottom of this message. Sometimes the oops is so far down that you just hate to rip back that far.

NOW -- why did it happen in the first place? It's a matter of tension. You did not control the yarn as it came through your fingers. If you look at an instruction book, it usually shows you twining the ball end of the yarn through your fingers in some manner. This is to put a little bit of drag on the yarn so you can control the amount of yarn you pull through in stitch formation. In this case, you pulled through a lot of yarn and didn't snug it up to your needle enough.

Most beginners have the opposite problem from you. They snug their yarn so tightly they don't leave enough room to slip the second needle in to form the next stitch. Either problem is solved by being aware of the finishing stage of stitch formation and being certain the loop is a regular size -- not too tight, not too loose.

NO-RIP SOLUTION. This doesn't always work, but it's worth trying before you frog. Lay your knitted fabric on a flat surface, such as a table, and find the line of yarn that formed the too-big stitch. Using the point of one of your needles, tug on the yarn before and after the too big stitch to bring it down to the right size. Move left (or right) to the next stitch and adjust it to take up the slack. Keep moving over one stitch taking up slack until you have dispersed the extra yarn evenly through the row. Don't worry that now the entire row looks a bit too loose. When you wash the item the tug/tug of washing will readjust the tension throughout the piece. Check yarn care instructions. Machine washing does more for tension readjustment than hand-washing, but not all yarns are machine washable.

Beginning Knitters, Split Yarn and Yahoo Answers

I like to read Yahoo Answers. My friend KR says the Reference Librarian in me is why I get so many "Best Answer" replies. Librarians are trained to hear the question behind the question.

Recently one person wrote in:
HELP! My yarn keeps splitting when I am knitting! I am using size 8 needles and this is my second time knitting. My needles are bamboo.
She rated my reply as Best Answer.

You say you are using bamboo needles, so that rules out your needles being too pointed. Bamboo needles are more rounded than metal ones. Bamboo, by its nature, gives your yarn a bit more traction as it runs along the needle. It's good to use with shiny, slippery yarns. Metal needles, on the other hand, have smaller points and slippery surfaces. They let yarn that catches and drags slide more smoothly during stitch formation.

If tension isn't your problem, you might try switching to metal needles to see if the problem is being caused by the nature of your needles.

With that said, I'm guessing the problem IS tension. You say this is your second knitting project. Almost every beginner I've ever taught to knit or crochet knits tightly because s/he is so intent on learning. If the loop of the stitch is really tight around the first needle, there is no slack to let the second needle in to form a new stitch. As you fight to insert the needle, you snag the yarn and split it. You can also snag your finger and poke holes. I've known beginning knitters to look like they lost a battle with a porcupine because they keep poking themselves with the needles.

Now, the hard part is -- how do you release tension?

1. You can consciously watch how you form your stitches and stop before you feel you have pulled the stitch down completely. (Stop at 3/4 instead of completely done.) It will take two-three rows before the new slack becomes evident.

2. You can ask a more experienced knitter to knit a few rows loosely for you. When you take the fabric back, it will feel like the other knitter was real "sloppy" compared to what you have been doing. Work to repeat the "sloppy" tension and keep yours that way. (Not working tightly is hard to do! It's like not thinking about pink elephants. )

3. You can quit holding the yarn that comes from the ball -- don't hold it with either hand. Let it hang loose. Don't think about tension right now. Concentrate on forming the stitches. Some will be big and sloppy. Some will be tight, but you will learn to make the stitches. Later, when you wash your project, the swish/swish tug of washing should readjust the tension throughout the pieces so you won't see big holes. (Read the care label. Some yarns need to be hand washed.)

Later, after you have the mechanics of stitch formation under control, you can start catching that yarn in one hand and holding it to put a little drag on the stitch to make the shape more uniform. There are two methods of stitch formation and carrying the yarn. One is European, one is American. Both are good. When you are ready, use the one that appeals to you.

Most of all, trust that after you have made one or two projects, you will catch on and not have this problem any more.