Knitting as a hobby

Knitting

Knitting is a terrific hobby to start out with no matter if you are young or old. You will be making beautiful knits in no time. 

Knitting is a truly unique and an old fashioned hobby that is easy to learn and yet it can take years of practice and study to master all of the techniques. This hobby allows for you to be able to create just about anything out of a few knitting needles and plenty of yarn to do the job. The best thing about getting started is that you will not have to spend much money at all and it is something that all ages can learn.

Knitting developed as a way to create stretchable garments. Knitted garments have the ability to stretch as much as 500% that means that they are great for things like socks and hosiery.

In order to knit you really only need two things, a set of knitting needles and yarn. What to buy can also depend on what you want to make.

Some skeins of yarn will offer knitting patterns right on the packaging. The yarn used can be just about any type you can buy but for a beginning knitter it is a good idea to buy a strong yarn that is not fuzzy or thin. The ideal yarn will be resilient and therefore not very elastic under tension and it will also be easy to see. The fuzzy yarns usually have a very thin strand with lots of fluffy and soft strings attached. These can be very hard to see when knitted and they can also be very stretchy which makes it hard to do tight stitches. It is very possible to use this type of string and they make great projects but it is best to start off with a yarn that allows you to see your stitches and is easy to work with.

When you first learn how to knit, the easiest thing that people start with is a scarf or a small blanket. These items use simple and repetitive stitches that are easy to learn. They can also be made with only one color so you do not have to worry about changing and adding new types of strings. But before you can learn the different stitches there are a few basics you need to know about the knitting process and stitches themselves.

Types of Beginner Knitting Projects

The average project for the typical beginning knitter is scarves. The reason for this is that they are short which means that they do not require long knitting needles and they are easy to start and end. They are also very useful during those winter months and it allows to create something very personal and that you can easily show off.

Knitted scarves can be as warm or light as you would like them to be. It all depends on how tight you do the stitches and the type of yarn that you use. If you use a thick wool yarn that is very taunt and you do very tight stitches, you will have a thick warm scarf. But if you choose to use a stetchy thin yarn (such as the fuzzy and furry types) and use loose stitches you can have a very lightweight and unique looking scarf.

Good beginner projects are blanket, the reason for this is that a beginner can make a blanket simply by making rows of knitted stitches (much like a scarf) and then later attaching them together. This is also a great way to make something that uses multiple colours without having to worry about dropping and picking up colours.

Though if you choose to learn how to drop and pick up colours that is another easy way to create a striped blanket.

Once you get the basics down then you can start learning other stitches and move on to making clothes, purses and even things like warm hats. While you may find it much harder to find knitting patterns than to find crocheting patterns, knitting is a great stepping stone to learning how to crochet. Learning to crochet involves many more stitches and can involve a much bigger learning curve.

Advanced Knitting

Once you have completely learned all of the basics you can then move on to truly unique styles of knitting such as cable knitting and lace knitting. These types of knitting create unique and elegant creations that will be certain to impress just about anyone.

Cable knitting allows you to create raised “cable” designs in your knitting pattern. This is a technique that is often used to create Celtic knots and other designs in sweaters and blankets.

 This is a very tricky technique to completely master but it is well worth the effort because your knitting projects will become truly impressive.

Lace knitting creates a design that looks just like it sounds. It creates beautiful patterns that have the looks and design of lace. This is a knitting style that is normally done with a thin yarn and is often used to make beautiful and elegant doilies and table covers.

Knitting can be a great way to relieve stress and a fun way to relax. It is also a hobby that can be cheap and easy to start and if you become truly interested in knitting you may even be able to sell your creations.