Anyone can learn
to knit. Anyone can teach him or herself
to knit. Anyone can achieve good results
with good tools. The better the tools,
the better the results. So start, right
from the beginning, with good yarn, good needles and good instruction.
For the yarn,
choose an all-natural fiber, either cotton or wool. My personal favorite for beginners is Tahki’s
Cotton Classic, a cabled cord, or Lily’s Sugar & Cream, an inexpensive yarn
that makes great dishcloths. In wool,
Brown Sheep’s Lamb’s Pride worsted, a one-ply yarn, works well. All of these yarns do not split easily and
render a nice even stitch. You’ll like
the look of it. DO NOT use acrylic yarn
to start with! I know it’s cheap, but it
splits and the stitches warp -- and your efforts will end up looking cheap,
too. Acrylic yarn is very discouraging
stuff.
The needles should
fit the task. Since the task is learning
and practicing, a 10” length in size 6, 7, or 8 will do (don’t worry; you’ll
use them again for scarves and small projects).
Longer needles get caught in the upholstery, and big chunky needles are
unwieldy for beginners. Whether you use
wood or metal needles is up to you.
Bamboo gives a little surface tension so the stitches don’t slide off as
easily; metal needles are slicker.
Choose whichever is most comfortable and esthetically pleasing to
you. I would not recommend
interchangeable needles to start with because the tips and cables can loosen
slightly and catch the yarn.
Good instruction
can be found in books or videos. Coat’s
& Clark publishes the Learn How
booklet covering knitting, crochet and tatting.
It’s good for the basics (and has been around for decades). Another reference book to eventually have on
your shelf is The Knitter’s Companion
by Vicki Square, which briefly but comprehensively describes and depicts all
the basic knitting functions. For
accurate and simple video demonstrations, I recommend www.knitwitch.com. Brittany goes slow, repeats operations and
has the loveliest mellow teaching voice I’ve ever heard – it calmly lulls you
into confidence!
Knit in
Peace! Karlin (© 2012)
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