Beginner: Do I start with knitting or crocheting?

I prefer knitting too--I just like working with both hands at once, it's more relaxing for me. I'm kind of on a lace kick lately. Just finished a pair of gloves (actually finished them last fall, just sewed the buttons on them, rendering them wearable, this weekend): (they haven't been blocked, so my tension is a hot mess)

I knit and crochet, and have taught knit and crochet, and from what I've experienced, crochet is easier to learn and also easier to produce something usable and attractive with your beginning projects. Knitting has a rhythm to it, and yarn tension is very important. It has always struck me as more of a physical skill than crochet. With crochet, if you grasp intellectually how to do it, you can do it. With knitting, you might understand how to do it, but you still need to practice it before you can do it comfortably - like swimming or skating, where knowing what to do doesn't automatically mean you can do it.

I learned crochet first. An Aunt taught me when I was really little, but I don't remember learning anything but a chain stitch. I picked it up again a couple of years ago, and taught myself everything from single crochet through triple crochet and increases/decreases using the diagrams on the Lion Brand yarn site.

I'd tried to learn to knit a few times over the course of about 5 years, and it always ended in frustration until this latest try last fall. It was tougher to "get" for me, and I don't fully understand the mechanics of WHY it works, but I prefer it to crochet. It's more challenging, and it uses less yarn than crochet (which is nice when you're addicted to $20+/skein yarns).

I tried to teach my step sister both not too long ago, and she found knitting to be easier, so I think it just depends on the person. I say try both.

And I know that the OP has already chosen and begun, but my advice for anyone else in the same indecisive boat is to buy a decent worsted weight yarn (stay away from Red Heart Super Saver), a metal size 5 or 6 crochet hook, and a pair of 10" size 8 WOODEN (bamboo is nice) straight knitting needles. I prefer metal for crochet hooks, because you want the slickness. But metal knitting needles are often too slick for beginners, and they get restarted because the live stitches slide right off the end, whereas the wood has more "stick" to it.

As for what to knit/crochet as a first project, I say do a practice swatch to get the hang of your basic stitches, and then jump into something that you're actually excited about. I didn't get happy about crochet until I jumped into hats, and my first knitting project was striped fingerless gloves (and I tackled cabled mittens for my second). I learned so much more about techniques like increasing/decreasing, picking up stitches, working in the round, etc. by actually doing them on a project than by doing them on a practice swatch.

Personally I found crocheting easier. I taught myself with videos I found online (for free)

AbielleRose said:

Those are so pretty!

I've finally decided to venture out of my size 11-10 needle comfort zone and try some smaller ones. I bought size 6 needles and my hands are cramping up... or at least they were before one wrong move took the 4 rows I had done right off the slippery metal needle.

Think I'm going to set the small ones aside for a little longer and keep focusing on the scarf I've been knitting.

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Get yourself some bamboo needles.

AbielleRose said:

I bought size 6 needles and my hands are cramping up...

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In my experience, the cramping can be caused by too tight of tension; or by using the "wrong" material of needle for the fibre. It can also be helped by changing how you are holding on to the needle slightly. You also may need to get "used" to how to work with smaller needles and yarn. I know that after I've been working with a lot of worsted and bulky yarns that my hands complain when I grab some fingering or lace weight! Also the changes in motion between knitting and crocheting can either help or hinder my CTS/ tendonitis. My 2¢ is to keep trying... even if in little bits!

A beginner chiming in! I've made a few small projects before, but I find knitting to be hard! I am good at sewing, embroidery, knots, etc, though. My friend said it's better to try a more complicated pattern of stitches, because it helps you pay closer attention to what you're doing. So it's easier to do, like, a cabled scarf, than a plain old scarf. Any advice? I would like to make some arm-warmers, like a sleeve with a thumb hole in it!

You've probably already had plenty of feedback on this, but I love knitting so I wanted to throw in my opinion ...

Knitting is harder to pick up than crocheting, but the learning curve is actually pretty small and after a little bit of practice you'll find it pretty easy. I prefer knitting because I like the look better, but that's entirely my opinion.

The only thing I do suggest is that you learn continental instead of English. In continental knitting you don't have to keep dropping/picking up the yarn. It is harder to learn but I think it's a lot faster once you do learn it. And personally I like to knit fast because I get impatient.

Here's a good link that explains the differences between the two styles: http://knitting.about.com/od/knittingquestions/f/knitting-styles.htm

Have fun!

Kitty Pryde said:

A beginner chiming in!

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Yay! I've only been knitting for 2-ish years, but I've crocheted since I was 7 so I had less of a learning curve.

Kitty Pryde said:

I've made a few small projects before, but I find knitting to be hard! I am good at sewing, embroidery, knots, etc, though. My friend said it's better to try a more complicated pattern of stitches, because it helps you pay closer attention to what you're doing.

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It helps you learn to 'read' your knitting as well, but that kind of thing (in my experience) is best done when you can both knit and purl pretty confidently.

Kitty Pryde said:

Any advice? I would like to make some arm-warmers, like a sleeve with a thumb hole in it!

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Ooh, I have a torrid affair with fingerless gloves! Have you tried working in the round yet? I have a gazillion patterns in mind, both in-the-round and worked-flat-then-seamed, and I could list a bunch of either kind so you could pick and choose what you might want to try.

(Better yet, if you haven't already, get thee to Rav post haste and start in on the Patterns tab.)

Advice -- be fearless! Even as a beginner. If a pattern you like has cables or colorwork or something else you've never done, try it anyway. Most patterns are clearly written enough that anyone with basic knit/purl knowledge can complete them. (That's how I learned Fair Isle and chart reading...because no one said I couldn't )

It's only yarn, after all. You can always rip it out and start over.

And there are so many helpful videos online. I also highly recommend verypink.com.

It seems this year is the year for endings and beginnings. Like my writing group, my knitting/crocheting group has pretty much went kaput. Sigh. I guess because there are so many knitting groups out there now. When this group started, it was pretty much the only one or at least one of the few groups out there. So now I think I'll either try and figure out when my local prayer shawl group gets together in the evenings or check out one of the local libraries for their group.

But I want to learn how to knit. First I'll start off with a scarf but I want to eventually 'graduate' to socks.

Cables only look difficult. They are easy as anything in actuality. I made an Irish fisherman's pattern blanket for my MIL that looked about 1000x more difficult to knit than it really was. It was time consuming, but easy.

Someday, I'm knitting myself a pair of alpaca socks.

Awww alpaca...*cuddles*

ETA: Sorry, got off topic.

I agree about cables only looking difficult. I have yet to make a pair of socks, but I'm lusting after using alpaca one day...

That's the thing about the cables - they look so difficult, but it's just a matter of holding the cable needle in the front or back of the work. Same with twists. They are deceptive.

Hey, just saw this forum, and felt compelled to chime in. I bought size 10 knitting needles and some yarn and watched some youtube videos two nights ago. I've never been taught to knit or crochet, so this is my first rodeo.

Well, now I have one of those needles full of stitches, but I haven't quite figured out what to do next. Anyway, I'm now gonna go check out all the links people have posted in this thread .

I taught myself to knit from a book I bought at Michael's. I found it on Amazon just now. My copy is missing somewhere in my house, but it was a godsend. It teaches both methods, continental and English. I think Continental is geared more towards lefties, but although I'm a lefty most of the time, I knit right handed, so English worked just fine for me.

I guess it's gonna be English for me...the videos I've watched so far have used English.

I love knitting although I am still a beginner. I have mastered a scarf however, and know how to change colors and create patterns in the scarf. I'm getting there. However I tried to learn to crochet soon after I started knitting and it was really confusing. I tried again later and it was once again too confusing. So knitting is easier to me.

I can't crochet. My mom taught me when I was little (she used to crochet all the time - everyone in my family has at least a dozen blankets from her over the years. Unfortunately, she's no longer able to do it. ) and I have the basics down, but I pull the stitches too tight, so everything curls.

I recently started knitting. Taught myself, came up with a pattern for leg warmers the first two weeks since I started. I used knittinghelp.com to help teach myself, and recently got two of Elizabeth Zimmermann's books and The Principles of Knitting (which I learned how to cast on double point needles from, though the instructions seem a little intimidating/confusing).

I've always wanted to knit, but never really learned until now. My mom, my grandmother, and my great grandmother knit, and my mom didn't want the "tradition" to die at her, so I took up the task.

I found it pretty easy. I want to learn crochet once I'm more advanced in knitting. Right now, I'm making my friend fingerless gloves for her wedding and a jacket, using a pattern I found on Caron's website. Now I don't have to spend money on knit clothing at stores.