Have you ever spotted a beautiful skein of yarn in a craft store and debated buying it, only to put it back on the shelf because knitting or crocheting is “too difficult to learn”? Or maybe you want to make your own clothes, accessories, or plushies and need a place to start. Here is your beginner-level guide to the world of fiber arts:
Knitting
To get started with knitting, you’ll need two knitting needles and a skein of yarn. The easiest yarn to start with is acrylic yarn, which is cheap and easy to work with if you make a mistake. The easiest needles to work with are wooden (usually bamboo) needles, however, metal or plastic needles may be cheaper.
I recommend starting out with bigger yarn and needles to have an easier time getting to know the stitches. Yarn and needles come in all sorts of different sizes, so it’s important to make sure you have the right size needles for the type of yarn you are using. On the yarn packaging, you’ll see a label with the number of the yarn weight and the recommended size of needles. For example, a bulky size 6 yarn will need 9mm needles.
Once you have the ingredients (two needles and yarn), you’re ready to start! There are three steps to a simple project:
- The first step is casting on, which basically sets up the project by putting a number of stitches onto one of the needles.
- The next step is to use either the knit or purl stitch to add onto the loops made while casting on. This is the bulk of the work.
- After knitting the project, the last step is to bind off (also known as casting off), which is a way to take the knit product off the needles without letting it unravel!
There are two main stitches that are primarily used in knitting: the knit stitch and the purl stitch. The knit stitch has a distinct V shape, while the purl stitch has a little bump texture. It’s hard to explain how to make this in text format, so I suggest checking out this website, which is where I learned to knit! It provides step-by-step instructions on how to get started, casting on, knit and purl stitches, and casting off. YouTube is also a great resource for videos of knitting instructions.
Practice a bit with casting on, making stitches, and even casting off. Don’t be stressed if your first few tries are a bit messy, it takes time to learn muscle memory for knitting! If you want to learn how to fix beginner mistakes, check this out.
Once you’ve got the basic idea down, it’s time to start an easy project. I believe that the easiest thing to start out with is a knit square. All you need to do is cast on a manageable number of stitches (I usually do 20 or 30 depending on the size of yarn) and use the knit purl stitches to create a stockinette square. Here is an example of what this would look like.
The last thing I’ll mention is that knit projects follow a structure with many abbreviations. The simple terms you’ll need to know is that K or k = knit stitch and P or p = purl stitch. A more in-depth guide on these abbreviations can be found here.
Some simple projects to begin with include scarves, fingerless gloves, and simple keychain trinkets such as hearts. Some fun ideas for beginners can be found here.
Crocheting
I know next to nothing about crochet, so I’ve asked Amanda to share some of her tips, experiences, and recommended resources for beginners in crochet:
I started my crochet journey over the summer when I was bored in my suburban town and had little to do other than drive to Target or Michael’s. After walking past countless skeins of soft, colorful yarn, I had to give crocheting a try.
Shopping for materials to crochet with is not much different from shopping for knitting supplies, but for crochet, you need a hook. Like yarn, these come in different materials and thicknesses. I started with a metal 4mm hook, which I found to be pretty versatile when it came to different projects. Depending on what you’re making, you might also want to invest in a yarn needle (which is basically an oversized sewing needle) and stitch markers, which can help you keep track of how many stitches you’ve made so far.
To start, I ordered a Woobles kit, which I can’t recommend enough. Not only do these give you a cute plushie to craft, but they also come with complete supplies and step-by-step instructions that you can access online with a QR code. I’ve made a few Woobles — a dinosaur, a pig, and a duck — and seeing my finished product each time has made me feel so accomplished. This gave me the confidence to start buying yarn and trying out different types of crochet projects.
Of course, there are plenty of YouTube tutorials and free online patterns to try. With the help of the internet, I’ve made plush strawberries, flower bookmarks, coasters, and a can cozy. If you’re confident in your new abilities, you can try crocheting freehand and see what you come up with. It’s always fun to experiment with different stitches.
As for terms you’ll need to know if you’re going to try a pattern online, here are the basics:
- Yarn over: This is the first step. Once you have your yarn and hook in starting position, you’ll drape the working yarn over the hook so that it ends up on the side closest to you. Then, you’ll complete a stitch, and yarn over again.
- Chain stitch (ch): Often the first stitch beginner crocheters learn, the chain stitch is a simple yarn over and pulling the working yarn through the starting loop. It sounds more complicated than it is, so I’d recommend looking up a visual.
- Single crochet (sc): If you’re working in rows, the single crochet is when you put the hook through the first stitch of the previous row before you yarn over and pull through. This will create a new row.
- Double crochet (dc): The double crochet is like the single crochet, but you yarn over twice. There are also triple crochets, which are self-explanatory. Again, these stitches are easiest to learn by following along with a video online.
- Increase (inc): The increase stitch is simply performing two single crochet stitches in the same hole. What this does is widen the row you’re currently working on, making the project larger.
- Decrease (dec): A decrease stitch, of course, does the opposite of what an increase stitch does. For this, you’ll put your hook through the back loops of the next two stitches and perform a single crochet to link them together. This will tighten the rim.
- Turn: To start a new row, you have to turn. To do this, you literally turn your project around so that the back side is facing you. Then, you’ll usually perform one chain stitch before beginning the new row.
There are plenty of other stitches and abbreviations out there, but these are likely all you’ll need to get started. It might seem daunting, but I promise that with a few videos and practice stitches, crocheting is easy to get the hang of.
With all that said, good luck! Fiber arts are both a fun pastime and useful life skill, so don’t give up on them too quickly. Have fun!