Learning To Knit

LEARNING TO KNIT

Learning to knit is no different from learning any other new skill. It requires equal amounts of patience, confidence and trying out new techniques.

FINDING A HELPING HAND

It is possible to teach yourself knitting, but so much easier to learn from a friend or to borrow someone else’s laid-back Granny/Grandpa, Auntie/Uncle if you don’t have one of your own to show you the basics.

I believe you will save yourself a lot of tears, swearing and ripping out and throwing unfinished projects into the back of cupboards.

LOCAL KNITTING GROUPS

Try entering “ Knitting Groups + (your area)” into Google for a very long list of local knitting and “Stitch and Bitch” groups, where you can meet like minded people and have a laugh as well as learn a thing or two.

LOCAL YARN STORES

Check out the local yarn stores in your area. They often have knitting classes and groups that meet to support each other. on our RESOURCES page we have a growing list of recommended suppliers and stores.

RAVELRY.COM

Another great source of information, inspiration and contact with other knitters is RAVELRY. You have to wait a few days to be accepted to join, but it is well worth it… …

MY EXPERIENCE

I was fortunate enough to have my own Granny to show me the basics and to go to a primary school in Scotland where we learned to knit whether we wanted to or not.

When I learned to spin some 30 years later (talk about tears and swearing) I went back to first principles to combine my knitting knowledge with my wondrous new handspun yarns and realised that I could control my results and adapt and invent my own patterns.

One result of this is

The Arran Measurement System

which you can find under

Resources

To help you practise basic techniques, here are a few simple patterns Free Knitting Patterns.

Have fun!