Category: General knitting Tips

How to Find Knitting Instructions

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Knitting InstructionsThere are many ways to find knitting instructions when you first start out. You can purchase books, pay for classes, or look online for websites dedicated to teaching new knitters. How you choose to learn to knit depends on your budget, free time, and learning style. Some people get frustrated trying to watch someone knit while others can’t figure out the techniques without watching it being performed. With that in mind, the first thing you need to do is figure out your learning style and budget, and go from there. Will you prefer to watch someone else knit or would you rather a book?

Learn to Knit from a Friend or Teacher

Usually, first-hand lessons are the best way to learn to knit. If you have a friend, mother, or grandmother that loves to knit, see if they can teach you. Now that knitting isn’t as common, it may be difficult to find someone close to you that will teach for free. Besides, not everyone that knows how to knit is a good teacher, which can just lead to frustration for everyone involved.

If your budget allows for it, another option for learning to knit first-hand is to pay for lessons in a knitting class. Many yarn shops and local craft stores offer lessons for new and intermediate knitters for a small fee. This might be a great way to get the knitting instructions you need to help you learn the craft. If this is something you feel you can benefit from, check with the craft stores in your area and see if they offer lessons. If they don’t, they may know of an individual in the area that teaches lessons for beginners.

Knitting Instruction Books

Before the days of the internet, your only options for knitting instructions at home were to buy knitting books and learn from them. While it’s not ideal for everyone, learning to knit from books is a good way to learn on your own time in the comfort of your own home. Some books are better than others, with pictures, cool beginner patterns, and tips that not even experienced knitters know.

Some very popular knitting books include:

Knitting Instruction Books

• The Knitting Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You’ll Ever Face, Answers to Every Question You’ll Ever Ask
• Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book
• Knitting Little Luxuries
• Exercises in Knitting
• Stitch ‘N’ Bitch: The Knitters Handbook
• Knitting in Plain English

Knitting Videos

With the discovery of video hosting sites such as YouTube, learning to knit took on a whole new meaning. You no longer have to pay for expensive classes or check out books from the library to figure out new techniques. Instead, you can use YouTube videos and videos posted to knitting blogs to get the best of both worlds!

A big advantage to using a knitting video rather than paying for classes is that you can learn on your own time in your own home. You don’t have to find a baby sitter or leave your house to attend a class at a set time. Instead, you can fix a nice cup of tea or coffee and settle down in your favorite chair while you watch a video.

Another big advantage to using online videos rather than a live class is that you can rewind the video as much as you want to make sure that you understand it fully. If you’re in a class, you may feel uneasy asking your teacher to keep performing the same task when you don’t get it, but there is no reason to feel bad for rewinding a video to watch it again. You can also view techniques in slow motion on knitting videos, and many of the knitters in the videos are nice enough to add text and audio commentary so you can get as much information as possible while learning to knit.

Learning to knit is an exciting challenge that is beginning to become popular again. While it can be complicated at first, there are many ways for you to learn this hobby and excel. If you don’t have a friend or relative that can offer you lessons, you can still learn on your own. No matter how you choose to learn, there are plenty of ways to find knitting instructions to help you.

Why You Must Subscribe To Knitting Magazines (and the best ones)

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Creative Knitting MagazineKnitting magazines are a great way to learn more about the world of knitting. Like any other magazines focused on crafting, there are a variety of topics covered that are of special interest to knitters. Regardless of your experience level with knitting or other fiber crafts, reading magazines about the craft can inspire and teach you. You can find information in these magazines that you’ve never learned, such as tips and tricks, brand new patterns, fun new product reviews, and many more. If you’ve never subscribed to a magazine dedicated to knitters, you may want to consider adding one or two to your monthly reading list, just for fun.

Why Knitters Love Magazines

If you’ve never perused a magazine for knitters before, you don’t know what you’re missing. Whether you are a brand new knitter or have been knitting for years, there is something for everyone in these magazines. Some benefits to reading these magazines include:

• Find out about new yarns
• Find new beginner and advanced knitting patterns
• Find specific knitting machine patterns
• Read about knitting designers
• Read articles about other fiber arts such as spinning or dying
• Find businesses that sell interesting findings such as buttons, zippers, appliqués, and other fun additions to knitting.

In addition to finding this information, most of these magazines come out either monthly or seasonally, so you’ll get plenty of new information throughout the year. As with fashion magazines, craft magazines, or even store catalogues, knitting magazines focus on seasonal appropriate themes. This means that around the holidays you may find patterns for knitting Christmas stockings or a tree skirt. In the summer you might find some cool projects you never thought to knit during the summer, or you may get a sneak peak at fall trends. There are so many fun things to read about in these magazines; you’ll find plenty of inspiration for your next project there.

Vogue KnittingThe Most Popular Knitting Magazines…

If you go to your local craft store or yarn store, you’ll probably find yourself bombarded with a large variety of fiber arts magazines. It may be hard to decide which magazine you want to try. When you’re in doubt about it, the best bet is to pick up one of the top sellers. Some top selling magazines for knitters are Creative Knitting Magazine, Vogue Knitting, and Knit ‘n’ Style. These magazines have proven themselves time and time again to have the best articles, patterns, information, and advertisements according to seasoned knitters. Perhaps picking up one of these magazines would be a great place to start!

Creative Knitting Magazine is one of the most popular magazines among knitters. Their tagline “Knits with a Timeless Twist,” describes their content perfectly. In this magazine, you will find creative knitting patterns, tutorials, tips and tricks, and seasonal projects in each issue.

Vogue Knitting, another popular magazine among yarn addicts boasts a 30 year reputation among knitters. Their loyal followers love the free patterns, discount codes, how-to’s, and product previews available between the covers.

Knit ‘n’ Style, which claims to be “Real Fashion for Real Knitters,” is not your grandma’s magazine. If you pick up this magazine at the newsstand, you’ll find some great information on hand-dyed yarns and even articles discussing yarn bombing and offering inspiration on the subject! They also have both knit and crochet patterns to offer to a variety of readers. If you’re a young knitter looking for more unique content, this magazine is the one for you.

There are many great knitting magazines available today. If these three don’t capture your interest, there are plenty of other options available. Perhaps you should try picking up one with an interesting cover and see how you like it!

Knitting is a craft that you can easily dive into and want to learn more about. If you love knitting and want some new inspiration for your next project, you may just find it in a new magazine. You can find tutorials, free patterns, knitting accessories, and information on a variety of fiber-related topics by simply opening the cover to one of these magazines. If you haven’t checked out a knitting magazine yet, you should consider it.

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What to Find in a Knitting Kit

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Beginners Knitting KitsThere are many different types of knitting kits available on the market today, to suit many different purposes. You may be wondering why you might need one, and if you’ve been knitting for a number of years, you probably don’t. However, while many of these kits are intended for newer knitters, there are sets available for everyone. Whether you are learning the craft for the first time, getting ready for a big trip, or picking up a gift for a crafty friend of yours, there are many reasons to purchase a knitting kit. Depending on what you’re looking for, you can find the kit to meet your needs at most craft stores or online. Here are some of the most common kits that can be found in stores.

Beginners Knitting Kits

There are many kits available for beginning knitters. These are designed for people who haven’t bought any needles, yarn, or patterns, and don’t know what to buy. Usually there is a pattern for a beginners knitting project included as well, so these make a great gift for a crafty friend that’s expressed an interest in knitting. It’s also a great purchase if you want to learn to knit and don’t have anyone to teach you and show you what to buy! These kits may include some of the following:

• Balls of yarn
• Simple pattern and instructions
• Knitting needles
• Project bag

Luxury Needle Kits

While an experienced knitter will most likely have every size needle that they possibly need, there are also luxury needle kits available. These kits include all of the most common sizes of needles all in one medium. You can find them in expensive materials, with ergonomic handles, or fancy carrying cases. These kits make great gifts for a knitting friend, of for a knitter that just wants a nice upgrade.

Knitting To-Go

The best thing about knitting is that it gives you something to do instead of just sit still. This makes it a great craft for long plane rides, but the rules on planes are so strict these days that it’s hard to know what is allowed in your carry on and what isn’t. If you purchase a knitting travel kit that is TSA approved, you can rest assured that it will be allowed on the plane, offering you something productive to do during your flight.

best thing about knitting

These travel knitting kits include:

• Small tape measure
• Stitch markers
• Thread cutter or point protected scissors
• Crochet hook
• Darning needle

With one of these travel kits, you just need to add your set of needles and a skein of yarn and you’ll be all set to knit on the plane.

Knitting Loom Kits

Knitting looms are another popular knitting craft, especially with children and new knitters. Many people never learn to knit with needles because they enjoy knitting looms so much. In fact, if you have enough practice, you can make just about anything on a knitting loom that you can with needles. Many knitters even claim that it is much faster than knitting on needles. If you want to try your hand at knitting on a loom, you won’t have a hard time finding a kit with everything you need to start.

Knitting loom kits come in different types. You may be looking for a loom kit that has all of the basic looms you will need to finish a variety of projects. However, maybe you just want to try one project and see how you like it. In that case you’ll want to find a learning kit that includes a loom, instructions, a simple pattern, and possibly some yarn. If it doesn’t have yarn included, don’t fret. Usually these kits are located very close to the yarn section in most craft stores!

Knitting is a very social and relaxing activity. Whether you are just learning the craft yourself or you are hoping to get a friend interested, there are knitting kits to fit every need! Experienced knitters may be interested in a kit of high-end knitting needles and accessories; new knitters might just want the materials they need to finish their first project. Whatever knitting need you have, you can find a kit for you. Check your local craft store or yarn shop today to see what kinds of knitting kits they offer that might interest you.

My Favorite Websites for Knitting Help

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Knitting helpWhile knitting is an age-old craft, there are many people today that struggle to find reliable knitting help when they first start out. Even if you know someone personally that can knit, not everyone has the ability to successfully teach the skill to a new knitter! Luckily, we live in a day and age where everything we need can be found on the internet. If you find yourself struggling through knitting techniques, there are plenty of websites available that offer a wide array of knitting help. Read on to find out some of my favorite knitting websites offering help for new and experienced knitters alike.

Top Knitting Websites to Add to Your Favorites

Today there are so many options when it comes to anything on the internet. There is no shortage of websites offering knitting help, but some websites are better than others when it comes to teaching new techniques. There are some very popular sites that have been around for a long time and have a loyal following. These websites are a great place to start for dependable knitting help.

One of the most popular knitting websites available is knittinghelp.com. On this website, you can find help in the form of video tutorials, community forums, advanced tutorials, free patterns, and a great knitting glossary. There is something for knitters of every skill level on this website, which makes it a popular stop for many knitters.

Another popular website that offers help for both crocheting and knitting is knitwitch.com. This website is famous for their great video tutorials on YouTube and their unique patterns. You can even buy knitting supplies here, which makes it a one-stop-shop for everything related to knitting and crocheting.

Ravelry.com is another great knit and crochet community. Membership is completely free, although some of the patterns available on the site are for purchase. These patterns are designed and published by members of the community, which means that when you purchase patterns on Ravelry, you are supporting another member of their community. This site also boasts an extremely tight-knit community with groups designed to help just about everyone. Some examples of the groups you can find on Ravelry include:

• Groups for knitting help
• Groups for knitters with children
• Groups for pattern designers
• Groups for beginners
• Groups for self-taught knitters

General knitting Tips

Ravelry is another website that has everything a knitter may need. You can ask advice, make friends with fellow knitters, find the perfect pattern, browse and buy yarn or other knitting and crocheting supplies, or even purchase novelty items such as coffee mugs, project bags, sweaters, and other products designed by members of the community.

Find Knitting Help in Your Community

If you don’t like the idea of getting help with your knitting online, you may have some options right in your community. There are many knitters that advertise that they can teach lessons that you may want to look into. However, going with a professional knitting teacher, you’ll have to expect to pay out of pocket to learn their tricks and tips. Some options that may be available in your community may include:

• Knitting groups that meet on a weekly or bi-weekly basis
• Knitting classes offered through your local yarn or craft store
• Knitting lessons offered by individuals

These are all options available locally for those looking for knitting help. However, if you aren’t willing to pay for your lessons, you will most likely have to deal with unpredictable results.

If you want to learn to knit on your own time without spending a lot of money, your best bet is to learn through one of these online websites. Experienced knitters hoping to help others develop their crafts run these sites, which means that you’ll get advice from others that started out where you are now. Everyone teaching on these websites started out not knowing how to hold their needles, either, so they are a great place to start. There are plenty of online options available for knitting help, but the three websites listed here in this article have all been around for a very long time and have a large, loyal following. Online tutorials and videos are a great place to start for knitting help, whether you are a beginner or have been knitting for a long time.