I just noticed this group! I am SO glad to find you guys!

Okay my mum taught me to knit over the Christmas holiday. I know this is very basic to most of you but I can now knit and purl, make holes, increase and decrease, cast on and off, and how to do cable, and apparently I'm ready to knit!!!

She bought be a scarf pattern and some wool and needles which I am going to start this week. Its really simple, just a fairly plain rib pattern - but I'm really looking forward to it and I'll prbably bore you all to death with the progress of my first ever knitting project!!!!

I may be back for advice :hihi:

Brunette xxx

Hello Brunette, and welcome to the group :wave: .

That's a lot you've learned over Christmas. You should get through that scarf kit in no time! Have a check in the recommended links section for web sites where you can find lots of free patterns and plenty of inspiration.

Oh, and be sure to post a photo of the scarf when you're done :) .

I know this is very basic to mist of you but I can now knit and purl, make holes, increase and decrease, cast on and off, and how to do cable, and apparently I'm ready to knit!!!


Ready to knit??? Sounds as though you've done quite a bit already:) Well done for mastering just about all of the basics so quickly.
Jill

Thanks guys! Well, my mum taught me how to do those things but actually following a pattern and making them into proper things is the challenge! Patterns are a different language and I am bound to end up in knots!

There are so many great links on here - when I have done my scarf I am going to be back to ask what I should try next! My mum reckons that by the time I have done a huge scarf my stitches will be even and I'll have gotten the hang of the wool tension and how to hold my hands - I hope so! I'm quite giddy about all this! :-)

x

...My mum reckons that by the time I have done a huge scart my stitches will be even and I'll have gotten the hang of the wool tension and how to hold my hands - I hope so! I'm quite giddy about all this! :-)
That's exactly it. The main thing about learning to knit is controlling what you do with the yarn and making sure the needles do what they're supposed to. When you're concentrating on getting the stitches correct, it's sometimes easy to neglect the yarn tension which is ultimately what makes the stitches (and the finished item) look perfect. A long scarf will certainly give you lots of practice.

Just concentrate on getting comfortable with the yarn; finding the best way to wrap it around the needles, and finding the best way to hold the needles too. Note that these aren't necessarily the 'right' way (ie, what the books tell you, or even how your mum taught you). You'll quickly find your own way of knitting, and you'll certainly have got it by the time the scarf's done.

As for the patterns; it's a bit like learning a new language (though a fairly simple one). You can have a list of the abbreviations and what they mean by your side while you're getting the hang of it, but you'll soon pick it up. Any problems, just ask :) .

Hello there, welcome, hope you enjoy the site:thumbsup:

Welcome Brunette! I have been knitting for 2 years and only just dared to teach myself how to do cables 2 months ago so well done you for doing so much so fast! Don;t worry about patterns - they look scary and like another language at first but once you practice with them they get easier. God knows I made tons of mistakes when I first started reading patterns but I've learnt from them. Good luck and remember - it's the law of this group to show us piccies of the things you make!!

That's exactly it. The main thing about learning to knit is controlling what you do with the yarn and making sure the needles do what they're supposed to. When you're concentrating on getting the stitches correct, it's sometimes easy to neglect the yarn tension which is ultimately what makes the stitches (and the finished item) look perfect. A long scarf will certainly give you lots of practice.

Just concentrate on getting comfortable with the yarn; finding the best way to wrap it around the needles, and finding the best way to hold the needles too. Note that these aren't necessarily the 'right' way (ie, what the books tell you, or even how your mum taught you). You'll quickly find your own way of knitting, and you'll certainly have got it by the time the scarf's done.

As for the patterns; it's a bit like learning a new language (though a fairly simple one). You can have a list of the abbreviations and what they mean by your side while you're getting the hang of it, but you'll soon pick it up. Any problems, just ask :) .


Thanks so much Hecate :D I'm quite excited about my new hobby and I'm looking forward to starting properly (i have been practising on a spare ball of wool so far!). My hands feel quite awkward at the moment but you're right - by the end of this very long scarf I hope I'll have found the right way for me! Otherwise I will have a very uneven scarf LOL! I am sure I will have lots of questions!!

B x

Hi Brunette, I'm learning how to knit too, unfortunatly I don't get a lot of time to knit and despite learning for most of last year, I still only know how to do knit and purl stitches :rolleyes: I'm an impatient knitter and don't like practicing without an end product being made. Which means I'm even slower at learning (and with a 4 month old don't get much time).