(no subject)

[rmd]

someone i know is thinking of learning to knit. what are your favorite resources (books, websites, etc) for people who are starting from no-clue-landia about this stuff?

thanks!

Comments

[jmspencer.livejournal.com]

http://www.amazon.com/Knitting-Rules-Yarn-Harlots-Tricks/dp/1580178340/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228017144&sr=1-4

Possibly not as the ONLY book to start with (by which I mean, another book of basic techniques may be beneficial), but certainly my favorite and the one I've turned to most often.

[quietann.livejournal.com]

I like knitty.com for easy patterns and good info. But really, getting into a little "Intro to Knitting" class, or having a knitter friend show you the ropes, is most helpful. I'd offer, but my knitting style is really weird, and I am dealing with a finger that doesn't like knitting.

[frotz.livejournal.com]

Put in for a ravelry.com account. There's some stunning inspiration in there, there is. (But in theory it's still in beta, so there's some signup lag.)

[rmd.livejournal.com]

already suggested. (i'm rmd over there as well)

[cme]

And I did not know this because? <taps foot impatiently>

[cutieperson]

knittinghelp.com has excellent videos. i also found the Stitch & Bitch book incredibly useful when i started. still do.

[goingdriftless.livejournal.com]

I learned from this book: http://www.amazon.com/Kids-Knitting-Projects-all-Ages/dp/1579652417

It had better pictures than most of the "grown up" knitting books. And the projects are cute starter projects, too.

[laurenpburka.livejournal.com]

I like the book "Stitch and Bitch" for its clear diagrams and descriptions of basic knitting stuff. I don't like the patterns quite as much.

It takes a bit to find out what kind of knitter you are--one who works from patterns or who likes to make up your own stuff or somewhere in between. As someone who likes to make stuff up, I highly recommend these books by Knitters magazine: "The Knitters Handy Book of Finishing Techniques," "The Knitters Handy book of Patterns" (covers basic glove, hat, scarf, and sweater construction), and "The Knitters Handy Book of Sweater Patterns."

Some people can learn how to knit from books, but for everyone else (like me) a class is the way to go. There are plenty of yarn stores in the area that have classes. Getting hooked up with a regular knit meetings is also good, for ongoing advice and moral support.

Also, it is very, very important to suppress the urge to buy all the pretty yarn you see at the store or on-line. You can end up with a lot of yarn you end up not using that way. I've already given away lots of yarn that seemed like a good idea at the time. If you want some yarn just to get started with, check out eBay. There are always people getting rid of the yarn they bought and aren't using. Let that be a warning.

Your friend should try to get the hang of knitting with circular needles. They are much easier to use on the bus without poking the person next to you. If s/he does find that circulars work, get the set of interchangeable circulars from Knitpicks.com. They are well-constructed, and knitpicks will replace any cables that fall apart. You save a lot of money buying an interchangeable set instead of having to buy different lengths of different sizes. They are easier to store, too.

And if you're going to use actual wool, be sure to read up on moth control techniques.

[flabosib.livejournal.com]

Maybe one of those Knitting for Kids books?

[spinrabbit.livejournal.com]

I taught myself from Barbara Walker's Learn-To-Knit Afghan Book, and I very much recommend it. The afghan in question is a sort of sampler, constructed from a set of squares of different patterns; the book has clear and illustrated instructions for each step, and the squares are ordered in a cumulative-learning sort of way, so it can take you all the way from "what's yarn?" to cables and lace.

my hands are fucked

[andybeals.livejournal.com]

I use a knitting loom. Lets me vary my hand motions/grips.

[cme]

I learned from a person and "Learn to Knit" by Debbie Bliss (in concert). I like the drawings of how to execute the stitches, and it has intros to cables, lace, fair isle, intarsia, and entrelac.

And I agree that the knittinghelp.com videos are full of awesome.