I want to learn to knit...

[willowbelle]

but I do not have the time to take a class. Is it possible for me to teach myself using books, websites, etc.? I taught myself to crochet using a basic book, and was able to make blankets. I never took it any further than that but I feel confident that I could have advanced if I had put some effort into it.

What advice do you have for someone who has NEVER knitted before? What should I do to learn? How did you learn? Are you self-taught, or did you take classes? Any info/advice would be great. I really think knitting would be a great creative outlet for me and would be very therapeutic. I would also love to be able to knit soakers and longies and other fun items.

[Mama~Love]

YES, it's totally possible to teach yourself! I've done it, and if I can, you surely can!

My FAVORITE site is http://www.knittinghelp.com . LOTS of videos, tips, hints, etc. to help you. I have the books Teach Yourself Visually: Knitting and Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting & Crocheting.

Get some needles & yarn, and just practice making squares for now. It'll take time, but you'll get the hang of it soon!

[lovesdaffodils]

I learned totally from knittinghelp.com. I had bought a book about a year before that and tried to learn from that, which was a big fat fail. I sat in front of knittinghelp with needles and yarn and just watched, paused, tried, watched, tried again, etc, and I could cast on and knit in a couple of hours. It doesn't work for everyone, but it worked for me.

[salty]

i agree that everyone has a different learning style. i also knew how to crochet when i wanted to learn knitting. i checked out a couple of books from the library and asked here. someone (many people, probably!) recommended the stitch 'n' bitch book, which i got and used to successfully make a pillow cover with a cable pattern on it as my first project. i also like having a physical book that i can carry with me in my project bag to refer back to, so using web sites didn't really appeal to me.

[MeepyCat]

If you are the kind of person who does well with learning from books, it is totally possible. I bought a book and taught myself, and it worked out pretty well for me.

If you want to knit soakers and longies, my advice is to find a pattern, get the materials, practice a bit (make a bunch of swatches to practice the techniques you'll need), and then dive right in.

[holyhelianthus]

My friend taught me how to cast on and do the knit stitch and then I went from there with books, knithelp.com, etc. Totally possible!!

[Crafty]

I would've been so frustrated if it hadn't been for helpful knitting videos online. For things like this, I need to SEE how to do it, and I have a hard time figuring out what's going on in pictures in books. I always used to google 'knitting videos' or 'free knitting videos.' I would have never figured out the ssk if it weren't for a video.

Then you can sit and watch them over and over again until they make sense.

[amandaleigh37]

You definitely can learn this way, that's what I did Though I did have a friend show me how to cast on... but that was before I knew about knittinghelp.com - the videos there are great!