Beginner's questions...

[mrforbes]

So I'm trying to learn to knit and have a few questions:

is no 7 needle too small to learn on? I have a baby blanket kit that is apparently 'super easy' and baby #2 due at the beginning of feb and would like to make the blanket for him.

I've been trying to learn on no 7 needles but have been finding the stiches get really tight when I've knitted a row or two. Do I just keep knitting back and forth or do I purl after a couple of knit rows?

Also, is it normal things are looking kind of sloppy? I think it's on the right track but find it a little sloppy. I'm trying to learn before starting the baby blanket so I'm just practicing on some other yarn.

One more thing: the yarn wasn't in a ball so it's getting all tangled - it was kind of looped and wrapped  - do I need to put it in a ball? Is there is a good way to do that?

Sorry these questions are incredibly basic. I've been checking out knitting help.com a lot...

[lynsage]

7 or 8 is a good size to learn on for most adults. You may be pulling the yarn tight after making a stitch, which will make your piece of knitting tight. Try to just follow along with the yarn and not pull tight. Are you knitting into the loops on the needle when you start a new row, or accidentally knitting into the already-made stitches below the needle somehow?

Knitting back and forth creates garter stitch, which looks like a series of raised tracks. Alternating knit and purl rows creates stockinette, which is flat but tends to curl up on the edges unless you add a border of garter or seed stitch.

Your knitting will look sloppy at first until you develop a uniform tension and stitch-making method, which comes with practice.

It is best to put a skein of yarn into a ball before working from it. You can get a ball winder or just ball it up by hand.

[Think of Winter]

I don't think 7s are too small to learn on.  But a baby blanket is a big project to do on 7s, especially for a beginner.  But maybe you will love knitting and it will fly.  (I am still scared of big projects:)  Is the blanket in stockinette, or garter (all knits)?  If you'll be purling in the blanket, you should practice purling, if that's what you meant.  I think I'd do knit a row, purl a row (stockinette stitch) for a while just to get the hang of what that looks like, since it's the most basic knitted fabric. 

It's common for beginners to knit tight.  I know I did.  Try loosening each stitch as you make it.  Even if the stitch you're knitting into is tight, you can tug a bit on the yarn when you're forming a new stitch to make it looser.  If your tension varies a lot, it might look sloppy, but another cause could be dropping or adding stitches.  Have you counted at the end of each row?

[HoneyRoseMother]

I did my "learning scarf" with size 10 needles.  And, yes, it was hideous and uneven, but it was a good way to figure out how knitting works.

[pianojazzgirl]

Are your needles an appropriate size for your yarn?  While beginner knitters often knit tight, it's also possible that your yarn is a bit on the thick side to be knit with size 7s.  What yarn are you using?

It is also normal for things to be a bit sloppy at first.  It takes some practice to get an even tension in the yarn, yk.  It's a good idea to do what you're doing by making some practice squares before beginning your project.

I also agree with a pp that you might want to look into a thicker yarn/bigger needles for making a baby blanket.  Not that size 7s are incredibly small or anything, but a whole baby blanket done in that gauge might be a bit overwhelming as a first project.

You might even want to consider something else as a first project, before tackling the baby blanket.

BTW if you tell us what the pattern says to do we can give you some more specific advice.  :)