learning to knit ...

[melanyh]

you guys probably get this a lot ...

i usually hang out in my ddc club or diapering, but my yearn to learn to knit is growing, but after researching classes at knit shops, i miss out on the lot of them b/c i work saturdays. private lessons cost A LOT. are there good books or 'the' book i could purchase that would teach an extreme beginner, knowing nothing?

i'm just loathe to go purchase a random book and get myself frustrated, only to discover there is indeed a gem out there.

none of my friends knit, unfortunately, so i don't have a mentor.

any help or guidance is appreciated ... or if you for some reason KNOW of non-saturday classes in dallas, i'm also interested.

[pradiata]

you could try here first and see how it works for you:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/learn-to-knit

there are so many online resources, you can probably find just about everything you need that way. i do like books though, because i don't always want to be at the computer when i need some info. i think "stitch and bitch" is a fun place to start - good information, irreverent, chatty. i've heard elizabeth zimmerman's books highly recommended, but haven't actually read them myself. maybe just grab a few books from your local library and see which ones help the most?

i've largely taught myself to knit, since trying to learn from my left-handed mom (i'm a righty) who developed some weird compensating way to knit way back when she was a kid just didn't work for me. but the folks at your local yarn store will probably be willing to show you how to cast on and do the knit stitch if you catch them at a slow time.

have fun!

[MeepyCat]

Originally Posted by melanyh

you guys probably get this a lot ...

Sure, but it's such a nice question. Gives us the opportunity to suck more people in.

I am a self-taught knitter, and worked entirely from books. Worked great for me. I have a Harmony Guide to knitting (excellent illustrations of lots of techniques), Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Knitting Without Tears" (which is a great book for after you master knitting and purling, when you want to be able to just make stuff, and then only good if circular knitting works for you), and Debbie Stoller's "Stitch 'N' Bitch" (good instructions, the patterns could have been better edited). I think the best way to learn this craft is to pick something you want and set about making it. You'll make mistakes, you'll have to rip some, but you'll get through.

I wish you the very best of luck and success.

[melanyh]

Originally Posted by pradiata

you could try here first and see how it works for you:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/learn-to-knit

there are so many online resources, you can probably find just about everything you need that way. i do like books though, because i don't always want to be at the computer when i need some info. i think "stitch and bitch" is a fun place to start - good information, irreverent, chatty. i've heard elizabeth zimmerman's books highly recommended, but haven't actually read them myself. maybe just grab a few books from your local library and see which ones help the most?

i've largely taught myself to knit, since trying to learn from my left-handed mom (i'm a righty) who developed some weird compensating way to knit way back when she was a kid just didn't work for me. but the folks at your local yarn store will probably be willing to show you how to cast on and do the knit stitch if you catch them at a slow time.

have fun!

i watched a few of those videos and i think i could follow them. i watched intently the long-tail cast-on one and i think w/tools in hand i could do it. thanks for posting that. now i need to get up the courage to go buy yarn & needles. i know, silly me -- i wouldn't think ANYTHING of someone coming into my store to get started on a project (if i had a store), but for some reason i'm intimidated.

[tinasquirrel]

Any other "beginner" favorites? I was coming on here to search for this exact question! I know how to knit a straight line, but that's about it. I'd love to start making things. Our local yarn store does have classes that I could attend, but it's just so hard to get out of the house sometimes. I probably just need to force myself. I'm sure I'd love it! But, books really work for me, in general.

Is Vogue Knitting any good?

[melanyh]

i just went to a local yarn store yesterday and got some guidance (not expecting it, but it was helpful), but i totally effed up what i was working on last night.

i HAVE looked online and knittinghelp.com does have good videos ... but these women totally invited me back for help, so i'm going to go back to try to at least get myself back on track and then maybe schedule one one-on-one class. i just wish i knew someone who could mentor me ... i even posted on mamasource.com to see.

i've just missed the enrollment of some classes and then another one coming up on my day off runs dangerously close to my due date ... though i guess there are worse things in the world than missing your last two knitting classes b/c you gave birth ...

[broodymama]

Knitting Help was great for me learning! I'm the type who needs to see something a few times in a row to get it, so being able to watch the videos over and over (and over ) again was great. When I started my first real project (a soaker), whenever I came across something I didn't know how to do I would sit there with the laptop next to me on the couch and look it up on knitting help.

[mommyddeville]

Originally Posted by melanyh

i've just missed the enrollment of some classes and then another one coming up on my day off runs dangerously close to my due date ... though i guess there are worse things in the world than missing your last two knitting classes b/c you gave birth ...

I know that the knitting teachers at my LYS would let me make up those lessons if I missed classes because I had a baby. And knitting with a newborn is wonderful!

[veggiemomma]

I am completely self-taught from books.

Honestly, when I first became interested in learning to knit, THE book that helped me the most came out of a kit that my mother bought me at the dreaded Wal-mart called "I can't believe I'm knitting" or something like that. It came with a set of knitting needles, some point protectors, stitch markers and bobbins all packaged together. It was perfect for someone who has never knitted before. The drawings are simple and easy to understand and it just shows the basic stitches and one or two methods of casting on. You can learn the rest later.

[melanyh]

well, the ladies at the yarn shop happily helped me unravel my project (a plain old scarf) and get back on track ... i'd totally let my yarn wrap around to the back, it looked like two stitches and then started knitting that stitch, thus picking up an extra stitch each time. NOW i'm extra careful at making sure the yarn is forward and the little butts are all dangling straight down. i got the "knitting" thing now.

but i need to learn casting on and binding off ... i'll feel good if i can somewhat grasp that before birth.

so, i'm going to schedule at least one private lesson (hoping the cost is closer to the $15 than the $50 quoted on their website) and then maybe sign up for the class in late march and just hope to get out of it what i get out of it. it's bizarre -- i knew nothing two days ago and now i'm making something ... though when i get to the end of the yarn i'll have NO IDEA what to do. stitch & bitch addresses adding the yarn, but it's kinda hard to grasp in book form. i'm just that visual learner. i'll have to check the knitting videos to see ...