Knit or Crochet?

[mama2annabelle]

Which is easier to learn?? I am extremely "craft challenged". I never learned how to do any thing crafty growing up. I am trying to teach myself to crochet, but just am not getting it. I have a book with very detailed instructions and decent illustrations and I even found some videos on YouTube, and still I'm getting so frustrated.
Wondering if knitting would be easier to teach myself?

[Sagesgirl]

I had a much easier time teaching myself to crochet than knit, but I have heard that if you can't get one, you can usually get the other. Kind of like with algebra & geometry.

[Marcee]

I have tried both. I am only capable of knitting and I put all my crochet stuff to try some day in the far far future. It just did not go well for me. But teaching myself to knit on the other hand was a breeze.

[JamesMama]

Originally Posted by Marcee

I have tried both. I am only capable of knitting and I put all my crochet stuff to try some day in the far far future. It just did not go well for me. But teaching myself to knit on the other hand was a breeze.

That.

I'm working on learning to crochet though. I have a friend the crochets and wants to knit we're going to trade lessons one of these days...but between her 3 kiddos and my 2 who knows when we'll be able to do it?

[mama2annabelle]

Great! Thanks for the replies. I'm going put away the crochet hook for now and give knitting a try. Any recommendation for good, teach yourself to knit resources?

[Mackenzie]

For books, Stitch and Bitch was the most helpful (and I perused a lot). It's crochet counter part was exceptionally helpful too, The Happy Hooker. I learned to crochet first and am much better at it, but I love to knit too. For internet help, Knittinghelp.com is an amazing resource. Videos and all. Join Ravelry too...

[lifeguard]

I found crochet easy. A friend of mine couldn't get it but picked up knitting without a problem.

[texmati]

I do both... I crochet-ed from the time I was a little girl, (taught myself out of books), but couldn't learn to knit until i found knittinghelp.com a few years ago.

I would try knitting first, tbh. There is a whole lot more support online, IMO, for knitting than crocheting.

[KJoslyn78]

I learned to crochet when i was 8 or 9... but couldnt get the hang of knitting until like 3 weeks ago (my grandmother tried, then i never tried again till last year a few times).

I also recommend knittinghelp.com... also if you have a LYS in your area, many have times/places to knit and having someone in person help can be helpful too!!

[JamesMama]

Youtube has a bunch of how to videos for both knitting and crocheting, I'm trying to follow a crochet one but I just don't get it :

[Indigo73]

I've been crocheting for 30 year and knitting for um... I guess 5 years maybe.

I learned crochet from my grandmother and knitting from a book/videos.

I don't really find one easier than the other. But enjoy both for what they are.

I highly recommend knittinghelp.com. I appreciate that her video show both of the major US styles of knitting.

[abomgardner417]

I taught myself to knit from a video that I of course don't remember the name of now, but I think to really really learn important stuff it's best to take a class or have someone teach you. A lot of my LYS will teach you to knit for free if you buy supplies there - check one out! Also, I found I just don't get crocheting - I've tried videos and books and I just need to have someone show my when I get done w/ all my knitting projects.

Also, Stitch n Bitch is my knitting bible, although I found a lot of the patterns a little difficult as a beginner.

[mama2annabelle]

Knittinghelp.com is great!! I love the videos...excellent detail. Perfect for slow learners like me. I just sent DH out to the store to get me some yarn and needles and am going to have a try at it as soon as he gets back. I'm stuck at home on bedrest, so I have plenty of time to practice this week.

[DisplacedYooper]

My mom crochets like a fiend, but cannot knit without holding one of the needles between her legs (she can't manage both needles and the yarn at the same time...)

So I always wanted to learn how to crochet but only figured it out when I was pregnant with DS. IMHO, the hardest part of learning to crochet is after you have made the starting chain and you have to turn and put the first stitches into the chain. I still find it pretty ackward, because there's no fabric yet to hold on to and if you hold too hard on the chain, you can't get the hook through the loops. If you can find someone to do this for you, I think you will have a much easier time learning how to do the stitches into the already established fabric, and it should be much easier to do the first row in your next project.

[monkeys4mama]

Years ago, I bought a bunch of yarn and hooks and needles and books on both crochet and knitting and set out to teach myself both crafts. I found crochet to be much easier for me and much faster. It was simpler for me to figure out how to stop and start up again and how to recognize and fix mistakes. With knitting, it was more difficult for me to conceptualize how the stitches went together to form the finished product and hard for me to recognize when I made mistakes or twisted or dropped stitches, etc. It took a lot longer to knit too. So for me, crochet was much simpler to learn.

I have since begun to knit and am doing OK with it. Just OK. With practice, I'm getting a better feel for the process and starting to see my mistakes and sometimes even fix them. It takes me far, far longer to knit anything than crochet it. But I like knitting and really want to be able to do both. There are some types of projects that I just prefer knitting for. I love crochet for doilies and afghans and some types of sweaters or trims, but for other things, I just really, really prefer the look and feel of knitting. Crochet uses more yarn and tends to be bulkier and less stretchy. So both have their place and purpose and I like knowing both.

When you decide which one you want to focus on, you may want to consider what you intend to make and let that also guide you in the decision. If it's baby hats and diaper soakers, I'm a fan of knit. If it's afghans, go for crochet. Ymmv.

[gypsyhips26]

I also do both. I'm much faster at crochet than knitting. But I picked up both just as easy. I had my mother show me-she also does both-and I found it much easier to learn by watching & trying than reading a book. Guess I'm a visual learner. Anyway, I do find crochet patterns easier to modify etc. With knitting I really have to pay attention- but I'm getting better especially since I actually started doing a gauge BEFORE starting the project in earnest-those pesky gauges actually serve a purpose! who knew! (oh and stitch markers are a huge help as well)

[cristeen]

I learned to crochet as a child, so it is quite easy for me. But, I have also helped/taught numerous people, and realize it can be quite difficult to learn.

I taught myself how to knit about a year ago with the videos on knittinghelp.com. Took me about 2 days to get it down. In part because knitting is essentially just 2 stitches (whereas crochet has dozens of stitches).

For speed, I'm definitely quicker with crochet, but I like the look and feel of knitting better, and it's not as tough on my hands/wrists.

[rootzdawta]

I'm a self-taught crocheter and knitter. It was much easier for me to pick up crochet by just reading how to do it. Knitting was a little more tricky and I would say that only after viewing videos of how to knit did I figure out how to do it correctly. Knowing how to manipulate the yarn (tension and all that) from knowing how to crochet, I think, made it easier for me to pick up knitting later on and influenced my knitting style (Continental).

[rootzdawta]

Originally Posted by monkeys4mama

years ago, i bought a bunch of yarn and hooks and needles and books on both crochet and knitting and set out to teach myself both crafts. I found crochet to be much easier for me and much faster. It was simpler for me to figure out how to stop and start up again and how to recognize and fix mistakes. With knitting, it was more difficult for me to conceptualize how the stitches went together to form the finished product and hard for me to recognize when i made mistakes or twisted or dropped stitches, etc. It took a lot longer to knit too. So for me, crochet was much simpler to learn.

I have since begun to knit and am doing ok with it. Just ok. With practice, i'm getting a better feel for the process and starting to see my mistakes and sometimes even fix them. It takes me far, far longer to knit anything than crochet it. But i like knitting and really want to be able to do both. There are some types of projects that i just prefer knitting for. I love crochet for doilies and afghans and some types of sweaters or trims, but for other things, i just really, really prefer the look and feel of knitting. Crochet uses more yarn and tends to be bulkier and less stretchy. So both have their place and purpose and i like knowing both.

When you decide which one you want to focus on, you may want to consider what you intend to make and let that also guide you in the decision. If it's baby hats and diaper soakers, i'm a fan of knit. If it's afghans, go for crochet. Ymmv.

ita!!

[ancoda]

sorry it posted twice.