Advice needed- Should I learn to knit or crochet? And how do I start?

[Mrdarcyswife]

Help!
I'd love to start doing something crafty, but I don't know what. I had thought I'd start with knitting as I used to knit (badly) as a child, but having had a look around at all the lovely things people crochet I'm wondering whether to try and learn that instead.

Whichever I start with has to be cheap to learn and maybe once I get good enough I can make stuff for me and my dd whose almost 1.
What would you start with and what books/ needles / wool etc do I need to get started??
Thanks vvv much for any help

[TheWoollybacksWife]

I knit and crochet. I personally would say start crocheting. It is one hook instead of two needles and it is easier to undo and start again if you make a mistake.

YouTube has lots of videos to get you started. Some may be in US terminology and some in UK terminology. A quick Google will bring up a list to show you how the terms relate to each other - they are the same stitches, just called different things IYSWIM.

If you can visit a wool shop, Hobbycraft or the haberdashery department of John Lewis then you can get a hook and some yarn. DK (double knitting) yarn would use a 4mm hook. Don't buy expensive yarn to start with, just some cheap acrylic would do. Your local newsagent may have some crochet magazines. These often have hooks and yarn as a free gift. They are great for beginners and the mag may even have picture tutorials.

[Mrdarcyswife]

Thank you
Good idea to look for a magazine, I always assumed they were for experts, not beginners, so I'll try that. Plus I have John Lewis and Hobbycraft fairly local so I'll go and have a browse.

I've seen DK yarn on loads of things and never known what it meant, so that's one mystery solved!

[BigBoobiedBertha]

I'd start with knitting personally. Really there are only 2 stitches, knit and purl, and patterns are just variations in the way you do those 2 stitches. With crochet there are more and I found it harder to learn personally. Plus, knitting is more versatile and if you want to make things to wear rather than just blankets or toys, there are so many more patterns available for knitting. You can make clothes by crocheting but the choice is more limited.

I agree with both the pp's. I would buy decent needles because you will use them again and again - bamboo or rosewood - but I would practice on cheaper yarn. Acrylic does not necessarily have to be nasty. Stlyecraft Special DK is acrylic but quite nice and soft and about £2.50 for 100g ball so you can't really go wrong.

I learnt to crochet using books but I can't really help with how to learn to knit as I have been doing it since I was a child. The Stitch and Bitch book was good for crochet and I think the knitting version is supposed to be equally good. You could also get a magazine like Let's Knit which have some easy patterns and a section on learning the basis.

[TINKERBELLE33]

You sound just like me! I decided to learn to crochet on Thursday and picked up a couple of hooks and really nasty wool for pence in a local charity shop. Armed with Google and YouTube I taught myself to chain stitch, single stitch, double stitch and kind of treble stitch. I found a simple scarf pattern with video demo that I wanted to make and on Friday went to hobbycraft to buy some nice wool. When there I found a pattern for a fab knitted bag using can can wool so decided to learn to knit! I know have all the components knitted ready to sew up. The internet is amazing!

[Mrdarcyswife]

I've bought a crochet hook from amazon and some wool, so just waiting for it to arrive and I can get started. I did try to get some knitting needles in a proper craft shop, but was totally overwhelmed by the choice and there didn't seem to be any one available to help, so dd and I shuffled out again. Will try again when I next go past....

I think I'm going to try and learn both and see if I can actually manage either!

[alemci]

yes, I'm a knitter but for the last year or so, i have begun to crochet. love it and it is worth persevering. i found the patterns hard at first and the instructions but got there in the end.

the attic 24 website helped me.