Knitters please advise

[Graphista]

I can knit insofar as I can make w square and purl or knit but I don't know how to increase or decrease or how to follow a pattern or vary tension (seems to me I can only knit in the way I do tension wise I don't get how you can change that)

Can you please recommend an online guide?

Preferably clear and simple to follow, videos might help with solidifying info but I don't think I could actually learn from those alone.

Yes I could google but that doesn't mean I'd know which advice was good/correct as anyone can post online. I need to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Hope you can help

Studio knit have some good tutorials and knit stitches to learn

Tin can knits have a good teach yourself to knit section on their website with videos and free patterns that covers all the basics.
tincanknits.com/thesimplecollection.html

I'm not sure what you mean about varying the tension though?

I knew basic knitting as a child but 30 years later bought a book "The Knitty Gritty" to polish up my knowledge, teach me new things and give me confidence to try patterns, which I now do.
Patterns are usually not as complex as they may look... though occasionally I have to Google the odd abbreviation!

You're right about tension, OP. That's why it's best to knit a sample swatch with the needles and yarn before starting a pattern. If your tension doesn't match, you switch to different size needles, you don't try and alter the way you knit, because that would be hard to do consistently.

I was quite a latecomer to knitting. I used some YouTube videos, but also a beginners' book called Knitty Gritty. After that, I just started doing easy patterns off Ravelry.

This is a fairly clear one - www.interweave.com/article/knitting/increasing-and-decreasing-a-new-free-ebook/

I know you said online, but the clearest, most straightforward guide I've ever come across was in Debbie Stoller's book The Knitter's Handbook. It is american so some of the terms are different (there's a 'translation' guide) but the pictures and explanations are great. www.amazon.co.uk/Stitch-Bitch-Knitters-Instructions-Generation/dp/0761128182/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid&sr

Ah - cross-posted about the Knitty Gritty book!

The channel "very pink knits" on youtube is great. I don't know if she does start to finish tutorials but she does short, clear explanations of stitches, how to join yarn, how to weave in ends etc which are useful once you find a simple pattern you want to make.

Check out ravelry.com amazing resource and a great community

Thanks I'm off to check out the recommendations

I'm not sure what you mean about varying the tension though?

Neither am I

I read patterns and teaching manuals that have said there's a tension you have to make the pattern in and it reads like you can change how you knit regardless of using the needle size and yarn you're told to that affects the finished article - while I haven't learned to knit "properly" I've been knitting for years (making things that can be made with my limited skills, blankets, scarves...) and I honestly don't understand HOW a person can change what is surely their natural way of knitting.

You're right about tension, OP. That's why it's best to knit a sample swatch with the needles and yarn before starting a pattern. If your tension doesn't match, you switch to different size needles, you don't try and alter the way you knit, because that would be hard to do consistently.

See now that makes a bit more sense to me! I agree I wouldn't be able to consistently change my style of knitting

Ok just searched "gritty knitty" on kindle and no book of that name but "from gritty to knitty an illustrated beginners guide to knitting" is that it?

I only have one pair of needles and 2 balls of yarn at present I'm not looking to make anything in particular just want to see if I know the basics properly and learn how to follow a pattern so they'll be practice materials for me.

I'm having trouble getting deliveries at the moment I was also considering restarting cross stitch but when I contacted retailers too many of them use flipping Hermes to deliver who are dire and completely unreliable in my area.

Yes! Also don't know how to join in yarn! When I've made scarves/blankets they've essentially been squares that I've stitched together afterwards.

Also things like choosing yarn and needles...

So I really am a very experienced beginner

My speed is pretty good with practice I've even managed some ribbing but anything more fancy is beyond me.

Thanks all

If your knitting is loose, the tension will be loose and you might need to go down a needle size or more, to get the right size. The opposite is true if your knitting tension is tighter.

I second Very Pink Knits

I learned to knit as a child but I still really rate the Ladybird knitting book. It has very clear instructions and diagrams and taught me how to do shaping and basic patterns. You can still buy a used copy on Amazon.

I'd give the knitted tie a miss but I can still remember making lots of egg cosies.

@Graphista I see what you mean now. When a pattern states a tension or gauge, you measure your knitting (in the same weight of wool and needle size as the pattern) against it and change the needle size as mentioned before until it matches - its important to get the right tension in things that are fitted, not so much in blankets and scarves.

I am grinning on you being so naive, but in a delightful way. Thank you! I really needed it after this utter shitstorm day.

I read patterns and teaching manuals that have said there's a tension you have to make the pattern in

Gauge is usually given in patterns, which is related to tension and sets how many stitches you'll have to have to make a certain size something. The part where it is not about tension: Gauge is basically made up of

• yarn thickness
• your tension
• needle size

You are right that it is harder to change your tension, but you can always change needle size or yarn.
Assuming you stay with the same yarn a smaller needle will result in a more dense fabric and a bigger needle a loser one.

if the pattern calls for a gauge of 20 st/10cm and you knit with yarnA and 5mm needles you get 25 st. so you try with 6mm needles. Probably get the correct gauge, but you'll have to see if the resulting fabric is what you like.
Or you can switch yarns to find one that gives the correct gauge.

I too suggest verypink videos.

I've been knitting for 30 odd years give me a shout if you need more help with anything!

@TheSunIsStillShining aww bless you for being so sweet. I'm clearly totally clueless! And even more in awe of the people I know/knew, particularly thinking of my grans here, and their ability to just knit a jumper or cardigan with NO pattern, NO measuring the recipient just estimating a rough size or maybe asking a dress or chest size and it fitted! How?! Tis witchcraft I am sure

However on another note - crap! There's a lot of maths involved! I'm dreadful at maths I mean I can count but there seem actual equations involved??

I also apparently need a tape measure

Sorry you're having a shitty day too - part of why I'm doing this is I struggle badly with mh issues myself and I get worse after the clock change and when nights start drawing in (living in Scotland doesn't help!) and the temptation is to "hibernate" and do sod all! Which just makes me feel worse! I'm also housebound so I'm limited in what I can do and I'm trying to keep brain and body active.

Anyway, hope tomorrow is a much better day for you.

:) I'm isolating, son is being kept home since March, H is wfh for 5 yrs no. And today the council gave me a call that I have to send kid back. No. He is in an elite school and he doesn't want to lose his place, so we need to fight this. But I'm already fed up with explaining the basic science to people who are obviously incapable of grasping it. And also: it should be my basic human right to not send in a kid to an uncontrolled
nationwide lab test. He is not a guinea pig. If he gets long covid he is screwed for his whole life. I have a lifelong condition and I could have done without it. Not wishing anything similar on him (or anyone). But, hey. ...the gov says "schools are safe". because virus knows not to enter the gates.

Back to topic

Yes, there can be math involved if you want to modify things. I'd suggest that you do a swatch every time and follow the pattern to the t at first.
Swatch: knit an appr 15x15 cm square and count how many stitches make up 10 cm and how many rows the upward 10 cm.
If you have a local yarn store they can help you. Most of them do zoom sessions to help people with questions instead of the usual drop in/chat.
So, basically you can avoid the math if you find the right yarn, right needle size that give the texture that you want and the pattern to match it.
Do you use ravelry?

Try searching ‘Knitty Gritty’. You have searched ‘Gritty Knitty’, which sounds like a guide to head lice! 😂😂😂

Yep, Knitty Gritty, OP, not Gritty Knitty!

It's this one by Aneeta Patel here

OP - it sounds like getting properly stuck into knitting might be just what you need! Perfect for hibernating and soothing away your worries a bit. I'm in Cumbria, so I'm with you on the nights drawing in. In fact it's so grey today that it still feels a bit like night time at 9:30 am.

I started knitting in my late 30s and didn't have a clue. I can now make socks, jumpers etc (not without a pattern though ). Socks are my favourite things to make.

Don't worry about the maths! I'm crap at numbers, but that hasn't been a problem with knitting. Besides, if you start with things like scarves, which don't need to fit to a specific size, you don't need to fuss about tension/gauge.

I've always thought it would be nice if there were a permanent ongoing 'knit and natter' group on MN, where newbies and others can ask advice, and people just pop in and share what they are making.

In terms of varying the tension - you knit how you knit, you can't change that.

Patterns will ask for such and such tension and suggest you knit a swatch which turns out as however many stitches and rows per cm/inch.

If your swatch turns out bigger/smaller than that then you change the size of needles from the needles the pattern suggested to smaller/bigger ones until you get the right tension.

You carry on knitting the same way you always do but the tension changes because the needle size has changed.

In terms of learning how to increase, decrease, yarn over, etc etc you just need a good video site. I like Knitting Help as it covers everything really clearly whether you are an English or Continental knitter (I knit continental so it was hard to find videos for that)

www.youtube.com/channel/UCu0lirXV0lU38a0MlTw9h2g

Forgot - once you have done it a few times you will just know if you are a tight knitter, a loose knitter or generally spot on so have an idea of whether and how much you will need to change needles by.

It will likely be exactly the same for every pattern.

Knitting for Dummies is good for basic skills, it's online on dummies.com.

I've been knitting little Christmas trees which I'm using to decorate the tree and also to make a garland. Very easy and quick to make.

For tension, it helped me to think of stitches as like Lego bricks, if you follow the instructions but used the wrong brick size, your Lego house won't look like the instructions say it should.

So if a pattern says a needle size of 4mm it's just telling you what the person who wrote the pattern used to get the size of stitch needed. It gives a starting point to try but you might find you need bigger or smaller needles to get the same size, especially if you're using different wool.

I really like Carol Feller and Suzanne Bryant on YouTube for their tutorial videos, and if you haven't seen Fruity Knitting they're definitely worth a watch, it's like a magazine in video form.