That learning to knit in my mid 40's is a bit naff???

[plastique]

How do I go about learning to knit?? Possibly start with a funky chunky scarf using those enormous needles ???

Go for it! I agree that size 4/5 needles would be easiest to learn with a non-fluffy yarn (you want to be able to see where it is really clearly). DK yarn would knit-up on size 4 really well & that's usually the best selection of colours at a reasonable price.

Excellent! I love knitting and it's such a sense if achievement to wear a dress , cardigan or scarf that I've made myself.

Good luck!

I finally got the hang of crochet last year in my mid-thirties and I was delighted

For knitting I find 4 or 5mm needles easiest to hold and these work really well with DK weight wool which you can get anywhere. Practice on acrylic before spending loads on nice yarn, Sue Ryder hospice charity shops sell some nice colours for less than £2 a ball. And yes, YouTube tutorials - brilliant for beginners as trying to follow instructions for casting on and off and guessing whether you're getting your tension right is hard when you've only got written instructions to go from.

Love the replies.... But I'm a big obsessed with the chunky needles... Thinking less knitting is needed with those huge mfo's!!!

Oh, one more thing - don't start with black yarn! It's a bugger to see the stitches clearly.

Crocheters how do you work your speed up? A blanket takes me months to make

Best to start with crochet or knit??
My mum was always crocheting some waistcoat or mini skirt etc....seemed endless work

Be careful when talking about needle size; the UK and US sizes are different, and are also different to actual mm.

For example, a 5mm needle is a UK size 6, but a US size 8.

I used these m.youtube.com/watch?v=J8NcZSD7usE tutorials. I found her very easy to follow.

Crochet works up quicker and if you make a mistake it's easy to fix without losing too much work

Crochet is quicker, for sure.

Knitting on those huge needles will be quite tricky for a beginner who hasn't yet evened out their tension. Crocheting with such heavy yarn would be a ballache!

By the way, I started crocheting last year at the ripe age of 62 😀 and I love it!

Bernard.... There's fingers being used instead of needles... Bit like cats cradle no??!!??

Yes similar, sort of across between cats cradle & a knitting dolly. I linked it wrongly though it was meant to link to the main page. There are knitting & crocheting tutorials on there. A friend learnt to knit this year & started with arm knitting.

Agree with You Tube - there are videos on everything knitting related and you can pause and re-watch as often as you like.

NO ! knitting is fab!
I am currently trying to extend my basic knitting skills learnt a very long time ago [40 years] and love learning new stitches off you tube and making little samples

Im rubbish at following patterns though, has anyone got any tips for beginner projects? I'm currently knitting chunky on 6.5mm needles.

Wtf,,, sorry did I read arm needles ????

Assuming that none of you are naff.... I'm feeling pretty excited about knitting from now on

Knitting I may have just re read my post twice to make sure

I taught myself to knit from YouTube in ky late 30s and absolutely love it. I started by knitting big chunky scarves using big fat needles. Easy peasy. Go for it OP!

Where is everyone? If you are all conveniently close to where I live we could meet in a pub café and knit together. :)

Nope, it's bloody brilliant, once you know what you're doing it's really relaxing, and even when learning it's very absorbing. Plus hand knit socks are fricking brilliant.

Join Ravelry.com, it's the best knitting website/community/pattern database going, bar none, but I'd also have a good root around for a beginner book. If you know the correct terms from the book you can you tube videos of anything you're stuck with.

If you love the big wool thing then go for it, but I think 5/6mm and dk or aran weight wool is great. Something like a kit for a scarf would be a perfect first project, maybe go into John Lewis or a local yarn shop (called LYS in forums online, usually) and ask. The John Lewis in Oxford Street is great for this if you're in London.

Check out Ravelry, it really is amazing......

Normally it is recommended you start with something like a mug cosy or a coaster or believe it or not just knitting a small square to get used to the stitches.
Scarfs that you learn to knit are very odd at the beginning end and most people want to rip them back .......

Choose dk or Aran yarn that is smooth and has some wool in it as that will be a nice bouncy yarn
And a needle as recommended on the yarn paper band.
Dunelm or hobby craft.

Knitting is easier than crochet in my opinion.

Use ravelry to search tin can knits as they have brilliant patterns for beginners.......

It is a fab hobby and I love knitting and I'm in my 50's.

I've sent you a pm OP -

I'm in the north east 😎