How do i start knitting

[Sonnet]

I want to knit - i am dreaming of kniting blankets and tea cosies

I can cast on and do plain knitting - I think i could do pearl if I had a reminder

But how do I start - what size needles and thickness of wool would I need to knit squares??

Hoping you can help

Look on YouTube for a purl tutorial :)

You can use any size needles/thickness wool if you're just making a blanket. Choose a wool, then look on the ballband and it'll tell you what needle size is suitable :)

Go to www.ravelry.com. Huge amount of resources there (including TONS of patterns) and a very actve forum full of people who would help you out.

I learnt to knit as a child, then re-taught myself about 6 years ago using the Stitch n Bitch book, which I loved.

Also, see if there's a knitting group local to you or a yarn shop. People in both would help you out, I'm sure.

Fluffy has the right idea- I taught myself the basics of crochet a few years ago- by watching YouTube videos and looking at pictures on the internet!

I also joined my local stitch and bitch group and picked up a lot of tips and hints from all the lovely people there.

Everyone got a lot of handmade christmas gifts that year

I think what I'd say is tackle a few smaller projects before doing the blanket; I have a friend who has been slogging through a jumper for her DH as her first proper knitting project, and because it's so discouraging to see it growing so slowly, she finds it hard to be motivated to do it - and so it goes even slower.

If you don't fancy starting on the usual scarf-y type things, how about a few face cloths in good old 100% cotton? Ravelry is absolutely chocker with free patterns for all sorts of squares - and the ones you like, you can also do for a blanket if you want!

However, if you do want a bigger project, you could go for something knitted in a chunky yarn - this is thicker than aran so it helps a project to grow really quickly. This one is lovely and this is a very effective design.

I can really recommend Stephanie Pearl McPhee's Knitting Rules. It's written in her persona as the 'Yarn Harlot' (her blog identity) and her blog is well worth a read, as she's very funny. Her book (this one, anyway) is a great introduction to how, and also to why to knit. She makes you want to go out and buy beautiful yarns and start hoarding different types of knitting needles.

One of her maxims is definitely to start on something interesting and managable - no blankets unless you think you're really going to be mesmerised by rows and rows and rows of identical stitches... Actually, though it's a rip-off, the way I started to knit (stuck in bed after a MC and wanting diversion!) was to get stuck into a kit that I bought in a craft shop - think it was a Rowan one and it used very chunky wool and big needles. It made a bag, a scarf or a muff, as I remember. I think I just played around at first (and then made a basic bag, and felted it deliberately to see what that would do. It made it a lot smaller). Kits are a good way in. Don't be scared to pick a kit or a pattern that involves more than producing a plain rectangle. I stuck to very basic things for too long and I think it was quite boring - wish I'd got stuck into shaping and different stitches earlier.

I retaught myself to knit afew years ago - bought a sock knitting kit (I'm a bit mad and decided to do lace and cabel too - but I get bored easily)

something like one of these

www.viridianyarn.com/acatalog/Kits.html

no worry about right needles/yarn/guage ect - learn about that later and becasue they are quite small you don't get bogged down in endless rows of stocking stitch.

Yes, on a similar note this is a kit for a bag from my local yarn shop, v quick to knit up compared to waiting for a blanket to grow.