Knitting Newbie - can you help me with an idea?

[musttidyupBeforeSantaComes]

Hi
I'm very new to knitting and am just making squares to practise. I can only so the basics but am a quick(ish) learner . I would like to knit a small gift for a wedding present, to give alongside their real gift. It must be simple please and not too time consuming. I was thinking a small cushion? Heart? But am open to ideas.
Thanks.

A cushion is great. You could knit four squares, each using a different stitch pattern and colour yarn. Sew them all together to make a big square and then knit one more big square in a stripe pattern for the reverse side. Sew the front to the back, insert cushion pad and, voila, bob is your father's brother!

Get yourself over to Ravelry and you will discover every knitting pattern in the known universe (practically).

What about this cushion (free pattern from Rowan) or Empire attack? Also this heart ... I could go on - I probably will!

I second Tribpot's Ravelry recommendation, I could waste hours and days on there.
I would love to do that heart cushion but I bloody hate knitting in the round!

You could un-round-ify it, Timothy - you know, if you really like sewing up :)

Thank you! Those cushions are great but far too hard for me at the moment! Like the stick 4 squares together idea though! What's the best way to attach them to each other? (I don't crochet)

Whip stitch.

Sorry, I thought you were an 'adventurous beginner' as they call it I also like this heart cushion.

Also worth a look is Frankie's Knitted Stuff. For square ideas, you can look at the crafting guide we've put together on Woolly Hugs although the patterns aren't rated for their difficulty, perhaps we should do that.

I crocheted some beautiful dishcloths for my cousin's wedding present. She absolutely loves them, and loves using them

You can knit dishcloths too - just make sure you use 100% cotton (I like the Rico stuff, but anything that comes in lots of bright colours is good). Here's a load of patterns on Ravelry - keep clicking next page until you find something that really catches your eye.

Not that adventurous! thanks for whip stitch link. Looked at WoolyHugs guide the other day - it's great. Going to try the little Christmas bells soon (now, that's adventurous ).

Too nice to be dishcloths! Have joined Ravelry. Thanks.
Where's the best place to buy yarn?

Assuming you want something a bit fancy, given it's a wedding present, you're probably best off online.

The biggest online store (I think) is Deramores. It's also one of the easiest to search on, which makes it good for finding yarn inspiration even if you buy elsewhere .

I like McA Direct (despite the fact they have a terrible-looking website) and Hulu. We also are v fond of Black Sheep Wools, who donated to the Woolly Hugs project. There are a couple of other sites people use regularly but I think we have had delivery problems from one of them and I can't remember which it is at this time of night!

In the shops, you're really looking at Hobbycraft and John Lewis as your chain store options. You can also look for local yarn shops on Ravelry - this is mine, for example.

I love Black Sheep Wools.

And hand-made dishcloths really are lovely :) how much nicer to be wiping your tables with something that looks beautiful than some manky old rag?