I've just started knitting and...

[Gooner123]

Holy crap it's difficult !,I got some size 10 needles & wool from my local wool shop,I thought it would be easier with the thick wool,I'm getting really good at casting on ( because it keeps going wrong) and so far have only learnt the knit stitch ( I'm using Utube) I'm dropping stitches I think,(there's holes appearing where none should)and have a habit of putting the needle through the wool which then makes it unravel
Yesterday I went to J Lewis and got some 4 mm wool & needles and spent a couple of hrs knitting with that,and ended up with about 1cm of what actually looked half decent ( I originally had dreams of making a cardy for myself,but I don't think I'm going to live that long )

I know it's early days,and prob most started like this but I now have a new found respect for all you knitters.

And my dream cardy has now been downgraded to a scarf

Oh, don't do a scarf. it takes forever and the beginning will always be a bit ropey because it is just the start of you knitting career.
If you can bear it, buy a ball of dish cloth cotton and use your 4mm needles to do a dishcloth. Never mind how many stitches you drop it won't matter. if you persevere you'll end up with a dishcloth you can actually use and be proud of. By this time you will be much more proficient in knitting and could try a small cardigan for your best friend who is expecting...or whatever. Once that is done you will be able to do a cardi for yourself. Knitting with very thick wool and 10mm needles is a pig..as you have noticed. If you want to do something with the wool you have bought try a hat rather than a scarf. there are plenty of patterns on Ravelry. You can also look on Ravelry to see if there are any knitting clubs in your area, look for them in the library as well.

Thanks for the advice Dutchoma,I will give that a try.

Fail safe beginner project here way quicker than a scarf. It's just brilliant to make something wearable straight away.

Not splitting the wool will get better with practice - try not to knit too tightly as it makes it hard to get the needle in the stitch. Holes can often appear if you get the yarn accidentally looped over the needle between stitches, then knit that loop you get a mystery extra stitch above a hole. Drop stitches OTOH cause a ladder but you can see the guilty stitch lurking at the bottom.

Sounds like you've or yourself on the right track. But yes don't bother with scarf yet, they need to be 5-6 feet long to wrap round the neck generously and can get very boring. The wool splitting may also be the type of yarn - some are very splitty compared to others

I'm a beginner, and I did a scarf as my first project and really enjoyed it, the repetitiveness was really important for me developing a more consistent tension and for my hands just learning to do without me thinking about it.

I am now on my fifth project, which is a baby cardigan. You will get there OP!

You could knit some squares - good practice casting on and off and sew them together to make a very small blanket. I don't think a scarf is a bad idea - anything that gets you going is ok. You might find it goes narrower and wider I places at first but that doesn't matter.

You mentioned that you went to John Lewis. Some of their stores have Rowan consultants who offer a knitting clinic type thing for free, you could find out if your local store does that. And some of the staff in haberdashery in JL will be experienced knitters and willing to help with patterns and if you get stuck they will help with things like how to recover dropped stitches! My local JL doesnt have a Rowan consultant but the lovely lady in haberdashery at the JL store said she would be willing to help with the basics if I got stuck.

Thanks everyone,great advice & I like that gloves project which I think I may have a go at next week,I've realised that I'm knitting way too tightly & will put that right,thanks again for your help.

Cannot recommend ravelry enough,

Great resource for yarn data. Patterns or support via the forums, but don't swear on there it isn't MN and they don't like it (I got temporarily banned!)

I made a hat while learning to knit, quick enough that I didnt get bored like I know I would with a scarf .

I used the videos here extensively whilst learning

I wouldn't do a scarf either but a cowl is less boring. It doesn't have to be very long. Just sew the end and the beginning to make a ring and so long as it is long enough to go over your head, it would work! You could try aran yarn too - 5mm or 5.5mm needles so not too big but it would grow quicker than the DK and the 4mm needles but not be so cumbersome as the 10mm. 1Omm and bigger are really hard work as you have found!

You will manage a cardie one day and possibly quite soon if you keep it simple. A jumper would be easier though - you don't have to match the two front panels. Have a look on Rav for simple jumpers. There are a lots of free patterns on there.

I vaguely remember learning and it is slow to start with, you can't work out what's gone wrong when it goes wrong and there doesn't feel to be any rhythm to it. Then, almost magically, it becomes more natural and the really satisfying, rhythmic knitting starts. And then it's addictive...in a good way! Keep at it. And plain knitting, whilst its the right start, is hard to keep even and it's when you learn to purl that you'll really be pleased with what you've produced.

Did you join Ravelry? If not, now is the time to do it when you are a little more able to appreciate the wealth of patterns and information you'll find there.

You'll be amazed at how quick you get once you get your hand in, op I do quite like knitting with big wool myself as it knits up quickly impatient child that I am but items made with smaller wool do look neater IMO. I agree that a dishcloth is a good first oriject

Oriject? Project!!

www.amazon.co.uk/30-Minute-Knits-Quick-Knitted-Projects/dp/1844488772

My dd got off the ground knitting with this - they are a bit cutesie - little birds n stuff, but also a hat, wristwarmers etc. Really quick and easy patterns and you learn different stitches, and build confidence quickly. And who doesn't want a stripey knitted fish?

I am using a Jan Eaton book to try making a blanket - loads of patterns for different squares but I'd start off with the knitted fish type projects as you can do them with single balls of wool and experiment. Have fun.