Advice to new knitter?

[itstoopeopleyoutthere]

Hello experienced knitters!

I'm a fairly newbie knitter, I've knitted scarves, wrist warmers, a phone pouch.

Next I'd really like to knit something proper like a jumper but am intimidated by the patterns, even the beginner ones look scary and complicated! I've not used circular needles yet and a lot of jumper patterns seem to call for these.

How does one move from beginner projects to jumpers?? Are there any really easy patterns to follow to build up my skills?

Are you on Ravelry? It's a free to join website with thousand of patterns.

If you use "jumper" as your original search then you can filter by

Knitting
Free
Yarn weight
Difficulty

and lots of other factors. Definitely use the "Has a photo" option too.

Try sweater as a search term as well as I think it's an American site. I'll search using "hat" and "beanie" if I want to make a hat for example.

The one I would suggest is Tin Can Knits' Flax - it's free and they have a full tutorial.

As preparation for knitting in the round, you could maybe go for their Barley hat. For learning how to do it, Liat Gat has some great videos.

Videos are a good way to progress

Look for a Tin Can Knits pattern, they are written for beginners.

I also love Tin Can Knits patterns despite them being aimed at beginners and me being a pretty advanced knitter. They're so well written.

Definitely don't be nervous of using circular needles - they are very, very easy to use! Some people choose to use them all the time instead of straights.

I'd pick a basic jumper pattern off Ravelry - look at the difficulty ratings. Definitely knit a swatch first to check your gauge, because some people knit a lot more tightly or loosely than others. That doesn't matter so much for a scarf, but a jumper needs to fit, and in a larger project, a difference of a couple of stitches per inch can throw the size out quite a bit! Proper patterns look scary at first, but you soon get the hang of them.

If you want some regular-ish company on your knitting progress, and any ongoing advice, come and join us on the regular MN knitting and crochet threads - we often get beginners and relative newbies on there!

If you want to try circular needles on a cheap quick project first, make a hat.
But it’s not a requirement if you’d prefer to jump straight into making a jumper.

Don’t skip the tension square for a jumper. You can use the start of a sleeve to gauge tension too. Don’t start knitting 300stitches of body without gauging tension though.

Link to the current knitting and crochet thread!

I have knitted since I was a child, something that really helped develop my skills was blanket squares. I got a huge stitch dictionary one Christmas and would knit squares in different types of stitch, then sew those together, add a border and boom, that's a blanket. I made so many and they were always well received.

If you want to knit a garment for yourself, I would suggest a cardigan might be easier. Less need to get the fit so precise and no need for knitting in the round.

Shamelessly placemarking as I'm desperate to improve my basic knitting skills when I find time .

Oh that looks good - maybe with a bit of practice on circular needles I could manage that one. Thanks!

That is a great idea, @Missymarple !

Great tips on this thread, thank you! I am not in jumper territory yet but perhaps one day!

Can I suggest you start with a baby jumper in a basic acrylic , you get to practice the shaping, following the pattern etc without committing loads of time and yarn!

Surely not all Tin Can Knits patterns are for beginners- I did the Rosewater hat and it is the hardest thing I have ever knitted. A lace pattern but different number of stitches each round and the start of the round moves each round.

A straightforward hat is an excellent idea though as a way to settle into working in the round.

Can I also recommend the Kate Davis owls jumper? It is on Ravelry and there are adult, child and baby versions. Chunky so knits up fast, very clear instructions. Some simple cabling but would be a good first cable project. It was my first jumper.

If you do embark on say, a basic raglan jumper- consider trying a baby/child’s one first. The techniques will be the same, but it’s obviously smaller so less of an epic undertaking etc.

Also you don’t need to worry about fit because they will grow into it or if it’s too small you can just find a smaller baby.

I've been knitting nearly 20 years and I still screw up a jumper...

Get an old handbook/encyclopaedia of knitting thing from a charity shop. They often have pages showing you techniques and how to make swatches with different colour or texture patterns on them. You need to do a fair bit of practice before launching into a full size jumper, because there's a risk of spending a lot of time and money on it and not wanting to wear it at the end!

Baby clothes, hats, mittens, soft toys - all better places to start than a jumper.

Skills you will end up needing include increasing and decreasing, seaming, knitting in the round, lacework, stranded colourwork.

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel no not all Tin Can Knits patterns are for beginners, but they have some great beginner patterns - Barley, Rye, Flax etc.

I would definitely start with a child's jumper. I taught myself knitting with the book Knitty Gritty which is excellent and then moved onto using YouTube videos when I don't understand something in a pattern. I started knitting clothing with a flat pattern, IE not knitted in the round which I found easier at the point. (I don't mind sewing the pieces together). It would have been easier though to have started with a smaller version.

Another one who says don't be afraid of the circular.needles. I often knit with them over straight ones as I much prefer the feel.of them.

The hat suggestion is a good one to get used to using them.

For the jumpers honestly get a beginner pattern follow it and it's not as hard as it looks.

Also remember. Even experienced.knitters makes mistakes.

Yes they do, the ones recommended are great and I find them all well written but a couple of people have implied they are all for beginners and I wouldn’t want anyone to be misled.

‘Also remember. Even experienced.knitters makes mistakes.’

This is absolutely true. I find the main difference is as you get more experienced you get to learn more ways to fix things and also get better at knowing when you need to go back and redo it and when to not bother.

If you do go wrong don’t be afraid to ask for help. Fixing other people’s mistakes is one of the most enjoyable things you can do as an experienced knitter!