Can anyone reccomend an easy 1st knitting project, preferably something for a baby?

[Disenchanted]

I really want to do a cardigan, am I being too optimistic?

I have 9 months to get it done, lol

i made a blanket with a fancy edge. big needles, nice wool and lots of use from it.

Ah! Never thought of that!

Does it matter what wool? I have big fat needles, and some wool I got from wilkinsons for practising but its nice and soft.

Or would I need something in particular?

A, complete novice

I have found cardis a bit challenging cos of the neckline, but I am a bit cack handed. I have done several boat neck sweaters, which are two squares (one front one back) and sleeves, which just involve increasing. Debbie Bliss baby knits for beginners has some nice easy cute things

i have debbie bliss for beginners book and there is quite an easy jumper in there. also a hat which i only managed to drop a few stitches on. 9 months is plenty. do the biggest size then you'll have even more time. am still doing a jumper for dd that i started it in november.

I think you need big wool for big needles but will sit back and wait for an expert...

how about a scarf

I think a blanket would be best TBH, a small one,

So that book for beginners comes reccomended?

There is a book (or booklet) by Sirdar called 'First Steps' (the number in the top right hand corner is 292) which starts with squares to make a blanket, progresses through hats, to a cardigan/jacket made of squares (no increasing or decreasing) and then on to more complicated cardigans and jumpers. It even has instructions for casting on, sewing together etc. for idiots. Worked for me!

blanket squares look lovely and the knitting is ok, but the sewing up is a bore, I reckon

i did a debbie bliss pattern from one of those ghastly preg mags. yes you need proper poncy wool from john lewis, then you can get away with dodgy knitting. i ended up sewing trim on while being (failed) induced in hospital. evil midwife said "you have no idea with your knitting" like i was smoking crack.

arggggh like what?? so many, what type??

The hat in the Debbie Bliss book (simple knits?) is foolproof and really nice. I've made it a couple of times and every so often see babies in it.

Debbie Bliss does come with a bit of a health warning tho, my mum who is a fantastic knitter started a hooded jumper for DS from it and reckoned the pattern wasn't right.

ooh fishie did you stick your needle in her eye? Disenchanted, I am debbie bliss brainwashee and only use her wool. Baby cashmerino is nice and soft and not a disaster when machine washed. The colours can be a bit drippy tho

just realised I have no idea what ANY of this means and need some more lessons!

i did cashmerino, in a pale genderless green. it was a small blanket and it took practically whole pregnancy. later made a little jumper while on mat leave and that took the whole year.

[wish i had stuck needle through her head]

I have a Debbie Bliss book out of the library but think the patterns are way beyond me. I went to a knitting shop and found a couple of Knitting for Beginners books which include much more accessible looking patterns, and they're on 7 mm needles (ie quite big ones), though I'm going to have to get some of those as I bought 4 mm needles and double wool there.

My interest in knitting started because some nasty burglars took my own baby blanket knitted by my mummy before I was born, and used with DS, and I want to make one myself. A mumnset friend of a mn friend kindly made me a replacement but it made me think about knitting myself, and then I discovered that a woman teaches knitting in our local library on Saturday afternoons - it's taken me a month to learn to cast on but I'm hooked.

Hi Disenchanted -
I would recommend not bothering with the fancy expensive wool - go to your local pound shop or Aldi and buy Avenue or Premier double knitting. It's cheaper but feels nice and washes well - very important for babies of course

You might find www.knittingpatterncentral.com very useful - it has tutorials as well as hundreds of free patterns to try.

beginners' baby booties

simple hat

lovely simple blanket

very simple jacket

Hope these are of some use to you!

Thanks TTT, I have some cream 'baby wool' from a little shop thats really nice, Ill try that.

Thankyou for the links

Hi Disenchanted

I made a really simple baby blanket for my LO, and it doesnt require any sewing together so suited me as sewing is my nemesis (i get bored...)

cast on 120 stiches
knit for 10 rows
knit 7 stitches at beginning, purl to last 7 stitches, knit last 7 stitches
knit next row
knit 7 stitches at beginning, purl to last 7 stitches, knit last 7 stitches
knit next row

repeat till you think your blanket is big enough.
knit 10 rows
cast off.

I did mine on 4.5mm needles (which are quite small) but get appropriate sized needles for your wool. If you have big wool you dont have to cast on as many stitches (stick with the 10/7 rule though). I used 4 balls of 50g baby wool to make mine.

If you havent done much knitting before I would recomend making a scarf or two, my first attempt at a blanket includes many dropped stiches as well as random increasing and decreasing... have a bit of a search in your local area for knitting clubs have attached a link taht may helpwww.stitchnbitch.co.uk/fan.htm