Taking up knitting again

[HelloCharming]

Haven’t knitted anything for 30 years, but used to do cable knit jumpers and fair isle. I’d like to knit something again. What realistically should I try, wool is so expensive I don’t want to mess it up.

I read it’s easier to knit a jumper where you sew the pieces together at the end, s9 what sort of pattern should I look for?

If you can cable and fair isle you can do anything!
Do you remember how you feel about purling, as that is one barrier to knitting flat and then seaming a jumper together.
If you really want a discussion and help, go on over to Ravelry, they have a very active discussion board and you can search for patterns.

You can still buy reasonably priced wool, it just depends where you are. Uk and EU take a look at Hobbii and Wool warehouse, either their own brands or Drops can be cheaper.

Good luck and have fun!

Thank you for the wool tips and the message board.

I would recommend buying some cheap acrylic yarn from one of the local discount stores or from Vinted or a charity shop and just having a go. That way it won’t cost too much if you mess up. Also don’t be afraid to undo your work. I made myself a jumper when I first got back into knitting. I wore it once and hated it! So I unraveled it and made a cardigan with the wool, which I love.

I’ve started making beanie hats for everyone for Christmas.
if you want a quick and easy pattern to get you started a beanie is very rewarding - I can finish one in two evenings in front of the TV. The ones I’m making have cables, but you could make them with a thickish stocking stitch if you want to start with something simpler. There are loads of patterns on line.
Do you have a good wool shop near you? I’d recommend going to chat with someone if you do, or join a Knit and Natter group.

Socks and gloves, as you are already skilled, just refreshing?

Definitely go to Ravelry.
Boyse’s, The Range have cheap wool, and Aldi/Lidl special buys.

Charity shops are good for wool and needles, and also ask on FB. Chances are, someone near you has inherited a stash or is having to give up their stash. There will be needles and wools galore.

I’m looking at kits as well, for easy makes.

Drops wool is lovely and unusually reasonably-priced for proper wool. I have knitted all sorts including cable and Fairisle jumpers, but one thing I love knitting is socks. I'm half-way through a pair right now (see pic)! Might be a nice, manageable-sized project for getting back into knitting. I use a book called 'Getting Started Knitting Socks' by Ann Budd, but there are loads of patterns kn Ravelry (both free and paid-for).

That Drops wool looks gorgeous! I need to refresh my skills and use up all the cheap and cheerful yarn I have, before going wool shopping again!

Black Sheep Wools have some lovely patterns and wool. I have only knitted a few things years back always with the help of my mom so I'm not sure how their prices stack up

I was similar, with a 15-ish year gap and I restarted over 10 years ago. I now knit fairly prolifically, mainly aran jumpers/cardigans and socks, but also hats, gloves and other accessories as needed for me and my family.

I use Drops yarn a lot for jumpers because it's so cheap and is good quality. Drops also have frequent 30% off sales, which helps. Drops Alaska is tough and hardwearing, their alpaca blends are soft and light but can pill a lot over time and Drops Air is gorgeously soft and light.

The Garnstudio site (official Drops site) shows the yarn colours fairly accurately, especially on a tablet versus my laptop. I use a variety of superwash sock yarns for socks and love the new Yarnsmiths (Wool warehouse brand) merino sock yarn for hats, gloves etc. Malabrigo is gorgeous for small shawls and scarves, but very pricey so I only buy it occasionally. I tend to have several different types of knits and one crochet on the go at a time and do a little of each one most days, as I enjoy the variety.

I'm excitedly planning to attempt a traditional gansey for my next slow/long-term project, and some felted project bags, in an attempt to learn to flick, to speed up my knitting--the felting will hopefully obscure any messy knitting caused by learning a new technique!!!

For me, the main difference was shopping online to get pure wool or sock wool, versus previously buying in local yarn shops or John Lewis.

Since you were a very capable knitter, you'll probably get back into it in no time. I hope you enjoy your journey!

Sorry for the essay!

I’m you but 2 months further on @HelloCharming . I used to knit cable jumpers etc but I’ve restarted by pinching my sisters knitting bag , which has sat untouched in her house for many years and I’m using all the old balls / oddments to knit squares for a blanket . That way I can practice various stitches / techniques in small scale . My dyspraxic daughter and beginner knitter is doing some as well so it’s going to be a joint effort .