I want to start knitting - where to start?!

[beaniebaby25]

I'm joining a local knitting club soon and i want to have all the kit beforehand so i can practise a bit (and not be totally rubbish at it)

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good online shop to buy needles and cheap wool etc? i dont know where any local craft shops are to me (east London)...

thanks

Try a local charity shop?
And join Ravelry. It only takes about three days at the moment and they have a group for beginning knitters as well as the Mumsknitters.
You want some 4mm needles and a ball of cheap acrylic to practise with.

Knitting for Dummies is an excellent book to get you started. A friend of mine (who lives in East London as it happens) goes to the Knitting club in Libertys where the main skill acquired appears to be "how to drink from a wine glass whilst holding a knitting needle in the same hand and not blinding yourself". (The book does not cover this!).

Sew and so is one of my fav online stores - for cross-stitch but they do a bit of knitting if you do want to buy a kit.

There is an excellent knitting shop somewhere in Islington - either on or just off Upper Street but I can't remember quite where.

I know that's not exactly East, but other than that the closest I can think of is John Lewis. Unfortunately they don't have their wools available online but they do keep an excellent selection.

I would recommend starting out with a reasonably chunky wool and some largish needles (small ones are fiddly to start off with and take ages before you feel like you are making progress).

Try knitting squares until you get the hang of it and then move on to a scarf.

Once you feel ready to embark on something a bit more adventurous try a knitting book. Personally I find all knitting patterns difficult to follow (and I've been knitting since I was about 8) but Debbie Bliss is relatively straightforward.

Try How to Knit to get the hang of the basic stitches and then maybe move onto some baby knits as small things get finished more quickly which is satifying.

(that said, I would leave socks for a while - tiny as they are, they are excrutiatingly fiddly!)

I like Laughing Hens and Stash to buy from online and have had really good service form them in the past.

What sort of knitting were you thinking about - are you knitting for yourself or kids? Debbie Bliss has some kids books with simpler patterns in and you can get the yarns at either of the above two options.

ooooh thanks everyone for your replies! Upper Street isn't far at all, I'll go on the hunt tomorrow, and will check out Sew and so tribpot. I'm excited now!!!

Lulu i love the idea of starting off doing small things, i'd love to knit some little baby things for my lovely friend who's just given birth... (or maybe to build up a secret stash for when my time comes hehe) xx

I remember my nan teaching me when i was little (probably around 8) but i never got the hang of casting off...

wingandprayer not completely sure yet what i want to knit, i'm going to start going to a group with some friends so it will be a kind of drink/chat 'n' knit rather than me doing it on my own... although i do tend to get obsessive about things and i bet that once i start i will become a lean, mean knitting machine!

Ok - so you aren't a total beginner if you did it when you were a child.

Baby hats are reasonably simple and quickish to make and an excellent excuse to make pompoms to attach on top. Great gifts too.

I'm feeling a bit jealous. I think I need to go off in search of wool and inspiration myself.

Enjoy - and let us know how you get on

thanks lulu i will!

and thanks everyone else for your advice too xx

The shop off Upper Street is Loop. They do classes there and one of the teachers, Aneeta Patel, also does classes in East London.Her details are here.

Try knitty they have some lovely patterns for beginners through to the more experienced knitter. My stitch and bitch group love trying new stuff from there.

How can you go about learning? I was never taught, and I have coordination issues that means I've struggled in the past teaching myself. I don't think there's a group locally anyways, but if there was I'm assuming you have to know the very basics.

How can you go about learning? I was never taught, and I have coordination issues that means I've struggled in the past teaching myself. I don't think there's a group locally anyways, but if there was I'm assuming you have to know the very basics.

If you can find a local group they will usually be quite happy to teach you. One way to find a local group is to buy a knitting magazine they often have details of knitting groups in the back. Alternatively check your local library, craft or wool shop.

And, once again, try Ravelry. There are lots of local groups all over the world.

This site is really good for learning the basics. There are videoes showing how to do all the different techniques, so it's the closest thing to having someone actually show you!