Knitting is a great hobby that lets you get in touch with your creativity. Learning to knit is simple and easy since it requires few tools at the beginning.
However, do not underestimate the usefulness of this hobby. You can create countless items. Choose from scarves, beanies, sweaters, gloves, socks, pillow covers, blankets, and tea cozies, to name a few.
Is Knitting Hard?
Knitting is easy to learn as a beginner, but it’s not the simplest craft to master. All you need to begin knitting are yarn and knitting needles. Some materials can be costly depending on quality and availability. There are more complex techniques and patterns down the line that require more skills. Knitting requires time, dedication, and practice.
However, with the wide array of free online resources that teach knitting, you will become an advanced knitter if you are willing to put in the hours and consistency.
Before embarking on your knitting journey, let’s look at 11 things you should know!
1. Knitting is a Domestic Craft Skill and an Art
Knitting is a domestic craft involving using two or more needles to create a fabric or textile from a series of connected loops of yarn in a row (stitches).
Depending on the garment you want to knit, the technique employs either straight or circular needles to create two-dimensional flat or tubular-shaped fabrics.
Most people who knit view it as a worthwhile skill to use to make useful things like items of clothing. Think scarves, beanies, sweaters, gloves, socks, pillow covers, blankets, and tea cozies.
Others see their creations as artworks. Once you know the basics, you can let your creativity run wild. You can then freely experiment by combining multiple knitting techniques, yarn types, colors, patterns, and accessories to create unique pieces.
2. A Brief History of Knitting
Thought to have started in the Middle East in the fifth century, knitting spread to Europe with wool merchants.
The early knitting samples found in Egypt were made from cotton, not wool. In the 14th century, people used knitting to produce warm woolen jumpers for fishermen.
In the 16th century, knitters knitted stocking for the elite. Shortly after, knitting became an industry in the Highlands and Scotland, and knitwear became available in the market.
In 1816, people built the first knitting loom. Now, knitting has become an essential part of our fashion industry.
3. Knitting Requires Only Yarn And Knitting Needles
Although yarn and knitting needles are essential equipment for any knitter, you need a few other things if you want your knitting project to be successful.
You will require scissors, crochet hooks, needle gauges, blocking pins, double-pointed needles, stitch markers, and a ruler as a beginner to learn this skill.
Buy a set of needle tips and cables that you can combine to create needles of several sizes and lengths. Complete beginners can start with inexpensive wooden needles.
If you are starting from scratch and do not have any materials yet, a sweater project should cost about $28.
4. Knitting Allows You to Join a Craft Community
People take up knitting as a hobby for various reasons, making eco-friendly clothing, enhancing their mental health, or simply making the most of their free time.
While knitting is frequently considered more of a hobby than a profession, specialists can make decent money in the knitting industry.
You can participate in a Professional Knitter Certification course to gain advanced skills and sell your handmade goods via platforms like Etsy.
Lastly, you can join a vibrant community of crafters to share inspirations and delight in addition to exercising your creativity and creating excellent handicrafts!
5. Knitting offers Surprising Health Benefits
Knitting is not only entertaining, useful, and creative but also healthy. It eases tension, jump-starts literacy, and rehabilitates wellness!
Knitting can help reduce stress thanks to its repetitive and rhythmic motions. The knitting process can release serotonin, which promotes calmness and well-being.
Knitting requires focus and concentration. One knits from left to right, the same way one reads most languages.
Learning how to knit concurrently or just before learning to read or write can help kids fine-tune their motor skills and aid the latter learning processes.
Knitting can also lower the risk of dementia by keeping the mind sharp. It stimulates the brain and helps form new connections between brain cells.
6. There are Numerous Sources to Learn About Knitting
Once you learn the basic techniques, it may take you between 40 and 80 hours of practice to become a competent knitter.
A knitting book is a terrific way to learn the fundamentals. At the same time, online podcasts and YouTube might be your closest friends if you want to study a technique in-depth.
Suppose you want to get a taste of knitting instead of fully committing. In that case, you can buy pre-assembled material bundles with simple-to-follow directions.
Alternatively, if you know you want to follow through on this journey, start shopping for your needles and yarn. Below are some free resources to get you started in this hobby:
- Very Pink
- KnittingHelp
- KnitPicks
Suppose you want to advance quickly and are willing to spend some money. In that case, you can get a skilled coach from Annie’s Catalog or join knitting classes like those provided by Craftsy.
7. Knitting Projects can Take a Lot of Time
Even a simple hat can take a knitter several days to complete, especially if they have a full-time job and other commitments.
Larger patterns such as blankets and scarves will call for more than just the four fundamental stitches, fine motor control and repetition. Project durations vary depending on the complexity of the patterns and item size.
The upside is that you can pause and resume a knitting project as required, so incorporating knitting into your daily routine may not be as hard as other hobbies.
It might be an excellent hobby for a hyperactive and tense person.
However, it may not be the best choice for people who dabble in various interests and want instant gratification from finishing a task quickly.
8. Knitting Requires Grit and Perseverance
Patience is key for knitters at any level. It would be best if you made peace with the fact that not all projects can be completed in one weekend.
As a hobby, some knitters multitask in front of the TV and on public transportation. In contrast, others must concentrate entirely on counting their stitches if knitting is their primary job.
Knitting offers the ideal opportunity to experiment by listening to your intuition and developing faith in yourself when creating a new pattern. During this process, you are bound to make mistakes.
Grit and perseverance are traits you will develop after thousands of stitches, especially if you are knitting, frogging, and re-knitting. Frogging is the process of ripping out your knitting after making a mistake so you can start afresh.
9. Knitting Teaches New Life Skills
While getting started in knitting is easy, being able to design your own patterns will take a lot of time.
Since knitting projects may take a long time and require detailed planning, time management is a skill you learn while knitting.
You will have plenty of time left during the day and still be able to see your projects progress each day if you can set aside just a few hours each night to knit.
However, it would be best to learn to set deadlines for each activity in your knitting project and adhere to them, so you do not fall behind on schedule.
Instead of multitasking, it is easier to get into a flow when working on one design at a time!
10. Raw Materials Can Be Costly
People used to knit clothes in the past since it was less expensive than purchasing ready-to-wear clothing.
Nowadays, cheap clothing is abundant, meaning knitting can be more costly than buying factory-manufactured woolen clothes.
Depending on the size of your knitted item, you may need a lot of yarn. Some yarn types can be costly due to availability and quality.
One sweater can cost you over $100, not to mention the numerous hours you will have to devote to it!
However, the satisfaction and pride you feel whenever you wear a sweater you knitted yourself will far outweigh the cons. You can also gift knitted items to your loved ones.
Most importantly, whatever you knit will be your unique creation – there will be no similar second item in the world!
11. Excessive Knitting may Cause Bodily Pain
One thing you must be aware of is knitting may lead to pain in the hands and arms due to its repetitive motion.
If you sit and knit for hours on end, your fingers may ache from gripping the needles, and your wrists may hurt from remaining at one angle for too long.
Remember to listen to your body; take frequent breaks; stretch your fingers, arms, and hands; and stand up and walk around.
If you become serious about knitting somewhere down the line, remember you can switch to knitting machines or loom knitting!
To learn more, you can also see our posts on Sewing, Quilting and Crocheting.
Conclusion
It is straightforward to get started on your knitting journey. The necessary tools are minimal, but remember that materials can become costly if looking at higher-quality yarn.
Knitting projects take time and require patience and grit. Nevertheless, knitting is beneficial for mental well-being and can be extremely gratifying when you finish a project.
It allows you to put your creativity to use and materialize unique designs.
Your knitted items can become your new favorite clothing pieces and beautiful gifts for your families and friends. They can even be sold online and earn you a profit. Remember to take things one loop at a time!
Sewing vs. Knitting which one should you pick?