Blissed Out Knitting

Learn to Knit - what equipment do you need?

One of the best things about knitting is that you don't need a lot of expensive equipment.  But you will need a few basics, all of which can be bought quite inexpensively.  If you can find a local yarn store with helpful staff then great - they can advise you on the best yarns and patterns to try and many offer classes or hold knitting groups.  Check out your local yellow pages to see if there's one near you.

Don't live is easy reach of a yarn store?  Have no fear.  The web is a great place to source your knitting and there are tons of really good sites out there- we've included some in our ads and resources page.

However, our favorite place to find knitting supplies is eBay.  They have tons of stuff - yarns, needles, patterns - and usually at hugely discounted prices.  If you've unsure of how to use it (or are a bit wary - we've all heard the horror stories about online security) click on our buying on eBay page and we'll guide you through the process - it really is easy and safe to use - hey, if we can use it, anyone can!

So to begin with, here's what we recommend you buy:

Knitting Yarn -usually, what type of yarn you buy will be dictated by the pattern you're using. However, when you're starting out, we think you have enough to worry about so for your first project, we suggest you just pick a yarn that 'speaks' to you - go with your gut!  Whatever appeals, whether it's an apple green mohair or a soft lavender alpaca, go with your gut.  But just buy one or two balls - enough to make a simple scarf.  And while you're at it, have a look at the ball band (the paper tag on the wall) and see which sized needles are recommended with it - and buy a pair of those too.

Knitting Needles - sometimes referred to as sticks, needles are the long pointy things that you use to make the stitches that form the knitting.  They come in a variety of sizes and, just to confuse things even more, are labeled differently depending on whether they are in US sizing of European. To confuse things even further (stay with us here!), they can also come in 'old' sizings.  Don't worry too much about any of this, all modern i.e. new, knitting needles come in the new sizing and you just need to know the US/European equivalents which this table helps you with.

A knitting needle can be made from wood, plastic or metal - whichever you choose will depend on your own preference.  You need to start off with a straight pair of knitting needles around 14 inches in length.  You can also get circular knitting needles but these are designed for more advanced patterns - don't worry about them for now.

Knitting Patterns - Once you've mastered your first few stitches, you're going to need a pattern.  What's wonderful about knitting is that there are so many wonderful designers out there.  We've prided ourselves on collecting the best free knitting patterns online in our free knitting patterns section. All of them have full color pictures and are coded by difficulty level.

Or, have a look on eBay's Half.com, at the different knitting pattern books available or take a trip to your local yarn store and spend some time leafing through their stock.  Some of our favorite designers are Debbie Bliss, Louisa Harding, and Rowan but you will find your own.  There are also some great websites and magazines offering free patterns.  We've listed some of our favorites on the resources page.

Scissors - You don't need anything fancy, just a small, sharp pair that give a clean cut - embroidery scissors are ideal.

A knitting bag - every knitter needs a knitting bag to keep their WIPs (works in progress) in.  This can be as simple or as lavish as you like - whatever floats your boat and makes you happy.  Whilst there are undoubtedly some gorgeous purpose designed knitting bags one's on the market, we tend to use thrifty canvas grocery or beach bags (which incidentally, are often given away free on the covers of glossy women's magazines!).  And if you're really feeling adventurous - why not knit one yourself? (there's a great pattern in our free knitting patterns section)

These items are all you will need to begin with.  Once you've graduated from making simple shapes like scarves, and begin working there are a few inexpensive additional items you will need:

Row Counters - Row counters do exactly that - allow you to count how many rows you've completed.  They're essential once you've moved onto working with patterns because they rely on you doing the specified number of rows so that the measurements of the finished garment match the pattern (otherwise the cropped cardigan you were working on could end up looking like a sloppy joe!).  Row counters are very inexpensive - we like the one's that go on the end of you needle and you should be able to buy them for no more that  a few dollars.

Stitch holders - once you graduate from scarves, you will need to get a few stitch holders to keep your knitting from unraveling whilst you work on different pieces - again, these can be picked up for a couple of dollars each.

 Contact Us         Privacy Statement     ©blissed out knitting 2007