Are You Crafty?

Crocheting is a great pastime for the young and old. If you already know how to knit, then crocheting will be easy to learn. It is similar to knitting in that you pull yarn through loops using a crochet hook. Even if you have no knowledge of knitting it will still be easy to crochet. With some time and practice, you can learn to crochet anything. These are some basics to crocheting.

Crochet Materials

You will need to purchase a crochet hook. Just like knitting needles, they come in many different sizes and materials. Smaller crochet hooks yield finer crochet work. For beginners, it’s best to get a bigger crochet hook (15 to 19 mm) so that you can easily see what you are doing and fix mistakes as they come.
You also will need yarn. Yarn for knitting can be used for crocheting as well. The yarn label on the yarn will mention what size of crochet needle they recommend.

Differences To Knitting

• Crochet uses one hook while knitting uses two needles.
• When crocheting, you have only one active stitch on the hook while knitter has numerous stitches that are active at the same time.
• Crocheting a circular pattern is quite easy using a crochet hook. Knitting, however, requires circular knitting needles or a series of double-ended needles.
• Crocheting is used for joining fabrics together, much more frequently than knitting. in fact, crocheting is often used to finish a knitted sweater.

So go out today, get the basic materials and off you go. Start with something small to crochet like a pot holder and once you get the basics you can expand to something more elaborate.

Believe it or not, but knitting is cool! When you see Tori Spelling knit then you know it’s hip. Even if your grandmother never taught you to knit, it’s super easy and super fun. You can learn to knit today, you just need to get the materials that are right for you. Then off you go to making that hip scarf or trendy beanie.

Knitting For Beginners – Materials

The first thing to get are Knitting Needles. Knitting needles come in different materials and sizes. The easiest for beginners are large knitting needles in plastic or wood. Size 10mm to 20mm is preferable. The size of needle will indicate how big your stitch is and the new trend is big stitches so that’s good. Once you get proficient in knitting you can dabble in smaller needles, just note that it will take longer to finish your project.
The second thing to get is yarn for your needles. If you purchase thin yarn then your project will have holes in it so grab a thick wool or acrylic based yarn. The yarn will also tell you the size of needle recommended in both knitting and crocheting.
Last thing is to get a pattern or knowledge of how to cast on and do a basic purl stitch and knit stitch.

What To Knit

I suggest the first thing to knit is a scarf. It’s easy because it’s straight forward. Decide how many stitches to cast on depending on the thickness of the yarn. For a size 10mm needle, about 10-20 stitches to cast on is a good starting point. From there knit across and back until desired length is met. I would start using the basic knit stitch and then learn others as you go a long.

So pick up some knitting supplies and start your project today. Expect to take a few days to work on it. Do it when watching TV or waiting at a doctors office or on the bus. Good luck!