Tips and Projects for New Knitters

This is a perfect time of year to learn knitting if you haven’t already done so, to brush up on your skills or to teach someone else how to knit.

Over at About I have a great collection of links to tutorials, easy patterns and tips that should get you going when learning to knit.

Nicole from Darn Good Yarn also has some thoughts to help beginning knitters that you might want to check out. My favorite is her advice to check out online resources, because there’s really a ton of great information out there, from online tutorials to videos and tons of free patterns. But don’t be afraid to go to a class at a local yarn shop if you have access to one; there’s nothing better than learning from a real-life person.

If you’re learning to knit this year, I’d love to know what you need help with. And if you’re a more seasoned knitter I’d love to hear your advice for new knitters.

Mine is just to stick with it! I know everyone says knitting is great for stress relief and it doesn’t at all feel like that in the beginning, but in time it will get easier and more comfortable and it will really be the best thing you can do with your time.

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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