Through my years of knitting, I have learned some things beyond the how-tos: advice, best practices, lessons – “purls,” if you will. These are my knitting purls of wisdom for you. And I’m still learning, so I’ll update this list as the wisdom grows.
Over your knitting lifetime, you will acquire precious skeins that you think are too precious to use. Use them! Enjoy them! (Or at the very least, display them where you can admire them.)
Knitting is full of math. A knitting math trick you might find useful is dollars of yarn divided by hours of knitting. Let’s say a $25 skein of yarn takes 5 hours to knit. That’s entertainment at a rate of $5/hour, and you have something to show for it!
Use the good stuff (yarn, needles, and notions)! As long as that stuff is in your budget and you can justify it to yourself. You are more likely to enjoy the act of knitting if you like the yarn and it feels good in your hands.
P.S. Animal fibers (wool, alpaca, silk, etc.) feels better in the hands of most knitters than plant fibers (cotton, linen, bamboo, etc.) or plastic (acrylic, polyester, etc.). Nylon is an exception – a little nylon with your wool is great for socks and things.
P.P.S. While we all love the big box craft stores for their aisles and aisles of crafty things, not all yarn is created equal. At some point, I encourage you to try some yarn from shops that specialize in yarn, like Knit Picks, Jimmy Beans Wool, Purl Soho, Eat Sleep Knit, etc. or your local yarn store (LYS).
Your project isn’t done until it’s blocked.
Yarn can be re-used! If you don’t like something, rip it out and try again. Knitting is one of the few crafts with the opportunity to reuse supplies. You can’t un-paint a painting and re-use the paint, but you can frog (rip it, rip it = ribbit, ribbit) a sweater and re-use the yarn.
One of the best features of interchangeable needles is that you can use two different sized needles, which is handier than you might think:
- In the Round: Only one needle, the right, is used to size the stitch, so use the size you need. Make the left needle one size smaller, and your needles will glide along so easily. This is especially helpful when making something on really big needles.
- Flat: When working in stockinette, most knitters make their purls a little bigger than their knits and then wonder how to fix the ‘rowing out’ that occurs as a result. Purls naturally use a little bit more yarn because of the way they are formed. Use the needle you need for gauge on the knit side of stockinette fabric. Use a needle one size smaller on the other side of your cord to help you use slightly less yarn when making your purl stitches. Tada!!
P.S. Also always make sure that you’re using your needles to size your stitches properly.
Use what you learn about fit in knitting to help you choose store-bought clothes, too. Take your measurements and then look at the size charts when you’re online shopping – you’ll have to return a lot less.
Try on your sweater after finishing the yoke (with barber cords) and after finishing one sleeve. If you need to adjust the yoke depth, the sleeve length, etc., do it now. Ask me how I know…
Knitting Podcasts are a great way to feel like you’re part of a knitting community even if you’re the only knitting enthusiast among your friends.
Don’t be afraid to branch out. There are youtube videos for everything. You’ll learn as you go. On the flip side, don’t be afraid to knit a pattern you love more than once.
Knitting is a slooooooow craft, and that’s okay. Figure out ways to make it a built in part of your life. Small projects are perfect for airplanes, waiting rooms, sporting events, etc. Anywhere that you will be sitting and would otherwise be doom scrolling on your phone. And if need be, learn to multitask while you knit.
Progress is made one stitch at a time. Eventually, you’ll have a finished project. This lesson applies to other things in life, too.
Knitting teaches patience. When people learn that I knit, they will often say, “I’m not patient enough to knit.” Is usually respond with, “Knitting taught me patience, not the other way around.”
