So you want to get back to basics! To learn a new skill and make delicious woolly goodies for yourself, your family and friends. To practice mindful meditation, to slow down and relax. Maybe you are in home isolation and have some time on your hands!
There are so many reasons to take up knitting & crochet. All are fabulous and we hope we can point you in the right direction.
The main considerations :
Project : What do you want to knit? A scarf is great beginner project, cotton washers are very practical and good opportunity to practice stitch patterns, a blanket is super cosy and can be small for a baby or giant for your whole family!
Yarn Fibre : wool, cotton, linen etc... what do you like? We try to stock mostly 100% natural fibres that are ethically farmed and produced. We also like to support Australian producers where possible.
Yarn weight : can be light and delicate all the way up to chunky and robust. DK / 8 ply is right in the middle. Chunky yarn knits faster - instant gratification - however speed is not everything!
Needle Size : Matching the needles to your yarn and project/pattern is worth spending time on. Each yarn will give a recommended needle/hook size which when worked will produce a gauge of the number of stitches/rows achieved over 10x10cm swatch. A pattern will also give a recommendation for needle size.
However, we all knit differently with different tension. It's all good.
As a rule increasing needle size will give more drape. Decreasing needle size makes for a tighter weave.
Care : machine washable vs handwash. Depends on your needs, lifestyle!
Pattern suggestions : We aim to provide useful specifications for all of the yarns we stock along with pattern suggestions and links to Ravelry patterns that use the yarn. This should be included in the description section of each yarn. Read more about why we LOVE Ravelry here.
Recommendations for beginners : Check out our favourite beginner friendly projects. Our INSPIRATION menu is where we collate our notes and photos of the projects we have been working on.
Elsewhere for help & tutorials : We collated all our favourite ONLINE help & tutorials for KNIT / CROCHET and hope they will keep you out of trouble. Thank goodness for the internet and google.
We hope this helps. Relax and have fun.