Basic Knitting Supplies

I have the privilege of meeting with a friend today to get her hooked on the art of knitting.  One of the questions she asked is "what do I need to get started?"  This blog is a list of basic supplies that knitters use.

I will say that these are the supplies that I use, knitters have their own way of doing things they tend to be creative and good at problem solving.  If you have a favorite tool that is not in this blog please do comment and share with us all.

The first thing a knitter needs to knit a project is a pattern. 

There are pattern books of all kinds available in craft stores, yarn shops and the library.  Knitting magazines are a good source of patterns as well as "how to" articles.  The Internet is loaded with free knitting patterns.  Check out Knitty.com for some free patterns.

When I find my pattern I make a paper copy, so if it is in a book or magazine I will photo copy the pattern allowing me to fold it etc.... this makes my knitting project easily portable.

Once you have a project picked out you will need some yarn.

There are many different types of yarn out there all of which have different properties and will affect the way you project turns out.  I recently read a quote that said "you can not knit a better product than the yarn you are using."  May I steer you away from cheap yarn?  If you are going to spend hours knitting a project spend, the money to have quality yarn I guarantee you will not regret it.  Personally I avoid synthetic fibers such as acrylic and use wool, silk, cotton etc...

You will also need knitting needles.  There are basically three types of knitting needles.

The straight needle

Straight needles come in all sizes, lengths and materials.  The three most common materials that straight needles are made out of are wood, plastic, and metal.  I personally much prefer the wood or  plastic to the metal.  If you look at this picture carefully you can see that both the wood needles on the far left and the plastic needles in the middle are just a bit warped.  This warping is due to the pressure the knitter places on the needle as they knit.  When the needle is flexible it save the knitters wrist from pain and potential carpal tunnel syndrome.  Metal needles have NO give causing my wrist to hurt so I try to avoid using them.

The circular needle

Circular needles come in all diameters and also have different cable lengths.  Circular needles are used to make socks, hats etc.... These needles are also used for projects that have a lot of stitches.

Double point needles

Double point needles come in all diameters and two different lengths.  They are used for knitting up items such as socks, hats, mittens, gloves etc....  Double point needles come in packs of four or five and as with the other needle types double point needles can be wood, plastic or metal with wood and metal being the most common.

A notebook and pencil

It is a good idea to keep a notebook and pencil with your knitting supplies, this will allow you to make notes on your projects that you can look back on for future projects.

So that is the basics, pattern, yarn, needles, and notebook.  Your pattern will tell you the type of yarn used as well as the size of needle needed for your project.

In addition to these basic supplies there are several tools that knitters use.  These supplies can be collected as needed.  It is advisable to wait as you will discover what you like then you can invest in your "tool box" and fill it with all the fun things that YOU like.

Stitch markers

These are used for counting in patterns and marking the beginning of rows when knitting in the round. There are many different kinds of stitch markers out there from the unique crafty to the basic plastic circle.

Row counters

There are several different types and sizes of row counters on the market these are used to keep track of where you are in more complex patterns.

Yarn needles

Yarn needles are used for sewing in your ends when your project is completed.  They also are used to put your project together if it is knitted in pieces.  A needle holder is useful for keeping all of your needles in one place.

Cable needles

Cable needles are used for holding stitches during a cable knitting projects.  I have also used pencils in the past along with just slipping the stitches off and letting them hang out until needed but cable needles are nice to have and prove themselves to be useful.  Cable needles come in differnt diameters as it is important not to stretch or tighten your stitches while they are on the cable needle.

Stitch holders

Stitch holders are used to hold stitches when making a pocket, or finger hole etc..., I have also used scrap yarn, or safety pins as stitch holders.

Crochet hooks

Crochet hooks for knitting?  Yes, they are very useful to pick up a dropped stitch and also are used to help you tuck in your ends on a finished project.  I would pick up a crochet hook with your basic supplies, a medium size one would be suitable for most situations.

Yarn cutters

These two cutters are my favorites as I have successfully taken them on many different flights with no problems, they have never been confiscated, the flight attendants have seen me with them and they have no problems with these cutters.  The red one is called "pup snips" and are relatively new on the market.

Tape measure

Tape measures are used to make sure your pattern is to size.  Tape measures are also used to check your gauge before you begin your knitting project.

Needle gauge

This tool is very useful to check your needle size as a good number of knitter will have a lot of needles, double point needles are not marked with a size so this allows you to know if you needle is a size two or a size three.

Tool kit

There are many different ways to organize your tools, I use this bag to keep things in one place allowing me to quickly grab what I need for a project. 

Smaller "ditty" bags

Not all projects require all tools, these smaller bags are good for keeping just what you need for your current project handy.

Zip lock bag

I use a one gallon or two gallon size zip lock to keep all of my knitting supplies in one spot when traveling, in the bag will be my copied pattern, my yarn with my project, needles  and a small ditty bag with my cutter, tape measure, crochet hook and yarn needles.

A camera is useful.  Do take pictures of all the projects you make, you will be glad you did.

One last tool that I use is Ravelry.  Ravelry is an online tracking web site that allows you to do amazing things with your kitting.  You can keep track of your books, your patterns, your needles, your yarn, your projects etc... Also on Ravelry you can see what your friends are knitting,  find free patterns, read comments about those patterns and see the finished product from people who have made those patterns.  This is a fraction of what is available to you when you open an account, check it out it can be your knitting friend.

A very useful web site for helping you with knitting is knitting help this web site is full of very useful videos that show you how to do it.  They also have an app for the iPhone that is very handy.

Happy knitting!!