Hi! If you have seen my first blog post, you might have been totally excited about the pattern, or it may have just not been for you, or you might not know how to crochet or knit but you really want to make it. If you have not seen my first blog post, let me explain. Over the winter break, (it is the last day of winter break at the time I am writing it now), I created this website and also created my first blog post, which was a free Tunisian Crochet pattern, called the Tunisian Crochet basketweave basket.
Now, one of the things I talk about here at Firestar Creations is crocheting, but you don’t need to be that interested in crochet in order to be interested in this website, because I am planning to talk about other things, even though I haven’t yet, but there is plenty of time because this is my second blog post. But, there is a chance you saw this pattern and really want to make it but you don’t know how to crochet or knit and don’t know how to start. I would not recommend this as your first project. But it is a level easy! I know. But the levels I give to my patterns and see most often in other patterns is Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, and Advanced. So easy is level 2, not level 1. Also, even a pattern that I would say was a Beginner pattern doesn’t mean it should be your first project.
So, how should you begin crochet and knitting? First of all, if you are planning to learn both, learn 1 of the crafts, then the other 1, and then choose an appropriate pattern of either of the 2 crafts. You might be wondering, which craft should I learn first? Which one is easier? Well, it depends on you personally, but generally crochet is easier because it uses one hook instead of 2 needles. But knitting might be easier for you because all you have to know at the beginning is knits and purls. So you should learn crochet first. One very important thing. Yes, tapestry crochet is easy, so is lace, or cables, but it’s not about learning the easy things first. It is about learning the basics.
So, how should you get started on crochet? I recommend getting plenty of crochet books about the basics. First of all, you should learn to make a slipknot, then a yarn over, then a chain, and make shoelaces with it. I got this idea from one of the books. In the books, it called to finger crochet a chain, but it is basically the same thing to do it with regular crochet. I am not saying that there is anything wrong about finger crochet, I just think you should learn the basics first. Then, create swatches of single crochet, double crochet, and treble crochet. I am using US terminology. Yes, there is US terminology, and UK terminology. With knitting, there is no difference, but with crochet, there is a difference. If the conversion chart is not in the book and is not mentioned in the book, you can look up online. After that, create a swatch of a granny square.
If a granny square is not mentioned in the book, again you can look up online. You might be thinking, but these swatches are useless! You can use these swatches as coasters or dishcloths or washcloths. With all of them, you should block it. What do you mean by “you should block it”? Blocking is a process that takes your crocheting and knitting up to the next level. Sometimes blocking requires stretching it and pinning it out, but not always! After that, learn to read a pattern and make a basic pattern. An ideal project should be rectangle or square or made out of squares or rectangles or both. It should also be a basic stitch. It should also be not too large, unless it is one of the chunky blanket patterns. It should also be a project where gauge isn’t too important. What is gauge? Gauge is the number of stitches per 4 inches. It’s important because it makes sure whatever you are making is the right size, and it is the right tension. It is done in 4 inches instead of 1 inch to get a more accurate gauge.
So how should you get started on knitting? Start off by learning how to cast on, knit, and bind off. You can make a coaster with that. You can learn this by Youtube, or other people’s blogs. I might sometime in the future go back to the basics and share that with you, but there are plenty of other resources right now. When I say cast on, learn to do the long tail cast on, and when I say bind off, learn to do the basic bind off. Don’t learn any COs ( cast on ) or BOs ( bind off) that aren’t basic yet. Then learn to do the purl stitches, and make a dishcloth. Learn to block, which I mentioned in the crochet section, because it is important in both crochet AND knitting. Then, follow a basic pattern, following the same thing as I said above in learning to crochet. That’s how to learn knitting and crochet! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to chat me in this blog post. Happy knitting and crocheting!