​I often marvel at how we ever learnt things before the internet - social media, blogs and YouTube mean that we have a world of tutorials, problem solving resources and advice right on hand.

​​As we all know, sometimes too much choice can be a frustrating thing. There can be too many guides, videos, too much advice. 

Since beginning my knitting journey, I’ve been leaning lots on these resources for guidance, help and inspiration. I’d recommend anyone else starting out does the same and starts a bookmark folder, or playlists of your favourites so that you’re not wasting precious knitting time and energy trying to find that one good video about casting-on that you saw last week. 

Whilst there are so many beautiful, inspiring sites out there - many aren’t suitable for beginner knitters - and whilst I know we are the minority, and soon the entire knitting world will open up to us in time,  it still doesn’t mean that I don’t want to feel cool and have a nice, friendly, place to go to learn. 
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Here’s an overview of where I’ve been heading to research resources and projects - what I love, and have proved genuinely helpful, and hopefully will for you you too:

RAVELRY

Before I even picked up my first needles, I had multiple people describe Ravelry to me as the Facebook of knitting and where I’d find everything I ever needed, and where I had to go. It’s the epicentre of knitting resources with squillion and billions and millions of patterns, forums, blogs and communities to join in on and consume. Ravelry is vast and intimidating - like it’s own internet super-system.
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This may be an unpopular opinion, but at this stage of my knitting journey,  I don’t love Ravelry or find it all that helpful. To the beginner, its interface is awkward and hard to navigate, and whilst I’m sure there’s plenty of resources on there for the beginner, it’s really hard to find anything helpful, as there's simply so much. 

​Instead, may I suggest you visit: 
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SHEEP AND STITCH
I LOVE love Sheep and Stitch. Their website is clear, user friendly, very much set up for beginners, warm and informative without being daunting. They have everything you need to get started and complete your first projects, and unlike a lot of videos out there showing you technique or problem solving - their videos are made and shot to be as beginner friendly as possible. I’m talking close ups on big needles, chunky yarn and the action is repeated lots of time, explained move by move so that you have lots of chances to follow along and understand before the video ends. 

You can visit Sheep and Stitch’s website, follow them on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube video which are a godsend when you need a reminder or lesson.

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​INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS AND HASHTAGS
If you head onto Instagram, hashtags are a great way to discover beginner knitting resources, projects and motivational videos that might help you discover great makers and accounts to follow for ongoing inspiration. 

I’d recommend looking up some accounts and popular knitting hashtags and giving them a follow. 

Try looking for things like #beginnerknitter #newknitter #knittingtutorial #knittinginspiration and have fun exploring from there! The same can be done on Pinterest, though I find it a little too easy to get swept up in aspirational projects than problem-solve my current situation.

TIKTOK
Finally, though I’ll admit I’m not a fully fledged TikTok user, it sure is fun to scroll and look up areas of interest and find fun distractions and cute, well edited videos...like this life-size Shrek project, for instance! 

Have you got a website, YouTube channel or social media account that you love to follow and would be helpful for a beginner? Let me know in the comments as I’d love to check them out and add them to my bookmarked favourites.

​- Lou x

Kia ora friends, welcome back to Never Been Knit - your newbie knitting space at Outlaw Yarn HQ! 

Today we reach the milestone of learning the long-tail cast on. 

It's an important step because one cannot knit without first casting on - so I was very excited and rearing to go...

​...but be honest, at first, my attempts were less Casting On and more Cast Away.

​

Allow me to hand you over to the power of video where I will share with you my casting on adventures.

Remember. Be patient! If you don't get the hang of it right away, keep trying. You will get there!

Despite my failed attempts, I did get there with perseverance, and you will too. 

​​Happy casting on!

Lou 
x

WHAT DO I HONESTLY ACTUALLY REALLY NEED TO BEGIN KNITTING...

• Needles
• Yarn

​That’s it! Pretty simple, huh? Not really much excuse to not start knitting. In fact, I bet you could pop down to your local op shop and pick up both for a coupe of bucks and be ready to go. 

However not all tools are created equal and to get started on the best foot possible I’m a big believer that you should invest the best equipment that your budget will allow. Higher quality materials will be easier to use, deliver more consistent results, and overall make for a nicer learning experience. 

Picking up a new craft is bloody hard work! Your first attempts are not going to be perfect, so you are better start off with the best gear that you can so that you have the best chance possible of allowing your technique to improve, and lets you focus on the act of doing without being hindered by crappy equipment that lets you down, breaks, and make things twice as awkward. 
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What I’m saying is that you are better than substandard, baby. You deserve the best! 

THESE AREN’T YOU GRANDMA'S KNITTING NEEDLES…

The biggest BOMBSHELL moment on my knitting journey to date was when Ethan said ‘I’ll get you some needles’ and proceeded to hand me some rather beautiful, but short, little rainbow sticks that looked like very expensive pens.

This was not what I had envisioned! I grew up with knitting needles being long, spear-like, plastic things that could be used as a murder weapon if needed. 

Not any more! These days many are knitting with interchangeable cable needles - shorter instruments made from wood or metal, with a metallic end that screws into a cable that joins the needles together. 

Think of them like a ‘needle-lite’ in that you keep only the front 50% of your traditional needle - the ‘active’ portion where you make your stitches and movements. The balance of the work is taken over by a cable that holds your work for you. No doubt we'll have heaps more to learn about these cables in the future, but for now we're just concerning ourselves with these beginning steps. 

However I love it when even things as traditional as knitting still find ways to make space for new design and innovation - I think it’s a lesson to us all that none of us are beyond evolution.

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​SIZE MATTERS...
​
A 4mm needle (with cable) is ample for us beginners and will get us on our merry way. When I asked Ethan why he set me up with the ones he did, he said that 4mm is a nice size to learn on, they can be maneuvered easily, and we can start a whole load of projects on this size.

The beautiful Knit Pro Symfonie needles that Outlaw supplied me with are made from laminate birch and  feel really nice on my fingers. Warm, soft, light, but with enough substance behind them to let you be as heavy handed and awkward as you need whilst you get to grips with the basics. 

WHAT ABOUT YARN...
​
To begin with we’re only going to be mucking about, getting a basic feel for the yarn and handling needles. Things like making knots, casting on, and a knit stitch. It’s all gonna end up as a glorious mess at times so this isn’t the time to be spending up large amounts of hard earned cash on your dream yarn. You don’t want to be getting stressed out if you mess things up and have to cut a load of yarn loose and start over. 

Remember, we’re creating a nurturing, positive, creative space, with space to grow and permission to fail!

Having said that, I come back to my original point of you deserving something that’s of nice quality. Something 100% natural that won’t agitate your fingers or feel icky, but still robust enough to withstand numerous attempts at things, and won't tangle up as soon as you touch it. 

Yarn comes in many weights and types. Different countries call weights different things. Don’t get caught up in them all right now. To begin you’ll be wanting a ‘DK’ weight- which stands for Double Knit - or 8 ply yarn. 

Bandit yarn, from Outlaw, is perfect for beginners - 100% wool, DK, and lovely bold colours. It also has a sassy cat on the label which makes it a winner in my books. That's what I'll be starting with. 
​

​HANG ON, WHAT ARE THOSE TWISTY WADS OF YARN OVER THERE? THEY LOOK FUN...

Stop right there, pal!

When you go to buy your tools, you might notice that there’s different shapes and sizes of yarn packaging. There’s your traditional Ball o' Wool - ones like we imagine cats playing with. 

There are also things called skeins, which I can best describe as looking like those twisted donuts you can sometimes get. They look delicious and oh sooooo appealing! You're going to want a skein, cos I did! 

Skeins are their whole thing, and have many advantages for the seasoned knitter...but that’s not for us right now.

Ignore the skeins and just grab a ball of yarn. We’ll get into the what, why and how of skeins another day, but for now we must KEEP IT SIMPLE. 

NOW GO AND BEFRIEND YOUR LOCAL YARN STORE...

My final piece of advice is to go to your local yarn/ knitting store and ask for assistance. Independent retailers like Outlaw Yarn live for yarn crafts, it’s why they exist, they are your local friendly experts, and would love nothing more than to get you set up on your new knitting journey. 

They’ll probably also be able to give you some resources and pointers on how to get started, or show you the basics. They might even have a beginners knitting group, or upcoming workshops, that you can attend. 
​
This is the power and joy of local retailers - they care and so often the business is as much about community than it is about selling you gimmicky shit that you don’t need. 

​If you’re in Christchurch, pop into Outlaw Yarn and say that I sent you! Ethan and the team are the loveliest and would love to meet you. Who knows, we may even cross paths one day, in the New Year I hope to make it to some of the fabulous workshops and classes that Outlaw HQ host. 

Happy getting! See you in the next post where we’re going to cast on our first stitches...eek! 

Lou 
xox

Kia ora!

My name is Lou and I’m a total knitting virgin.

Never Been Knit is my new blog in which I share with you my journey of being  a complete and utter rookie in the vast,  wonderful and - lets be honest - slightly intimidating, world of knitting and yarn crafts.​

​If you’re reading this, then it’s possible that you are that newbie too, looking to pick up a new pastime, and wondering where the heck to start.  If so, then hi! You are no longer alone on your journey! Perhaps you too are starting out and are looking for a friendly place to share the struggles and joys, or maybe you’re on the fence and I might be able to tempt you to join me on this journey - either way - you’re in the right place.
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If you’re an experienced knitter then also hello! You are welcome to sit back, read, and enjoy that feeling of quiet satisfaction as my misadventures serve to highlight how much you know and allow yourself to feel grateful that you don’t ever have to learn all over again!
 
But back to me - today’s rookie. I’m here to lay my cards on the table that I don’t know shit about knitting. Oh but I wanna!