Hi! Newby on lookout for tricks and inspiration

Hi, Im new on the site, which I find quite confusing, but Im hoping to get the hang of it.
Im an advanced beginner at crochet, I mainly do small plushies and easy garments as totes and tops... Im also trying to learn to knit, as Id like to make a sweater for the cold season!Crocheters, what is the project you are most proud of?
Knitters, any tips for an absolute beginner? Id love to learn!

MalusSomn

Crochet-er here! I think the project Im the most proud of is a tote bag i made a while back! It wasnt super  detailed or hard to do but Im still super proud of it ^^

Restlesserin

Oh that’s a fun trick!
I make knots in my yarn tail - as many knots as a size it is

Picxie

I just thought of a simple tip, something I’ve been doing for many years. Often people say they cannot remember what size hook or needles they used for a project, when they go back to it later on. I use stitch markers in the same colour as my hook is, for knitting needles, I choose the same colour as I would for the corresponding crochet hook, so a 2mm hook is yellow, I’ll use yellow for my 2mm needles

Everia

                               
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tooty

                               
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2024-4-21 12:34
Hi! I knit and crochet, too! I learned to crochet when I was a kid and have taught myself to knit a  ...

Hi! I really like your mindset of enjoying the whole process, I too believe those craft (as many) are really a work of love and patience. Thanks for the advice, babys garments are definitely less scary to start with! :)

Picxie

Hi and welcome! I was lucky in that my grandmother taught me to knit and crochet when I was a toddler, so it would be really hard for me to pick one thing.. As for knitting, have you had a look at the YouTube channel? I must admit, I have not specifically looked for beginner knitting, but there are some pretty awesome crochet projects on there.

I would say, start with something easy for your first few knitting projects, trial and error will be your friends but you will soon get the hang of it.

Everia

                               
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Picxie

                               
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2024-4-20 00:12
Hi and welcome! I was lucky in that my grandmother taught me to knit and crochet when I was a toddle ...

Hi, thank you for the suggestions and your insight! My main concern is that I tend to "lose" stitches and dont know how to pick them back up, or "read the weave" (I mean as noticing skipped stitches or/and uneven tension, if that makes any sense), which I think is easier with crochet.. I plan on working on a scarf, with a basic stockinette stitch, I hope to get better as I go.

BluBrd

Hi! A scarf is definitely a good way to start, as it is easy to "read".
Keep the fancy stuff for later and work on achieving consistent tension. Tension is key in knitting.

Also, if you want to experiment with various stitches, you may try knitting 10x10 cm samples of each stitch you want to try your hand at, and use those later on to make a blanket by joining them all together.
Ive found this to a be a useful way to not waste my swatches.

Have a nice time around!

tooty

Hi! I knit and crochet, too! I learned to crochet when I was a kid and have taught myself to knit a few years ago. My Best tip for both crafts is to make things that you enjoy and that you want to own. Its very motivating and inspiring to work towards a plushie or garment that you really want to have. Or perhaps a certain stitch pattern looks very fun and interesting and you will be motivated by the process of making that stitch pattern! My Best tip for knitting a sweater is to start with a baby or child sweater! You will learn all the techniques of an adult sized sweater, but it will be finished much faster and you will gain confidence. You can even make a sweater for a teddy bear if you dont have a child in your life to knit for. Best of luck! I hope you enjoy knitting and crocheting for many years to come!

lyledylandy

Hi! I highly recommend checking out the NimbleNeedles channel on youtube, a lot of his videos are about tips and tricks to help with all sorts of knitting techniques and I find his videos very beginner friendly. Sheep and Stitch is also a really good beginner friendly knitting channel.

Everia

                               
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BluBrd

                               
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2024-4-20 01:13
Hi! A scarf is definitely a good way to start, as it is easy to "read".
Keep the fancy stuff for la ...

Hi :) Thank you for your suggestions!
The idea of the blanket made of the tester squares is really cute and Ill definitely give it a try!

Everia

                               
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lyledylandy

                               
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2024-4-21 13:14
Hi! I highly recommend checking out the NimbleNeedles channel on youtube, a lot of his videos are ab ...

Hello! Ill look them up, thank you for your advice!

MissPriss

For a sweater recommendation for a new knitter, I think the Felix pullover (and I assume the cardigan version, as well) would be a great choice. Lots of projects for it on ravelry, so lots of notes you can read and see what other people found helpful. The only "tricky" thing about that sweater is that it uses shortrow shaping, but you can find many helpful videos about techniques on youtube. It uses large needles (size 10 for main parts of sweater and size 8 for ribbing) and heavier weight yarn, so it is a relatively quick sweater and it wont be as painful for a new knitter to have to rip back to fix mistakes. If you make one and it turns out ugly, it has a very generous fit (recommended to go with 2-8" of positive ease, with the modeled sweater having 7" of positive ease) and makes the perfect "hang around at home" sweater. Another option is the Flax sweater from tincanknits, its a very popular beginner sweater pattern and does not have any short row shaping.