Five Things I Wish I’d Had When I Started Knitting
If you’ve read anything about my story you know that randomly one weekend in June I found myself in the Michael’s yarn aisle trying to figure out what I would need for my first attempt at knitting. As time has gone on and my skills have improved, there are five tools and supports that I wish I had when I started. I want to share them here for you, with the hope that your knitting journey might be a bit smoother.
(I only share things I genuinely use and love. Some links below are affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases with no extra cost to you.)
Patty Lyons’ Knitting Bag of Tricks
There really is no other knitting book quite like Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks — not only does she write in a voice that is approachable and funny, she expertly brings you into the ground level of knitting and slowly builds your understanding and knowledge outward. I had been knitting for over a year before I picked up this book and the first few pages on the simple knit and purl stitches held enough new information for me that it blew my mind. Had I picked up this book earlier on in my journey I would not have made so many accessories, socks, and sweaters that ultimately didn’t fit and never got worn. The section on gauge swatching will single-handedly convince you to gauge swatch every project because she clearly explains the why and the how (spoiler alert: gauge swatching is way more than just knitting a square).
2. Good quality interchangeable needles
As my dad always says “Cheap is expensive and expensive is cheap, Mal!” and this could not be more true for knitting needles. I started with cheap bamboo straight needles and really terrible bamboo and plastic circulars and wish I had just bought the nice needles from the jump (as soon as I knew knitting was staying in my life forever). I spent probably close to what a good set of needles cost just trying to buy all the different sizes, and then different styles (straight vs. circular vs. dpn) and then the different materials. I chose to go with the Chiaogoo Twist Red Lace 5-inch and I’ve now also purchased the Chiaogoo Spin Bamboo 4-inch as well as two of the Twist Red Lace shorties (amazzzingg for sleeves). Listen, love them or hate them Chiaogoo needles are so sturdy, clean, tight and have never given me any trouble. I wish I would have just bought them in the beginning and reduced my over-consumption and waste from all the cheap needles! I use the interchangables for flat and circular knitting, and only need extra DPNs for smaller circumferences.
3. Stitch markers that don’t snag
I found out pretty quickly that cheap stitch markers would snag my work almost constantly, and if they weren’t snagging my work they were stretching out the stitches around the marker because they were only one size or I fell for super cute and yet super bulky stitch markers OR there just wasn’t enough of them to last a whole yoke when tracking increases or marking off sleeves. These Small Flower Stitch Markers from a small business on Etsy are some of my FAVORITE stitch markers that I wish I had just bought from the jump because they are smooth, do not snag, are still cute and have plenty of each color to be actually useful.
photo from allstitchstudio
4. Elbow support
This sounds like a joke but believe me if you’ve just caught the knitting bug and realized it makes your soul sing, all you’re going to want to do is knit. Unfortunately, this means all those tiny muscles in your hands, forearms, shoulder and neck are going to be worked in ways they might not have been before. I wasn’t paying any attention to my posture at all and about ten months in developed tennis elbow which required me to scale back knitting for a few weeks. That was torture! I highly recommend finding extra pillows around your house to prop under both elbows to keep them supported before any injury occurs. They do sell lap pillows for this purpose, but honestly whatever you have at home will totally work! If you feel like you need to buy one, I’ve heard good things about this crescent shaped gaming pillow or this elbow wedge pillow might also work!
5. A Knit Night Group
When I started knitting I luckily had two friend who were also knitters, but life and jobs and schedules didn’t always allow for us to knit together. I really wanted a place I could go after work once a month or so to meet new people, ask questions, get inspiration and get help if I was stuck on something. There are so many early projects I can think of that would have really benefited from some support from other knitters if I’m being honest! Eventually, I created my own knit night to fill this gap and you are welcome to join us if you’re in the Kitsap County area! We meet every second Wednesday of the month at The Tipsy Blackbird Wine Bar (formerly Grumble & Wine) in downtown Bremerton WA. I hope to see you there!
All in all, you don’t need all of these at once—but having even one can make knitting feel more approachable. Knitting ultimately should be fun and accessible, and there are many ways to reduce your cost while still supporting your learning and experience. Check out my upcoming post on how to source good yarn inexpensively!
As always, you can find more of my content in all the normal places: tiktok | instagram | ravelry | youtube | BlueSky | & you can contact me through email at hello@thenovelstitch.com