Retro Mummy is all about life as a stay at home mummy to 5 little people under the age of 7. A former investment banker my life is now about baking, babies, feeding the family, renovating our very 70's Brady Bunch house and craft. I am obsessed with craft and share my love of knitting, crochet, quilting and sewing with anyone who listens. That's why I blog.
The AWESOME things you can learn to do online. Like this!
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Ever picked up a scarf and wished that you could make it yourself. Eyed off someone else’s creative work but thought that knitting is just too hard for you. Well you can teach yourself to knit from the comfort of home. No, seriously. You can. And it’s never been easier thanks to YouTube.
First of all you are going to need some needles and wool. Keep it simple and go for something chunky. The bigger your needles and wool, the faster your project will go along. Try 5mm needles and 10 ply wool. You will find these supplies at your nearest knitting store, Spotlight, Lincraft, Big W or one of the many local online stores. To find a store just Google ‘Australian knitting stores’ or type your local area into the search. What did we do before the internet?
Now the very first technique you need to master is casting on. This is simply just putting the first stitches onto your needle. Get onto YouTube, type in ‘cast on knitting’ in the search bar and watch all the video suggestions pop up. They go really slowly with the beginner in mind and it’s like you are getting a one on one lesson. You can do it as you watch the video, rewind and watch it again. Here is a nice slow video that I like:
Ok so you’ve learnt how to cast on, now the good news is that there are just 2 basic stitches you’ll want to know – knit and purl. I’ve found these simple and clear videos to help you:
Now the next place you want to visit online is Ravelry, I describe it as a sort of Facebook for knitters. Make your profile page, add your projects, join a forum, find a project, find your nearest knitting store or group, buy patterns and most of all get inspired. It’s a great place to find patterns and get help no matter what skill level you are.
And my favourite patterns for beginners? How about a simple cowl, a very simple scarf, super easy baby blanket and face washers. And if you join up Ravelry check out the mobile phone case, neck warmerand GAP-tastic cowl . And lastly, my favourite place for free patterns and inspiration is purl bee.
Now if you have a knitting question, just ask me! Next week I’ll be back to share how I learnt to crochet online and share a few of my own patterns with you.
