Yarn: It does matter

I hadn’t been at it that long but I wanted to graduate from knitting simple projects to knitting something larger. I learned by knitting scarves.  Now that I’ve done a dozen of them, I find myself wanting to do a bigger project.  Nothing too complicated but something larger.  How about an afghan?  That might be nice. Not too hard but certainly bigger than a scarf. It’s also something I could make good use of during a cold evening.

 

Ok, I’ll knit an afghan. What do I need to do first?  First I’ll find a pattern for my project.  A friend from my knitting class gave me a pattern she had used.  She knitted an afghan as a birthday present for one of her family members.  My friend also told me she was pleased with how it turned out.

 

The pattern tells me everything I need to know. It tells me the needles I should use.  It tells me what type of yarn to use. The pattern also tells me the amount of yarn I’m going to need. It tells me my afghan project requires 42 ounces of yarn.  So, I need to buy 7 skeins or so of yarn.  Now being frugal, some might to say downright cheap, I shopped for yarn to fit the budget I set.  I found yarn at a wide variety of prices. Thinking cheap yarn would work as well as more expensive yarn, I chose for the lower priced stuff.

 

I finished the afghan. It looked great. The first time I used the afghan it seemed ok but I wasn’t totally satisfied with was how it felt.  It wasn’t as soft as I thought it should be.  I quickly realized that was due to the less expensive yarn I used. Knitting is very rewarding but it can be an expensive hobby. Remember, what you knit will only be as nice as the yarn you use. Don’t skimp on what’s important.  Yarn is a critical component of any knitting project.

 

Are you a beginner?

If you’re a beginner you’ve come to the right place. Is casting on still a challenge for you?  Do you know a knit from a purl? Have you figured out how to ball your yarn or what the best yarn is to use for your project?  Let the experienced knitters on this site help you.  Help with knitting advice, tips and general guidance and some basic direction.

If you’re a beginner we want to hear from you. Tell us what challenges you.  We collectively will help you develop you knitting skill.  We’ve included a few videos that we believe offer good insight to basic knitting techniques. Naughty Knitterz  is here to enable collaboration and to help you master the craft of knitting.

One thing…remember try not to get frustrated and Knit Happy!

Calling all veterans!

We’re looking for talented happy knitters willing to share their knowledge and experiences.  Do you knit happy?  What know-how can you contribute that would help others no matter their skill level. Got any special tips and tricks you can offer this knitting circle?

Do you have a good source for patterns? There are many free patterns available but are they worth using for your project?  Do you know about yarn?  Where do you get your yarn? What yarn do you recommend and for which projects? What needles do you prefer and why? 

Have you mastered techniques like large or even small diameter circular knitting? Have you mastered different decorative stitches? Share your knowledge.

Knit Happy!