Knitting Needles. Wanna teach me about 'em?

[Catcheen]

Kyoko the Red Butterfly

Okay, today I left school early to go to my doctors appointment (I'm not sick, I just have allergies and I managed to get a prescription for Allegra, yay, that is like the only stuff that works on my allergies) and there is a Jo Anns and a Michael's right by my doctors office, so my dad and I went there afterwards. I went to the back of Jo Anns for the 1st time (Don't ask, I've never been to the back of the store, lol) and I saw yarn and stuff. First I noticed a small book that has instructions for beginners and some patterns in it, so I got that, I also got 3 things of yarn. One I believe is that Red Heart yarn. I also got size 8 bamboo needles.

Would a scarf be a good first project?

I think a scarf is a great first project, but a lot of people think it's dull. The reason I think it's great is that you can see your progress.... one end of the scarf will be horrible looking with holes and extra stitches and the tension will be uneven. The other end will be beautiful once you've gotten the hang of it all. To make knitting look good, you need practice, practice, practice. Don't give up just because it looks like poo at first.  

[kochi~mochi]

If you have the patients to finish a scarf on size 8 needles.... it is an easy project. it'll take a while, but you'll get whatever stitches you decide to use drilled into your hea.  

[AriRashkae]

You can also do a "sampler" scarf. Very so often (10-15 rows or so) change your stitches.

Here's a sampler shrug, which is really jsut knit as a large rectangle and seamed along the arms.  

[Hotaru Tobutakai]

AriRashkae has an awesome idea. That way, you can play around with stitches and you can always check out stitch dictionaries at your local library. smile  

[Silver Mist]

Blue-eyes-green

The absolute boredom of knitting 5 feet of garter stich is the reason Harry Potter scarves make a great first project. You get some basic skills like casting on, knitting, etc. with the fun of changing colors every few inches, which is a good way to keep track of how much you've actually done. My first project was a gryffindor scarf knit on size 9 bamboo needles with Lambs Pride wool- and it was so nice I didn't want to branch out into other yarn/needle combinations for about a year after that.
The yarn over dish cloth is also another good first project as it's cool looking, pretty, and fairly simple.

A Ravenclaw scarf is doomed to be my first project. The books come out soon and I want one!!!!!! I started off by doing a few inches of simple garter with size 8's for practice. ext time i see Silvander/Jessie, who is teaching me to knit, I'm oging to undo the basic practice yarn and reuse it to start my RC scarf. ^^  

[Chibi Kiku-chan]

How would I make the 2nd row in well anything (in this case a scarf) lol. ^^; I've been trying to get the 2nd row since Friday and I haven't been able to get it yet. ^^;  

[KotokoPlum]

So you've cast on?

Well, you put the needle with the yarn on it in your left hand and use one of these knitting techniques. I actually have never used continental before (I'm a beginner, too! xD) but you can try both and see which you like.

After you finish each row, just transfer the needle attached to the yarn ball to your left hand and continue. C:  

[AriRashkae]

Another scarf idea is the one I'm working on now. It's fairly simple, really pretty (especially if you use a really yummy yarn) and knits up quickly, especally on large needles.

(FYI, I'm using Moda Dea's Swirl, in color Happy. I'm also using size 15 needles, when the guage on the wrapper suggests 10.5, since I wanted it nice and fluffy.)

Cast on an even number of stitches, at least 12.

Knit the first 4 rows (both sides of your knitting will be bumpy)

Row 5: Knit 3, (yarn over, knit 2 together), repeat the ( ) until there are 3 stitches left, Knit 3

Row 6: Knit across

Row 7: Knit 3 (knit 2 together, yarn over), repeat the ( ) until there are 3 stitches left, Knit 3

Row 8: Knit across

Repeat rows 5-8 until the scarf is as long as you want, or you start to run low on yarn. Make sure you have enough to knit 4 rows, so it mirrors your beginning.

The knit rows and stitches at the edges will help keep the work form curling (a problem with stockinette), and alternating the YO/K2tog order makes a nice staggered pattern.  

[ladyleprechaun13]

My first project was garter-stitch slippers. Much quicker than a scarf. They don't have any shaping, either. You need size 8 needles and worsted yarn. Cast on 28 stitches (more if you have wide feet), knit to the length of your foot, cut the yarn 10 inches from the needles, thread it through a tapestry needle, and slide all the stitichs onto the yarn end, pull tight, and sew up the edge a couple inches - that's the toe. For the heel, you just sew up the cast on edge. You can add any embellishments you want to these.