Nancy Boulard - Knitting Patterns for Beginners: The Ultimate Book With 40 Gorgeous Knitting Projects With Pictures and Illustrations to Learn How to Knit Quickly from Zero

The sensation of starting and completing a knitting project is oddly satisfying, like yogas magical healing prowess, or the calming effect of meditation. At home, most people do it because they love it because it brings them joy to be able to gift that hand-knitted sweater to the nephew who has an upcoming birthday, or send that blanket to the daughter who is holed up at the university abroad. But there is much more to knitting than just bringing a warm smile to your face. Research has shown that the activity may help you deal with stress and anxiety, thanks mainly to its calming nature, which can be really helpful for people struggling with obsessive thoughts or preoccupations. The benefits are even more when you do it as a group, whether it is a local club or an online community. The best thing about knitting in a social setting is that it provides an opportunity to give back, and this can have a significant impact on your mental wellbeing.

Knitting for charity, for instance, may help alleviate feelings of loneliness and depression. Indeed, it feels good to be able to create a new hat or scarf from scratch and share it with the community, all while relaxing at the comfort of your living room or in the company of your friends. You dont even have to do it in one place, like the monotonous office job you can take it anywhere! You can take it with you on vacation and knit away the hours when you have a bad case of insomnia after a busy day at the beach. You can carry it around and incorporate it into your lifestyle for instant stress relief wherever you may be. Younger generations are turning to it because it is unique and has a wide range of creative possibilities. Using different patterns and stitches, you can create something new and chic and add your own personal touches to make your items stand out; something that you can bet your bottom dollar you wont find at your local department store.

Besides, who needs a corporate to make them a quality shawl when you can just make it yourself? Not only is it cheaper, but it also ensures that the money you spend your money on will last for a very long time. This is especially true now when more and more people are turning away from large companies and mass-produced goods and instead opting to use their own creativity to make their own commodities. What was at one point considered drab and old-fashioned, an activity for middle-aged women on which to pass their time, has resurfaced with dogged ferocity, sweeping over both young and old generations like a violent tsunami. It is, indeed, a great comeback in the craft of knitting. And this book is about to introduce you to knitting and hold you by the hand until you are able to make your very own creative knitted pieces! The fact that you are reading this is evidence that you are already sold to the idea of knitting and want to get started right away! Perhaps you are wondering....Where do I even begin?What do I need to start?How do I understand the knitting lingo?How do I make my very first knitted pieces as a complete beginner? The answers to all these and many other related questions on knitting will be tactfully addressed in this book so keep reading! Lets begin!

The book uses an apprenticeship-like approach by focusing on the most important parts and avoiding anything that you will really not find useful in actually making your first knitted pieces. Yarn is basically the material you will be using in your knitting projects. Yarn is basically the material you will be using in your knitting projects.

It is a textile comprised of interlocked fibers (known as plies) that are wound together to make thicker strands. The fibers can be derived from either animals (e.g., sheeps wool, angora, or mohair) or plants (e.g. silk, hemp, or cotton). The type of yarn you need for your project will depend on the number of plies used in the textile, which leads to the following weight categories:

• Lace (Approximately 1 ply) This yarn is extremely light and is commonly used to make cute lace designs. You need to handle it delicately to avoid breakage or tangling.
  
• Super Fine, Fine, and Light (Approximately 2-5 ply) This weight category will provide great stitch definition in your hats, scarves, sweaters, and mittens.
  
• Bulky and Super Bulky (Approximately 12-14 ply) Use this yarn when you need to work on a big project (such as a blanket, throw, chunky scarf, etc.) quickly and efficiently. For optimal loft, knit using loose, large stitches.
  

Knitting needles can be grouped into five main categories: Straight needles These are the most common types of needles and are probably what comes to mind when you think about knitting needles.

Straight needles come in pairs, with each needle featuring a stopper or knob at one end and a point at the other. They are simple and easy to use and are the most recommended for beginners. Most straight needles are 9-14 inches long, but there are shorter and longer ones in the market too. They are usually made with steel, aluminum, wood, bamboo, and even plastic. You will find that some types of yarn stitch better with needles created with certain materials, so feel free to experiment with different types if you feel that your yarn is not sliding smoothly along the needles.

Circular needles These needles are designed for large projects that you knit in the round.

Circular needles These needles are designed for large projects that you knit in the round.

They are usually joined by a flexible cord that makes them look like one long needle, although there are fixed circular needles that are permanently connected at the cord and the ends. Circular needles are typically 16-48 inches long, but, like with straight needles, you can find shorter or longer ones in the market. Similarly, wood, bamboo, plastic, aluminum, and steel are the most commonly used materials. For the cord, manufacturers normally use coated steel or nylon. Note that some circular needles have a memory or tend to hold their shape, which can make them difficult to control. As such, be sure to look for memory-free needles when shopping for your tools.

Use circular needles for items that are knitted in the round, for example, socks, cowls, hats, and sweaters.
Interchangeable needles These needles solve the issue of versatility that is limited in circular needles, all while offering the same flexibility in different sizes. They come with a flexible cord and a firm tip, just like their cousins, the circular needles, but you can adjust the cord lengths and needle sizes by separating the pieces. You can also use them as straight needles by connecting the needles to the cords, then attaching caps at the ends. Interchangeable needles are sold both as individual pieces as well as in sets.