Those of you on my twitter friends list will have seen me bemoaning Nairn’s clear lack of ability but overwhelming interest in learning to knit. Thinking back, I don’t think I was much older than he was when my Nana taught me to knit and I am assured I was not the most calm and settled of children so my Nana must have had the patience of a saint back then. I’m sure he’ll pick it up in time – I may well have a nice little vodka habit by then right enough!
Anyway – a question for the knitters out there. One of my friends (who shall remain nameless until after Christmas!) asked me to recommend a knitting kit for an adult and one for an 8 year old child. I offered to put one together for him but I’m now not sure of the patterns I had in mind to recommend. The adult recipient has learned to knit but that is about the sum total of her skill right now, the child recipient can’t knit at all.
For the adult, I had thought about making up the kit with supplies to enable her to knit Branching Out from Knitty but I’m thinking now that for a beginner that is maybe a little advanced? For the child, I was simply going to make up the kit with instructions for knitting and purling and enough yarn to make a decent length scarf.
What would you suggest? Links to free patterns are especially welcome although I have a few Debbie Bliss books that I’d be happy to send up to the recipient. I’ve been a knitter for so long that I don’t really have the hindsight to see what a good starter pattern would be.
Posted under knitting, recommendations
This post was written by Vonnie on November 12, 2009
Hmm… I am thinking perhaps that is a *little* advanced for a complete beginner.
What about the pattern for easy Mary Jane slippers on Ravelry? I know I started with them and found them easy but also brilliant.
What about the Darkside Cowl? It’s pretty simple, just knitting and purling. Looks nice and uses less than one ball of yarn so a quick knit for a newby knitter.
Or maybe one of Woolly Wormhead’s hat patterns? Again fairly simple and quick to do but looks great when finished
How about a kit to make a Baktus? That way when she’s finished taht you can get her going on socks (which were the 2nd thing I ever knitted!) because she’ll have the right size circular needle!
That’s the scariest picture I’ve seen for weeks.
I can’t help you but now I’m thinking I should treat myself this Christmas and see if you could maybe put a kit together for me? I can’t knit AT ALL though so I’d need some sort of pictogram on how it works.
my first real project was the baktus scarf. pretty simple but gets you increasing and decreasing. I also made mine stripey so there was the fun of changing colour every two rows. http://fancy-elastic.blogspot.com/2009/05/baktus-skarf.html This hand towel was also a good first one with increasing, decreasing, changing colour, stocking and garter stitches, and a buttonhole http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/knitting/knit_a_pretty_vintage_hand_towel.php.
I think Branching Out would be a bit intimidating to a newer knitter (actually it intimidates *me*, lace scares me
). I’d suggest a Baktus too or maybe a cushion cover – something like this: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/handspun-cushion
I can’t knit for toffee, but I absolutly love the title of your post, classic. It will be my new mantra, (with crochet directions instead though!)