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Knitting for Knit Wits

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What's a Knit Wit?

It is someone who loves to knit, of course!  I've been knitting since I was 13 years old.  I started with two old watercolor paint brushes and some scrap yarn, and followed the pictures in a How-To-Knit book I got from the school library. 

My aunt, who knew how to knit, and worked in a craft store for awhile, took pity on me, showed me a few tips, and sent home a gift package of basic supplies and patterns.  I still have them all and use them regularly in my daily knitting!

I have an online business selling handmade doll clothes and handmade bear clothes that I knit on a made-to-order basis - which keeps me very busy from Labor Day up until Christmas, which is my busy season.  The majority of my sweaters are created using Intarsia Knitting, which is a special form of knitting with multiple colors at the same time.  I have created a lens where you can get more information about Instarsia Knitting.

Over the years I've made sweaters, sweater vests, afghans, gloves, hats, and slippers.   I get the most pleasure from doing my doll and bear sweaters, with over 50 different picture designs, I get the most wonderful compliments from my satisfied buyers.   Please come visit my store and see what I can do.

You can learn more about Knitting Essentials by purchasing tutorials like this one.

What do you need to start knitting?

There are just a few basic tools you'll need.

There are great Knitting for Dummies type kits that you can buy at craft stores that will provide you the basic tools to start learning, and then once you have the basics down, you can knit almost anything!

These are the basic supplies you'll need to knit.
  1. Knitting Needles: These come in different sizes which are used for different kinds of projects or working with different sizes of yarn. The size refers to the thickness of the needle, and the larger the number, the larger around the needle is (i.e. a Size 15 needle is much thicker than a size 2 needle). They also come in different lengths, which may be useful for larger vs smaller projects. They also can be made of different kinds of materials like metal, plastic, wood, or bamboo. Finally, there are circular needles which let you knit in the round (or knitting a cylinder without having to sew a seam). The same effect can be done with double pointed needles.
  2. Yarn: Yarn also comes in various sizes from very thin to very bulky. For my handmade doll clothes and handmade bear clothes I tend to use Red Heart worsted weight. If you're using different brands, you'll want to watch to make sure the yarn you get for your project all has the same dye lot. This ensures the colors are EXACTLY the same. Different dye lots of the same color can have slight variations in depth of color, which can be seen when yarn from different dye lots are used on the same project. The Red Heart yarn is 100% acryllic and non-allergenic.

    Red Heart Classic Yarn

  3. Patterns: There are pattern books for almost any kind of garment or item you'd like to knit. The pattern will tell you what size needles and what kind of yarn to use to make the item.
  4. The Extras: There are multiple other tools that you may use such as stitch holders, cable needles, stitch counters, and others that can help you with more advanced projects.
  5. There are many retail outlets and online sources to find all of the above products. One that you can check out is Joann.com, where they carry a wide variety of crafting supplies for many different kinds of crafting, including knitting. You can visit their website by clicking one of the logos below, and check out their current promotions and sale items:Free shipping at Joann.com! Code: JANFSA835

    Crafts & Supplies at joann.com!

So what is knitting?

How does it work?

Essentially knitting is actually just TWO kinds of stitches - a Knit or a Purl. It is different combinations of knits and purls that make up the wide variety of stitch designs available. For example, if you knit every stitch in every row, you'd be doing a garter stitch. If you knit the right side row, and purled the wrong side wrong, you'd be doing the stockinette stitch. But it all comes down to just 2 stitches!

I knit using the Continental method of knitting, meaning I move the stitches from my left hand needle to my right needle as I work.

When doing a knit stitch, I insert my right hand needle into the first stitch on the left hand needle from the front to the back, wrap the yarn around the right hand needle, and pull it back through, moving the stitch to the right hand needle.

When doing a purl stitch, I insert my right hand needle into the first stitch on the left hand needle from the back to the front, wrap the yarn around the right hand needle, and pull it back through, moving the stitch to the right hand needle.

When finished, you would bind off, which is a process of removing the stitches from the needles and sealing it so your work doesn't unravel.

You can pick up some great knitting supplies & equipment once you get started

Alice in Stitches has a lot of great equipment for any knitter!
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Check out these books available on Amazon about Knitting

Books about knitting are a great way to learn!

I started knitting using a book from the library, but Amazon has lots of great how-to books on knitting that can help you out.
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Additional supplies is available on eBay for knitters

Whether is supplies, patterns, or finished goods, eBay is a great place to shop!

I have often bought replacement needles, or specialty yarns on eBay. Its another marketplace that you might find good resources that are cheaper than Amazon. Yarn lots are especially good!
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YouTube videos about knitting

YouTube really does have something on any subject

Check out some of these that I found - its easier to see how to knit when you see it being done, and with You Tube, you can see that!!
How to Knit - The Basics
by cyberseams | video info

4,929 ratings | 3,276,739 views
automatically generated by YouTube

Links to other websites about knitting

I'll get it started - add more if you know of them!

Hopefully this will be an even better resource for learning how to knit - there are lots of GREAT websites out there you can use instead of buying a book. Its also a great resource for free patterns!

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Knittwit's Wooly Thinking

One woman's blog about her knitting adventures1 point

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Build an Online Business

Free Internet Marketing Ebook Library - Instant Do more...1 point

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Knitting page at About.com

Have you always wanted to learn to knit but you th more...0 points

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KnittingHelp.com : Learn to Knit - Free online Knitting Videos and Forum

Free online knitting videos and forum! Knitting in more...0 points

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Knitting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikipedia's article about knitting0 points

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Zaadlozing

- vroegtijdige zaadlozing is nu verleden tijd0 points

Another kind of Knitwit that doesn't actually involve traditional knitting

You probably remember the commericals on TV for the Knitwit that let you make afghans and other things without knowing how to knit or crochet. I had forgotten they were called Knitwits until after I built my lens.

In case you found this lens while looking for information on those tools, here is the Knitwit website.

Please leave a note when you visit...

Would you like to become a knit wit too? Find the supplies you need at Joann.com. You can visit their website by clicking one of the logos below, and check out their current promotions and sale items:Free shipping at Joann.com! Code: JANFSA835

Crafts & Supplies at joann.com!

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katiyana

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