Knitting: isn’t that a bit… dull? I (Bente) always thought so. Whenever I was in a wool store, I would walk around it aimlessly in circles, and besides, it just seemed too difficult for me. But now… now I have a completely different outlook on it, and you could say that I’ve become a true knitting fan.
They’d been sitting there, ready and waiting for me, on the corner of the kitchen table for a week. The chunky wool from We Are Knitters, a pair of knitting needles and the pattern for making my first project ever, a scarf. But before I could get started with it, I had to master the knitting first. Help! I mean: How do you do that if your grandmother lives on the other side of the country and there’s no one in your nearby network of friends, family, neighbors or colleagues who knows anything about it?
After an online search, I quickly discovered that I don’t need to depend on my grandmother to know exactly what those knitting needles do. The We Are Knitters website is full of instructional videos. ‘Knitters and crocheters. We’ve got you covered’: this comforting line heads up the delightful list of tutorials. Not only did I find the basic techniques, but also various easy and slightly more difficult stitches. At first, I was a little skeptical. I couldn’t imagine that, just by watching some videos, I’d be able to churn out a complete scarf with my own hands. But I gave it a go.
A few hours, some videos and a bit of fumbling with needles later, I mastered it—amazingly enough. With a euphoric feeling, I made some test pieces and the following day I got to grips with the scarf pattern. So if you think that learning to knit is difficult, take my advice: give it a weekend and you’ll be controlling those needles and the wool like a grand master.
Together with We Are Knitters, we’re sharing three knitting and crochet patterns over three weeks; patterns that are not too difficult and are especially fun to make. The first pattern (last week) was for how to knit your own blanket. This week, we show you how to knit your own beanie.
You will need:
- 1 skein of wool (100g). (The pattern uses wool from The Petite Wool, but you can also get wool in another (online) knitting store.)
- Knitting needles, size: 8 mm / UK 0 / US 11
- A knitter’s sewing needle to finish and connect your pieces
The following techniques are used:
- Cast on stitch
- 1 × 1 rib stitch
- Stockinette stitch
- 2-stitch right cross*
- 2-stitch left cross*
- Finish a beanie
- Weave in ends
- These techniques are explained in the pattern introduction.
This is how to knit your beanie:
The pattern (pdf) explains clearly how to knit it
Photography: We Are Knitters
