Do You Have the Patience to be a Knitter?

Perusing Google searches about knitting stereotypes showed me that my original thoughts on knitting fit in with most other people; knitting is for grandmas or old women. Side note: Grammarly is telling me that the term “old women” may be considered disrespectful. Fine. Older women. Women of an older persuasion. The wrinkled woman of old. Grammarly has not taken offense to any of these terms, so let’s continue forward. 

Learning to knit was the most frustrating thing that my grandma taught me. Maybe there is a reason that stereotypes exist? Just saying. My patience as a 10-year-old was not conducive to a bright future in knitting. Poor lady had to have so much patience to deal with me as a child. Whenever she came to our house for a holiday dinner, she would teach me the basics. Every single time, I would quit after my yarn would get so tight that I couldn’t knit. 

I have always owned knitting needles because of this. They would sit in the back of my closet and jump out at the beginning of each year when I got old enough for New Year’s Resolutions. Each time, I would realize that I still didn’t have the patience to knit, and within days, they would always find their way back into my closet. 18 years after first learning the how-tos of knitting, I finally knitted my first entire thing, a hat. This was my year! I finally had the patience to start over several times due to mistakes to make something worth wearing. 

In my humble opinion, I believe this is why we see more of the older generation as knitters. How many of you know people your age or younger who are considered patient? I have worked with many young people, and most of them cannot sit still long enough for me to explain directions for a game, let alone learn to knit.

My Experience

My experience knitting this hat began with frustration and ended with satisfaction, so please don’t read my frustrating moments and decide you don’t want to try it. I will review my process in this section and give tips, but you can jump straight to the report. 

Where do all creative endeavors begin? Pinterest. While this app is hyped a bit at times, I don’t deny the greatness of the complete access to everything creative. Many patterns are available on Pinterest; some are free, while others cost a few dollars. I decided to try a hat because I enjoy wearing hats more than scarves, so I typed in the search bar “Free Hat Knitting Pattern for Beginners.” Scrolled through the available options and picked a pattern. By the way, a pattern is the written instructions to complete the project intended.

Once you have picked your pattern, read everything before you begin. If there is a blog post that describes the process, read it. It is essential to understand what type of yarn you need for it to work best, the needles you need, and any other equipment required. You don’t want to be stuck needing something later and have to pause when you are finally in the flow. 

Familiarize yourself with the terminology as well. If you are reading a pattern and don’t understand something, this is not the time to skip over. Google and YouTube will be your best friends. Google everything. Once I read and understood my pattern, I went to the store. My local craft store is Michaels, but even a store like Walmart or Amazon has the basic necessities. I bought the needles and yarn I needed to complete the project and spent about $15. 

It had been quite a while since I last knitted, so I watched a couple of videos on the basics: How to cast on and how to do a basic knit stitch. Side Tip: If you have never knitted, I suggest finding a pattern that uses the basic knit stitch, large needles, and thick yarn. Thin or frilly yarn with needles with a small gauge quickly gets tight when you are not used to how the needles work. For this project, I had to use circular needles for the first time, and that was quite interesting to get used to. 

To start, I had to cast on 127 stitches. I lost count many times, causing me to re-count more than I would like to admit. I had to start over twice because I didn’t leave enough yarn to complete the needed stitches. More counting and a bit of under-the-breath growling. I finally got in a good knitting flow and realized that my hat looked deformed at row 25. It took some Googling to figure out why, and I soon realized I had a twist. I was exhausted since I worked on this hat, primarily while my family was asleep. Ripping out 3,175 (25 rows of 127 stitches) stitches was frustrating, to say the least. I wanted to give up at this point, but I was determined to finish this project this time. 

Everything flowed easily from this point. I kept pushing myself and had no major issues beyond that fateful night. Following the pattern and repeatedly watching the lady’s video allowed me to finish my hat, of which I was pretty proud. This is the part that makes all the work worthwhile. Knowing that you will have something of value at the end of the process brings great satisfaction. 

I finished this project on my anniversary trip last year. My husband wore it because he forgot to bring a hat, which made me glad I didn’t put the fluffy floof on it. He was still unenthused to wear it, making me laugh randomly throughout the trip, especially since we were riding ATVs in the middle of nowhere. By the end of the trip, though, the hat stretched a bit. I really don’t have an answer to why. However, if I make another hat like this, I plan to make one tighter. That way, when it stretches, it will still fit well. 

The Report

The report is in! I will cover five categories in my evaluation of knitting as a beginner: Cost, Ease of Learning, Enjoyability, Energy Level, and Time Commitment. Disclaimer: All of the following is my personal opinion. It is not a how-to.

The cost is low to start knitting. You can buy a starter kit on Amazon with different-sized needles, circular needles, and the basic tools for weaving for $18. Individually priced needles are $5 to $10 each. 

Yarn prices vary depending on the quality of the yarn. Skeins of yarn typically start at a price of just a few dollars. Chunkier yarn will cost you more since there are fewer yards in a skein. 

Each project will vary depending on the quality of yarn and how much of the yarn is needed. I spent about $15-$20 to make my hat since I needed to buy the correct-sized needles and the yarn. If you want something cheap, find a pattern that only uses one skein of yarn. 

Overall, knitting isn’t impossible. Anyone who wants to learn can learn, especially with the resources available on the internet these days. Between Pinterest, Google, and YouTube, you can learn if you want to. It can be frustrating, though. 

If you are a beginner who has never touched needles, find a project that doesn’t require more than a basic knit stitch. Different stitches help you create different patterns and textures on the final product. Still, you need to know the basics before attempting. Knitting a square can be boring and make you lose interest, so try to find something that will keep your interest, like a scarf or hat. 

Don’t be afraid to take your time. This is a process. There is no website, article, or video that you can consume that will warn you of all the possible errors. You will make mistakes along the way, and they will sometimes be irritating or confusing. Finding the answers can be challenging, too. When you make a mistake, fix it. Even if it means you have to start over, start over. You will be likelier to keep knitting if your final product is hole-free. 

You can learn the basics of knitting in one afternoon; however, perfecting this skill will take time. You will make mistakes, learn from them, and improve every time. 

This might seem harsh, but I usually enjoy high-energy activities. The beginning of learning for me was frustrating. I banged my head against my desk a lot throughout this process. But the outcome is worth it. The satisfaction that comes with making something that is useful is exciting. Do I want to do it all the time? No, absolutely not. 

I would find it more enjoyable once I became more proficient. It is hard for me to sit down and watch a movie, so this would be a great movie activity. You could watch a movie, listen to a podcast, or listen to an audiobook while knitting a baby blanket to give at a baby shower. You kill two birds with one stone: Entertain yourself while making a heart-warming gift for someone else. 

While this is a couch potato activity, you have to think through the process: paying attention to the number of stitches you cast on, the number of rows, and the type of stitches you do to keep the pattern. If you lose focus throughout the process, your end result might have holes, a wacky pattern, and no consistency. You don’t want some of your products to have tight or loose spots. 

I have a toddler. For those of you who know, you know. My time for a project of this nature is limited to his sleeping hours. This means I must complete my knitting project between midnight and ten am and get enough sleep to care for him properly the next day. Finding the time to complete it could be difficult, depending on your schedule and environmental distractions. 

Knitting might be for you if you want a hobby to consume your time. While each individual project might only consume a limited amount of time, it can be addicting to learn new things in knitting or wearing cool things that you made yourself. The possibilities are endless when knitting what you can make. 

Conclusion

An aspect of knitting you might have yet to think of is the volunteer opportunity. When you become good at knitting, there are ways to help your community. My grandma used to knit baby blankets for hospitals and hats for cancer patients. I have also known of a group affiliated with a hospital near me where they knit pouches for families to hold tiny preemie stillbirths where clothes don’t fit.

You can take it another route and turn it into a business. Selling on sites like Etsy can open doors for you to have a side hustle. I love learning new skills to make money because having different income streams is wise. You never know what the future holds. 

Again, the possibilities are endless. This screams homemade gifts, whether Christmas, birthdays, showers, etc. Gifts could advertise your business and talent or make you the most sentimental gift giver EVER. 

Overall, knitting is frustrating for a beginner. Still, once you push through the initial frustrations, you gain a great new skill for life. People who don’t knit and call you “grandma” or “old lady” don’t understand the benefits knitting can bring to your life. Ignore them or laugh with them. Don’t let that stereotype distract you from learning a unique new skill. 

Side note: Walking away is fine if you try knitting and decide it isn’t for you. However, I encourage you to try it occasionally throughout your life. It wasn’t for me when I first picked up a pair of knitting needles, but 18 years later, I made my first hat. Now, this is a hobby I do only occasionally because I enjoy doing many other things. However, knowing that I could pick it up if needed is nice. Keeping your needles in the back of your closet for a rainy day is okay!

Patterns for beginners: (Click on the patterns below to check out!)

The Maple Beanie (This is the hat I knitted! I didn’t do the floof on top, though.)

How to Knit a Scarf for Beginners 

3 Easy Knitting Projects for Beginner Knitters

These patterns will give you some ideas of things to try. I encourage you to peruse Pinterest, though. Find something that is going to interest you! It is easier to get into knitting if you are making something you care about. Good luck, and get knitting!