Getting Knitty With It

Now that the weather is about to turn cooler, I really want to learn how to knit. I have visions of myself in handmade scarves and ponchos, but I have no idea where to start. Can you help me find some knitting resources in NYC?

Ask Gothamist loves knitting! We�re usually working on and planning several knitting projects at any given time. Luckily for you, New York City is teeming with knitting resources. We think the best way to learn to knit is from an experienced knitter. If you have a friend or relative who knits, ask them if they'll teach you. If not, you can try taking knitting classes. The Yarn Company, Knit New York, Sew Fast Sew Easy and Downtown Yarns all offer beginners� classes.
Classes tend to range in price from $70 - $175, depending on the number of classes and whether or not materials are included.

Another great way to learn or improve your knitting skills is to go to a �Stitch N� Bitch� - an informal gathering of knitters. There are numerous S n� B groups throughout NYC - On Mondays, there�s one at Pete�s Candy Store in Wiliamsburg; Tuesdays there�s one at Space Untitled in SoHo, to name a few.

You�ll probably want to get yourself some knitting books to refer to as well. Some of Ask Gothamist�s favorites for beginners are Knitting Pretty, Stitch N� Bitch, and the Yarn Girls Guide to Simple Knits.

A word of advice for beginning knitters: Yarn ranges in price from very cheap (acryclic) to extremely expensive (cashmere, silk, angora). If you�re just starting, you could easily end up spending $60 on yarn for a sweater you�ll never wear (trust us). For bargain yarns, check out Smiley�s or P&S fabrics. School Products has a good range of mid-price items, and any yarn store in the city (Downtown Yarns, Gotta Knit, The Yarn Company, Knitting Hands, etc) can provide you with expensive, luxurious yarns.

There are also a million knitting websites and blogs online. We often turn to the Knitter�s Review Forums when we�re stumped and need advice. Now go cast on!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Janine Annett in Miscellaneous on September 22, 2004 7:37 AM

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Njoya

HKC Needs Yarn Donations

for

"Hurrican Katrina Charity Knit"

to

Make Children's Blankets!

September 11, 2005

This Letter Is To Be Broadcast To All That Can Assist;

My name is Anntoinette Njoya Angrum and I am the Founder/Director of "The Harlem Knitting Circle." We've been in existence for about 18 months. We are open every Saturday from 11am until 2pm at the George Bruce Library-518 West 125th St. We were invited to participate, (for the second year), in The Craft Yarn Council's Knit New York, been featured in The Harlem Times-12/13/04 issue, The Citizen Paper, and Debbie Stoller's "Stitch N'bitch Nation"-pg. 64. We've had HKC's member Lisa Daehlin featured in the magazine "Interweave Knit" Summer 2005 issue-pg. 80/8, member Nilda Mesa in "Stitch N'bitch Nation"-pg. 86/87, and the renown fabric artist and HKC member Xenobia Bailey (Brooklyn Museum Exhibit 8'2005).

While remembering NYC's 9/11 I find myself galvanized once again to find a way to help my human family in the wake of another devastating occurrence..., Hurricane Katrina.

The members of "The Harlem Knitting Circle" have decided to do what they do best and help in a way they know they can..., knit and crochet! After a successful charity knit for Harlem Hospital's Cancer Unit we've decided to knit/crochet children's blankets for the families displaced by the hurricane. Though many of HKC's members have started on their projects and donated some yarn we just don't have enough! HKC's core family is 30+ members and it's extended family can swell our meetings to 40+!

I am contacting you with a request for yarn donations for our charity knit! I am looking for acrylic yarn. No wool please! These blankets are being made for infants, toddlers, children, and teens to 12 years old (Elementary aged school children). I am already in contact with Texas organizations to distributors blankets.

All donations can be sent to:

Anntoinette Njoya Angrum

c/o The Harlem Knitting Circle

The George Bruce Library

518 West 125th St.

New York, New York 10027

For further contact call Anntoinette Njoya Angrum at 212-234-1442.

I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible!

Anntoinette Njoya Angrum-

Founder/Director of "The Harlem Knitting Circle"(We Crochet Too!)

Anntoinette S. Njoya Angrum

A

As the former boyfriend of a girl who knits, I was 'dragged' to this festival (http://www.sheepandwool.com/) last year, but wound up having a great time.

I hate knitting, but vendors at the festival also served lamb burgers, which was more my speed. I also got some nifty lambs skin gloves for fairly cheap.

Suffice to say, I broke up with the girlfriend and lost the gloves, but am going back with my new girlfriend.

Hmmm....lamb burgers.

Jen

Thanks for the suggestions - some women in my office have a knitting circle during lunch, and I'm kinda jealous. Must learn the reindeer games and join in!

Chris

These are all great suggestions. A few more:

I just started knitting in January (learning how was my New Year's resolution) and really enjoy it. My boss knits and he showed me a few basic stitches, but I'm mostly self-taught - I bought "Stitch 'n' Bitch" and found it to be a WONDERFUL beginner's guide.

Knitty.com is an online knitting mag that comes out four times a year and has tons of great info and free patterns. The message boards are very friendly and full of knitters of every age and skill level, and one of the boards focuses on offering help to brand-new knitters. I've found it to be a great resource. On the "Yarn Sale Spotters" board you can often find great online sales, and the "Your Favorite LYS" board there's a thread on New York yarn stores you may find helpful as well as a good one on online stores.

KnittersReview.com also has lots of information and they have message boards too, although I haven't checked them out as much as I have Knitty.com, so I can't speak to how helpful they are. There's a guide to many basic techniques with clear illustrations at www.wonderful-things.com/newkn..., and TheRedSweater.com is another good informative site.

Speaking of online stores, you can find lots of good yarn on eBay, including lots of gorgeous hand-dyed yarns. Some of my favorite sellers are lotusblossom, danette_taylor, sanfelipeysantiago, and mystifibers. There are lots of online stores out there; my favorite is Elann.com, which often has great deals - check their "bargains" page. I think they're in Canada but their prices are totally cheap, their shipping rates are fairly low, and they ship quickly.

There's also a whole world of knitting blogs out there and you can learn a lot from them. One of my favorites is Wendyknits.net -- she has some great resource pages on her site.

Oh, and just so you know, Knitting Hands (on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn) was recently bought by a new owner and is now called Knit-a-Way.

One piece of advice: try to be patient with yourself as you learn. The great thing about knitting is that you can start producing simple things with only the most basic of skills, but if you're like me you may find yourself wanting to try stuff that's much more complicated than you're ready for and get frustrated when it doesn't work out. Start out with simple, small projects like scarves, headbands, coasters, or wrist cuffs, and when you get comfy with that try hats next. Avoid 100% acrylic if you can (it may be cheap, but it's difficult to knit with and usually ugly) -- I'd start out with some nice, simple bulky or worsted-weight wool and larger needles (hold off on smaller needles and finer yarns until your fingers are used to doing this stuff) and just practice with it -- you can always rip it up later on and re-use it for a project!

W

If you're just starting, don't buy expensive yarn. The first thing I knit I kept splitting stitches (and ended up with a monster sized slipper!) so I'm glad I just had some cheap yarn my mother had lying around. They also have some nice acrylic/wool blends now that are cheaper than full wool, but still look really nice.

Elann.com is a good place to buy good quality yarn for cheap(er), as long as you know what gauge yarn you need and don't need to match colors exactly.