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knittinghelp (dot) com has amazing easy-to-follow tutorials for basically every single stitch you could possibly encounter in a pattern, and it's where I would always look up unfamiliar stitches when I learned to knit.
ravelry (dot) com has a huge database of patterns, many of which you can find and download on this forum should you choose to knit them. It also has a pattern search where you can filter by many attributes, including difficulty, to make sure you don't jump into something that will be overwhelmingly difficult.
There are two main ways of holding your yarn: Continental (yarn draped over left hand and "picked up" by the right-hand needle) or English (yarn held in right hand and "thrown" or wrapped by the right hand around the right needle)
Both styles are totally valid, but if you want to get very fast, the vast majority of fast knitters tend to use continental. If you're just learning, it could be worth trying both out to see which is more comfortable.
Make sure to take breaks often and rest your hands/move your body, so you don't get tension or pain in your hands or wrists.
The most important things when choosing a yarn for your pattern are fiber content (e.g. acrylic, wool, cotton, bamboo) and weight. If you substitute a different weight of yarn than the pattern calls for, your gauge (aka how many stitches you need to knit in order to get a specific size) may be way off. If you substitute a different fiber, the yarn may drape or behave differently than the example.
There are straight needles and circular needles. If you're going to buy only one kind, go for circulars, because you can use them as straight needles, but you cannot use straight needles to knit something in the round.
Things can be knit "flat" or "in the round". Anything with a tube- or bowl-like shape (sweater sleeves, sweater body, hats, socks, etc) can be knit in the round to avoid having to seam a front and back piece together.
As a beginner I liked knitting hats because they work up very quickly, but you need to have circular needles for that, as nearly every hat pattern you find will be knit in the round. Other fun things to knit as a beginner are cowls, or scarves if you're in for a longer project. There are also cute decor items like washcloths, soap sacks, coasters, hot pads, etc that can be worked up in cotton yarn very quickly and also be functional! |
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