Learning to Knit: Where Do You Start?

Dear users, dear authors,
what makes it easier for beginners to get started with knitting?

There are good videos online that show both how to cast on and various stitches step-by-step, making it easy to follow along.

For practice, the yarn shouldn’t be too thin. And then just start with simple projects, such as small washcloths.

Yes, I completely agree with Monika. A video is very helpful.

I’d also recommend practicing just one type of stitch at first—just knit stitches. Practice with a friend, aunt, or grandma and have them explain it to you. Just in a friendly, relaxed setting.

I started with a scarf (for my doll back then) and used only knit stitches. 

Start with a simple scarf in garter stitch. Then move on to a hat or something similar in stockinette stitch. After that, I’d recommend learning how to do cables, yarn overs, and so on. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can already do a lot, and learning new techniques isn’t difficult. Knitting requires a bit more patience than crocheting, especially at the beginning, until you’ve got the hang of it. Don’t let that discourage you. It just takes a little while for your fingers to hold the knitted fabric with the right amount of looseness; at first, you tend to tense up a bit...

Start with the simplest basics: knit stitches, purl stitches, and edge stitches. There are helpful videos online for these—and, of course, for all other knitting techniques as well. Look for videos specifically for beginners. Then I’d start by knitting a flat scarf or cowl worked straight, using a simple pattern like garter stitch or a basic knit-purl pattern, such as ribbing, seed stitch, or something similar. You can then start exploring a wide variety of knit-and-purl patterns; feel free to pick up a knitting chart and figure out how to read it—because you’ll need that skill quite often. The most important thing is practice, practice, practice, because you first need to figure out the right posture and technique—for example, how tight the yarn tension should be so the piece doesn’t turn out too tight or too loose. When it comes to knitting, everyone has their own “signature” and style that you’ll need to get to know first! Feel free to try out different needle sizes with the same yarn and see how the stitch appearance changes as a result!
The next step would then be simple decreases and increases, along with very simple lace patterns.
Anything that requires more than two needles—such as using a set of double-pointed needles or cable needles—I’d recommend waiting to try until much later, once you’re familiar with the basics and feel reasonably confident using two needles!