Knitters: Do you have any beginner questions?

Dear knitters, what topics are on your minds right now? What are you struggling with, and what has gone well for you?

@Strickanfänger
how’s it going?

Hello hello :)
I'm a complete beginner and have never held a crochet hook in my hand before. Now I want to give it a try :) I've already ordered a great book for beginners and then a crochet kit. 

I have a few questions about certain abbreviations in the patterns—what do these mean?
inc.
dec. tog.

I've already found many meanings of the abbreviations online :) 

As a beginner, the pattern looks very complicated and hard to understand. But I hope that will come with experience :)

Best regards

Hi Odin93,

do you have questions about crocheting or knitting?
This thread is for beginner questions about knitting.

But I’ll still try to answer your question.

  "Zus.Abn." means that 2 stitches are worked together here. In other words, one stitch is decreased here.

"Verd." means to double—that is, you crochet 2 single crochets, 2 double crochets, or whatever, into the same stitch, so you’re increasing one stitch.

I hope this helps.

Best regards, Michaela 

Actually, I was asking about crocheting.
But thanks anyway—your answer was still very helpful :)

I’m glad to hear that. :-) 

Best regards 
Michaela 

Hi,
I’m trying my hand at knitting socks with a set of double-pointed needles again. I decided to go with spiral socks so I wouldn’t have to deal with a heel. However, I’m practically killing myself with these needles (size 3, 20 cm long, aluminum). They stick out dangerously or get in the way. The last stitch on each needle is always a struggle. I’ll end up breaking my fingers too (I’ve already gouged out my eyes ;-) ).
Are there any tips on how to hold the set of double-pointed needles, or where do you put the other inactive needles? I tried it before on a circular needle… but I couldn’t even manage a neat cast-on :(

Thanks a lot and greetings from Ahrensburg,
Liv

When knitting socks with a set of double-pointed needles, I use shorter needles that are 15 cm long. I can distribute my stitches across 3 needles relatively quickly, which is also easier for me. I can’t get the hang of using circular needles for knitting socks or gloves—it just doesn’t work for me at all.
Maybe you’ll have better luck with shorter needles.
Best regards
Petra 

Welcome, Liv,

I can reassure you. You’re doing everything right. Even after 20 years, those remaining needles are still in the way. With a little practice, though, you’ll learn to ignore them.

I always like to purl the first stitch on a needle. It’s easier for me that way, and it prevents an unsightly transition to the previous needle.

For the last few stitches, it helps to stabilize the work you’ve already knitted with the ring finger of your left hand and pull it apart slightly. That makes it easier to get into the last stitch.

Alternatively, you can try holding the left needle with just your back three fingers and using your thumb and index finger to pull the work down slightly. This makes your last stitch a little longer, making it easier to insert the needle. I do this with lace patterns when there are spots where working into the stitches is more difficult due to decreases in the previous row.

Dear Liv,
I’d also recommend shorter needles—15 cm is plenty. You might also want to consider switching to wooden or bamboo needles. They aren’t as “slippery” as aluminum needles, which is especially helpful when you’re just starting out.

A great tip is the one Petra already mentioned: Don’t distribute your stitches across 4 needles—use just 3 instead. This not only saves you one needle change per round but also gives you a much more stable structure. You’ll see that your stitches won’t “slip off” anymore ;-)
Best wishes from
Steffi

Wow, thank you all so very much.

I’ll give the shorter bamboo needles a try. 
It never even occurred to me to simply knit 3+1... I’ll try that first.

Wishing all of you and myself lots more fun and a lovely day 
Yours, Liv

Hello Liv,
the tip about using shorter needles and also distributing the stitches over 3 instead of 4 is definitely helpful. 
But I, for example, don’t like sets of double-pointed needles at all and really enjoy knitting with the Magic Loop method.
For that, you don’t need a set of double-pointed needles, just a circular knitting needle with a long enough cable.
You can see how that works here .
Maybe just give it a try. :-)

Best wishes 
Michaela