We all love crochet but how about knitting?

[Nadine]

I taught myself to knit @ 3 years ago but it goes sooooo slow! I've since made up my mind that I can crochet anything, even if it's usually considered a "knit" project, and have not picked up a pair of needles in about 2 years!

[Guest Crafterlady46]

I love to do both. Knitting is more time consuming, and is more dangerous to have knitting needles laying around (with kids) than crochet hooks.

 

I sat on a crochet hook and thought I was going to die of pain. Thankfully it went in the fat part. My poor hubby had to pull it out. I about hit the roof. Hooks can be dangerous too. Not so bad as knitting needles though.

 

Yeah knitting is ok. I learned knit when I was very young. I think 7 or 8. I still make mittens just to keep myself from forgetting. Cables were always a pain in the ass for me. I am better at knitting than crochet. Crochet brings in more money though. There's only a few things I haven't done. Tatting, pottery, basketery, hardanger, and blowing glass....Those are all on my to do list. Someday. I love art. Just about all of it.

[sharoninseattle]

At the age of 12 I was sick with rheumatic fever and bedridden for 1 yr. Some of you are too young to know what this is as it is very rare these days.

My neighbor would crochet & knit up a storm, I was intrigued by her talent, so she taught me to knit and crochet at the same time and besides I had all the time in the world at that time. I would crochet potholders and poodle dog bottle covers (remember those, ladies?) and knit scarves. The neighbors liked my work and would purchase my finished products. I did alot more knitting than I did crocheting for years and now I do more crocheting than I do knitting. I agree that knitting takes longer, but if you have large needles and double yarn, it goes real fast.

[badrhinogillett]

Knitting -- Good Gravy NEVER. I tried it. I can knit... can't purl, and can't cast on. My mother is great at it, she tried to teach me once, but it didn't go over well. We both think that had my Grandmother lived long enough (she died when I was 7) that she could have taught me. She did both crochet and knitting. Actually, I think of her often as I count stiches, because I remember her doing that when I was a kid, and being confused by what there was to count. I only knew I couldn't interrupt her when she did it.

[Brie]

I knit also, but I can crochet faster, so I don't knit very much. When I actually do knit something, it has to be a small project because I knit so slowly, and I get bored with it easily.

[rude-girl72]

I can knit but crochet faster. finely finish he sweater I knit for mij husband. tooks a year to make it.

 

here in the netherlands are more knit patterns than crochet.

[hischildsindi]

I can knit too, I like it, can't do much for many stitches yet. Been too busy crocheting to mind my knitting skills, as I too crochet faster than knit.

[Dejhia]

Well, I was taought to crochet first.... Then to knit. My grandmother is a crocheter and my mother a knitter. As a teenager I knitting almost exclusivly. (My mom didn't crochet and she was the one helping me. ) I had to give up all of my hobbies in college. I started back up a little over a year ago. I took up crochet first. I love it. I find it doesn't have all those problems with droped stitches and cable needles.... I started a few months ago to knit, too... I like doing it. (My mom wanted to make sure that i still knew how to knit before I moved hlaf way across the country.) But I love crochet.... I find that the differnt wrist movments are good for me. I cramp up less... And crocheted items are thicker and warmer... But, I now keep some knit projects going and some crocheted projects going at all times...

[mrs who]

I've been crocheting for 12 years and knitting for 5 - I really enjoy both! Something I like best in crochet (doilies, grannies, snowflakes, scrunchies, afghans, little fiddly items and potholders) and some things I like best in knitting (socks, many clothing items, mittens, hats, dish cloths). I'm much faster at crocheting but it's harder on my wrists than knitting is, which I can do for longer and more often. So - in that way it evens itself out for me.

 

Like anything, knitting takes practice. I don't think it's any harder to get the loops back on the needles or pick up a dropped stitch than it is to do tricky crochet stitches.

 

Love them both.

[Pink]

I've been knitting and crocheting since the mid 60s...jeez, that's a long time! Anyway, I really enjoy both and usually have WIPs in both. I find that when my fingers ache in crocheting I can stretch them out with knitting and vice versa.

[DainaJ]

I learned both as a child, gave them up, picked up crochet again, gave it up due to RSIs, then picked up crochet again and re-learned knitting. Now I am doing one or the other almost every evening. I also agree with Mrs. Who - it depends on what you want to make. Some things work best in one or the other. I can't wait to try some projects that combine the two (knitted purse with crocheted flowers, or something like that).

 

Aesthetically, I really like the movements and process of both crochet and knitting. As for the resulting product - I love the cute little things like animals and flowers, even scarves, that you can just whip up with crochet. To me, designing projects (at my very basic level) makes more "sense" in crochet - you need 5", so you make a foundation chain 5" long, more or less. I am not yet understanding how to play with this with knitting - my first project was a cell phone cozy, and one came out 2x too wide, the next 2x too narrow, then finally I got it right! Knitting also seems to be less forgiving, but I'm in love with the fabric produced by plain stockinette stitch, especially in stripes.

 

As for the awkwardness of knitting - I learned Continental style, and it's like crochet with 2 needles - your needle does the work. Then looking at some stuff on the Internet, I realized what I actually learned was Combination Knitting (yarn in left hand, knit through the back loop, "push" the purl stitch), which is even easier and faster. Using this method, I had no trouble producing even tension right from the beginning, because it "feels right" to a crocheter. Give it a try!

 

http://www.modeknit.com/combined.html

[noricum]

ive tried...miserably(sp?)...my problam seems to be that you hold the yarn in..(to me) THE WRONG HAND lol...I am soooo not cordnaited enough with my left hand to do much of anything...not even single hand typing when a little one is on my lap!! I have all the stuff from the "i taught myself to knit" kit still, but I'm really enjoying crochet right now.

 

You know you can hold the yarn in either hand, right?

 

I'm getting the hang of this "knitting" thing, but I miss crochet if I don't work on it often enough. Yep, I'm addicted!

[craftybutterfly]

I've tried a couple of times, but I guess my hands are just "programed" for crochet 'cause I've been doing it for nearly 30 years. After a couple of tries I gave up. I guess I'm a crocheter exclusively. I just couldn't seem to get the rhythm down.

[angel88]

I took have just started picking up the knitting needles. I learned as a child but love the fact that I could crochet so much faster. My mother is like a super speedy knitter and I just started again a few months ago. I can knit a scarf really good and I've made a few sweaters for my little girl (1yr old) but when it comes to knitting an adult sweater it just seems like I don't have enough time. I'm so use to holding just one needle that the feeling of two is so weird.

[susandoty48]

I have tried knitting so many times over the years but there is just now way to get the hang of it, I guess I will just stick to my old faithful crochet

[dennymare]

I knit and crochet both but find that I crochet alot faster. I have picked up my knitting a little bit in the last year and have learned more about keeping my stitches on the hook instead of falling off. I hate frogging and if I lose a stitch knitting I have to frog all the way to the end. Thats why I prefer crocheting over knitting but I love the challange of Knitting and that is why I keep at it.

 

Mary

[tekopp]

I learned to knit before I could read, and to crochet last year... I'm a much more skilled knitter and if I am to make something fancy, I knit.

crochet is... fun, and I want to master it as well as I do with knitting eventually

(I just have to stop making all the laceshawls with my knitting needles...)

[yarnoholic]

honestly, i love knitting and crocheting equally. i learned to crochet first, then picked up knitting a few months later. i crochet a heck of a lot faster than i knit, but i still love the challenge of both and find them equally relaxing. i my love of and at a pretty balanced rate, if i say so myself.

[MaryPat]

I learned enough knitting to put cuffs and collars on crocheted sweaters. I think the knit ribbing is stretchier and looks better than the crochet ribbing. I taught myself to knit the European method. I think it's a better fit with crochet skills. I hold the yarn the same way. However I can't knit for extended periods of time. It hits my wrists much quicker than crocheting does.

[pidot]

I do love knitting too and there are lots of nice free knitting patterns there. but i still need more practice and yes i agree...i hate to pick up those stitches i drop from the needles. crochet is much easier, but i would still give knitting a try.

[Qmare]

I'm not sure if I have a "healthy" answer to this question...

 

because about the best way to describe the way I feel about crochet vs knitting is defiant commitment to crochet! It's not like I can't learn to knit and in fact have knit a bit, but for some strange reason, I just feel very defensive about crochet and am so happy just "hooking" away that I guess I am just a crochet junkie to the bone!

[vernzap]

I want to learn to knit just to have that knowledge, but I am a crocheter at heart.

[jtoland]

I learned how to knit before I learned crocheting. I kept it up for a few years, stopped, and then started again 3 years ago. I learned crocheting 6 months ago and since then have been crocheting more because it is faster for me to crochet than knit. I still knit, though. I would say about 2/3 of my projects are crochet and the other 1/3 are knit.

[SuzieQ]

I like to do both knitting and crochet. Crochet is more attractive to beginners as it grows much faster than knitting, and is much easier to learn. Crochet toys seem to be nicer because they are more firm. Generally, for jumpers and cardigans I prefer knitting.

[beatr]

Learned the very basics of knitting way back in high school. Several years ago I knitted an afghan made of numerous blocks. Taught my self to the cable stitch which was fun.

 

The size of the needles make the difference in the time you have to spend making something.

 

I must admit I prefer crocheting since it seems to go faster