Beginning, Excited, Whoo!!

[Megan Huddleston]

Hi! I'm Megan, just joined up! I actually have never knitted before, but a few months ago I decided to embrace being 23 and single and made myself a single-lady bucket list! I've slowly been knocking items off, one by one, and knitting is on that list. I ran across this community on The Daily Knitter, and your mission is too incredible! I support a ministry that provides clean water & wells to Africa, and this is an opportunity to provide warmth as well!!
So here I am, eager and ready. I'm going this afternoon to buy needles and yarn. I've seen all sorts of suggestions across the forums, so I think I'm going for 5mm needles to start with. I have a couple questions about the yarn though.. how do I know what material is needed for squares?
Also, I saw pictures of "Cuddles" that are TOO adorable. I can't wait til I'm able to make those!!
So, in closing, if anyone has any tips, those are always appreciated. I'll update with pictures as I progress! I'm excited!!

[Pam Johnson]

Welcome Megan,
So great that you want to join us all. I know we all feel that KAS is a great online community and we all support each other. There is a wonderful feeling that we are all over the world but come together here. I am in the UK. Happy, happy knitting - every stitch helps. x

[Kalai McDonald]

Fabulous to have you and your enthusiasm on board Megan! Good luck with learning how to knit (it's pretty easy once you get strated, although I am still very basic). Look forward to seeing more of you in the forum!

[Anne Griffith]

Hello Megan and welcome to KAS. Hope you have as much fun knitting as we all do! I've been knitting since 1964 (!!) and have learnt more since joining KAS in April than in the previous xxx years.....from seeing what everyone else does and swopping stories and trying new things. My daughter your age has found various knitting video clips on the internet which show methods etc.very helpful to her. Happy knitting! PS Bucket list is something I've been meaning to write for a while.

[Megan Huddleston]

Anne, you can take a look at mine at meghuddleston.wordpress.com/singleladylist if you want! That's not my bucket list.. thats just a pre-25 years old thing, before I get married and have a family. You might like #5 :)

[Dawne Smith-Sliming]

Welcome Megan!

I love your enthusiasm! Always good to meet a new knitter. I highly recommend Lucy Neatby's Brand New Knitter. It's the DVD I wish had been available when I started knitting 2 years ago. Your local library may have it so you could check there.

Plain Jane squares (knit every row) are fabulous. They help make the volume of blankets possible and are a great way to put 'miles on your needles'. You'll soon be looking for a square with a bit of texture and before you know it your skills will grow.

:)

[Megan Huddleston]

I have a question... is it necessary to re-wind my skein into a ball? and if so, should i do a center-pull or normal ball?

[Andrea Palmatier]

No, it's not necessary. It really depends on personal preference. I prefer to use my yarn as I buy it - as a center-pull ball. Other knitters/crocheters on this forum rewind into a normal ball. Personally, I find it messes with my tension and gets tangled when I use a ball of yarn.

You can always try it one way and if you don't like it, switch! :o)

[Megan Huddleston]

Thanks Andrea! I guess I'm gonna start with the center-pull. I have just a regular old skein from Walmart, figured it would be ok for learning on.

[P. Jeanne Haessler]

If you're like me and want to fabulously entertain a cat, take one of the long twisted skeins of yarn, untwist the skein and place it over the back of a chair and use it from there. You can buy ball winders but they're not cheap. I too find I mess up the yarn if I rewind balls/skeins bought from a big store. They're meant to be used as is. :)

[Christine Johnson]

So why do mine always tangle then? I rewind all of mine before I start knitting now as I have wasted so much time and patience previously.
(This is not a suggestion Megan -it's just my problem.)
At the moment I have some skeins of pure wool like you described Jeanne - the long ones that need to be wound. I haven't seen those since I was a child and I am finding the wool such a pleasure to knit with that I've made six squares today.