Knitting for Crocheters: How to Make Knitting Easier

You’re a either a crocheter or a knitter. Never both, right…? You can in fact do both, even if it seems impossible. I was a crocheter first, who then learned to knit. And while I feel comfortable knitting now, there were some things I wish I’d known that would have made the transition easier. Here are my tips for making knitting for crocheters easier!

Continental Knitting Instead of English

This was the biggest help to me when going from crochet to knitting. Traditional English knitting requires you to hold the yarn in your right hand and let go of the right needle to throw the yarn over. That just did not work for me. I felt awkward trying to get my right hand to do so much, and when I was starting out and didn’t have the best tension the needle kept falling out of my stitches every time I would let go.

Continental knitting keeps the yarn in the left hand rather than right, which allows you to keep both hands on your needles at all times. Plus, the left hand then does a majority of the work, which feels much more similar to crochet in my opinion.

Needle Stoppers

Knitting for crocheters can be tough. Crochet is great because once you’ve done a stitch it’s done. No worries about stitches falling off the needles like in knitting (one of my least favorite things about knitting). One thing you can get to help keep your stitches from falling off is a pair of needle stoppers! They’ll hold your place for you and keep things from completely unraveling.

Holding the Yarn

This goes along with Continental knitting, but holding the yarn in your left hand rather than right can help the transition from crochet to knitting. Additionally, I like to wrap the yarn around my pinky, which helps me keep good tension. Practice holding the yarn around your pinky like this, because it will feel a little unfamiliar at first.

Circular Needles vs. Flat

I am a huge fan of circular needles! Circular needles are great for two reasons. First, they take up less space than flat needles. When I tried knitting with flat needles I was always bumping my elbows with the needles and again I just felt really awkward.

Second, stitches are easier to control on circular needles. They fall off less easily, and store better than on flat needles. Plus, you can knit so many more things on circular needles!

Patience

This is the BIGGEST tip I have for you when making the transition from crochet to knitting! Be patient with yourself! I have talked to so many people who want to learn how to knit, but they’ve either tried it and failed, or think it is so confusing that they don’t even give it a chance. I’m here to tell you that perseverance will pay off!

Try watching some YouTube videos or getting some books, and then give yourself a break if you need it. I find that I go through phases where I crochet a lot and then knit more. But giving my mind a break helps me come back stronger the next time I sit down to knit! And keeping it low pressure has been very helpful for my confidence when it comes to knitting 🙂

Knitting Patterns to Start With

I know it can be daunting to find patterns you feel comfortable with when first starting out. So I put a little list together of a few beginner friendly knitting patterns I think you’ll love! Check them out and let me know in the comments which one is your favorite!

• Homer Bound Cowl
• Marled Cowl
• Flax Light Sweater
• Rye Light Socks
• Fire Pit Mitts