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Resources

Yarn Stores

Although craft stores are a convenient place to get yarn, I prefer online stores or local yarn shops. Local yarn stores are also great places to gather knowledge. The following are some of the online stores that I use frequently. Many yarn companies also put out patterns and kits, which can be very helpful when you are first entering the knitting world.

  • Knit Picks: This is a good source of affordable, but good quality yarn. They have everything from acrylic to 100% silk.
  • Craftsy: You can get all kinds of things from Craftsy, including classes. This is a good source if you know what you are looking for. They also have good sales; I've been able to snag some yarns on sale that I otherwise would have never shelled out the money for.
  • Quince & Co: This is another of my favorites. They are a bit more expensive, but have great products. The yarn is also made in the US from American fiber.
  • Camellia Fiber Company: All of these yarns are either handspun or hand dyed in Nashville. They usually sell out very quickly, so I advise following them on social media to keep up with shop updates.
  • Purl Soho: A lot of these yarns are going to be pretty pricey but they do have some harder to find, gorgeous yarns.
Some of my favorite tools

Tool Stores

I rarely buy tools from big box stores, simply because I'm very picky about them. You can get my favorite Takumi bamboo circular needles just about anywhere though. My general suggestion is to start out with a few sizes of needle, a medium sized project bag, some removable markers, a measuring tape, a tapestry needle, and a good pair of small scissors. Notebooks are also very, very handy. Also, if you are planning on getting double pointed needles, get something to keep them in because they are unnaturally easy to lose.

  • Knit Picks: Knit Picks makes my beloved interchangeable needles, which come in multiple colors. Their interchangeable needles come in metal and short tip variants as well. Along with the interchangeable circular needles, they also have straight, double pointed, and fixed circular needles. You can also find all kinds of project bags, kits, stitch markers, blocking tools, etc.
  • Fringe Supply Co.: Fringe is my favorite place to get auxiliary notions like scissors and stitch markers. I also have a bento bag and basket from them that are invaluable. Fringe is also a small business, so am always happy to buy from them when I can.
  • Craftsy: Again, you can get just about anything from Craftsy.

Knitting Blogs

Knitting blogs have been the crux of my knitting education. Below is a selection of some of my favorite sites that have some good technical posts on them. The knitting community online is generally very friendly and helpful. Knit-a-longs are a great way to learn new things and make knitting friends.

  • Fringe Association: The Fringe Supply Company grew out of this blog, and it is one of my favorites. This blog has a plethora of posts on knitting techniques, a good number of knit-a-longs, and some great discussions.
  • Purl Soho: A great source of free patterns and tutorials.
  • Brooklyn Tweed: This one doesn't update very often, but there are some great discussions on color work in particular. There actually are two versions of the BT blog: BT news and then the founder's blog.
  • The Craft Sessions: This isn't exclusively a knitting blog, but there are some great posts on how to knit and lots of ideas surrounding crafts in general. The series on how to read your knitting is particularly helpful.

Books

I don't have very many knitting books, but I do have a few to recommend if you are a book person. First is Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Around. Not only does it have some great patterns, methods, and explanations, but also has very charming stories from her life. Erika Knight's Simple Knitting has a progression of projects in it that are structured to build on the techniques established in the proceeding patterns, and it has a helpful little stitch library section and beautiful pictures. I also love my copies of Jared Flood's Woolens and Ruth Cross's Knits at Home.

Ravelry

Ravelry is, in my opinion, the single greatest resource for any knitter or crocheter. You can find a pattern for just about anything on here. You can buy patterns and catalog your projects on it. You can search for yarns on it and then look at projects made from that yarn. It is also an amazing community of creative people. If I didn't have a Ravelry account I probably never would have started knitting! I also wouldn't remember 70% of the things I have knit.