Getting Into Knitting With Knitter's Pride
/One of the best things about hosting this blog is the joy I get to share when people discover a new fiber love. That could be new crocheters and knitters just starting out or, as in this case, a crocheter learning and falling in love with knitting. When my friend Nkese of Cosmic Crochet Creations told me she wanted to dive into knitting I reached out to my good friends at Knitter’s Pride to gift Nkese her first set of knitting needles, Knitter’s Pride Zing Interchangeable needles, and she was off to the races.
I invited Nkese to share her story launching her into the next chapter of her fiber journey with knitting and tell us what she thought about the Knitter’s Pride Zing Interchangeable Needles. And enter to win your very own set of Knitter’s Pride Zings here.
Hey friends! Come on in here, and let’s talk about my journey to knitting. I am sure some of you have noticed I’ve been knitting A LOT more than I have been crocheting lately and maybe you have been curious as to why. Well, to understand all of that we have to go back to the beginning.
Back in 2019, I had three fiber goals that I wanted to accomplish by the end of the year. They were learn how to do Tapestry and Tunisian Crochet and learn how to knit. The first two went rather smoothly, but the knitting, not so much.
I first tried to learn in the summer of 2019, to no avail. All the Youtube videos I watched went too fast and I just couldn’t grasp the concept of it. From the casting on to the actual knitting. Then in December of that same year, I found a video from Ashley, of Sewrella, that was the PERFECT beginner video. She goes slow and encourages you along the way as if she’s in the room with you.
I went through the steps over and over with her until I got it. After I finally figure out the basics I decided to try knitting a hat. It had so many mistakes! But I had started and finished, and was pretty proud about that fact. After I finished my hat I just put knitting to the back burner for awhile.
Then in early 2020, I decided that I might really want to get into this knitting thing and figured an interchangeable needle set would be my best bet. That way I wouldn’t have to keep buying separate needles. At the time I still was not quite sure what I wanted, but I knew I did not want to spend a lot of money on my first set just in case I did not end up enjoying it as much as I thought I would.
When I saw the Knitter’s Pride Zings I figured they would be perfect. I liked that they were colorful, were metal, and had most of the basic sizes I would need for projects. I also liked the fact that they came with their own little carrying case, because I like to keep my maker tools organized.
The first thing I ever knitted on my Zings was a shawl. Definitely not the best beginner-friendly project, but I am so glad I gave it a try because a lot of my knitting projects since then have been kind of a cake walk in comparison.
What I love most about the Zings like I said before, are the colors. I love the meditative sound of the needles clicking together. (My husband, not so much!) I love the way the yarn slides across them so smoothly. What I don’t like are the colors of the cords (only because I like things to match) and the fact that the cords are rather stiff, even with some heat manipulation. Most of the time the stiff cords don’t bother me, but with some projects the cords get rather annoying quickly.
What I have discovered through this journey is that I really love knitting. I think it is very interesting that knitting is more calming to me than crochet is. Maybe that’s partly because the muscles in my neck and shoulders don’t tense up the same when I’m knitting.
I found that the slow methodical rhythm of knitting forces me to slow down and enjoy the process of what it is I’m making. Crochet as a whole for me is so much faster, so I like that knitting is kind of the opposite.
The only thing that I can really say I have struggled with when it comes to knitting is swatching in the round. It is quite an interesting change from gauge swatching in crochet and I’m still trying to get used to it. Other than that I have not had too many issues with gauge.
So that my friends is a little background of my knitting journey so far. I really fell in love with knitting in 2020, and now I want to knit ALL OF THE THINGS, and even create a few of my own pieces.
So, if you are looking for a set of interchangeables but you are not really sure how much you will be knitting, start with the Knitter’s Pride Zings. Outside of the stiff cords, this really is the perfect beginner set. Happy knitting friends!!!
