Whenever people find out that I’m both a knitter and a crocheter, there are normally two different responses. The first one is: “That’s so cool! Can you make me *insert time-consuming project here* ?” The second is: “That’s so cool! Which one do you like better?” The answer to the first question is probably no, because if you’re just learning that I crochet, then you probably don’t know me very well.

The answer to the second question is why I’m writing this article: to answer the many FAQ’s that are associated with both of the art forms. Although they’re both decently well known, most people don’t fully understand knitting and crocheting. Through answering some of these questions, I hope that this article can motivate people to learn these fun and rewarding skills!

What takes longer: knitting or crocheting?

The answer to this question is simple: it depends on the person! Personally, it takes me longer to knit something because I do it less. At first, it’ll take you a long time to crochet or knit, but whichever one you focus on you’ll get better and faster at. I spent more time learning how to crochet, so therefore I can do it faster. Either way, it takes a long time to finish any project, even if you’ve been crocheting or knitting for 4 years like I have.

Can you teach a left-handed person how to knit?

Of course! Anyone can knit, even if you’re left-handed. Some right-handed knitters are less willing to teach left-handed people to knit, so you just have to find the right people. More experienced knitters would be best, since new knitters might not know how to teach others, especially with a different dominant hand. With crocheting, it’s not that big of an issue if you’re right-handed or left-handed, so if you are a left-handed person I would start with crocheting and then move on to knitting.

Which craft is easier to learn?

In my opinion, both are equally difficult to learn, but in different ways. Knitting only has two stitches, but the combinations of these stitches feel almost endless. Once you get to dropping stitches, knitting in the round, and cable knitting (my personal nemesis), it can feel daunting. Knitting is definitely easier to learn, but difficult to master. Crochet, on the other hand, is more difficult to learn, since there’s much more stitches to learn. Some of them are: single crochet, double crochet, half-double crochet, triple crochet, bubble crochet, and much more. But after you learn these basic stitches, crochet is a breeze. You can read almost any pattern out there. Crochet is difficult to learn but easy to master.

How do you start knitting or crocheting?

Personally, I joined the knitting club (Knitty Gritty) at ENMS, which was run by Mrs. Madison. She taught me how to do the basic knit stitch, but everything other than that I’ve taught myself through Youtube or random knitting articles. For crocheting, I just watched a bunch of Youtube videos during 2020 and taught myself how to do it. This might not work well for everyone, so there are always classes running in Northport Village or elsewhere, you just have to look. Or you can ask your local knitting and crocheting obsessed person (me!) to teach you! I’d definitely love to teach anyone who wants to learn!