Last weekend, I received a few VERY nice DM’s and emails, asking me if I can upload a “How To Knit” video on my YouTube channel. Well, this was one of the first video tutorials I have uploaded but with me speaking Hebrew. So, I was more than excited to read the nice words asking me for a video of me speaking English. In today’s post I’ll tell you everything you need to know about my new How To Knit Video + 7 tips for beginners, but let’s first start with some Spring Knitting Picnic from the past week.

Spring vibes

Together with Monday’s girl, we decided to make this week’s meeting an outside one. The weather in Israel is just beautiful these days and we wanted to take advantage of it. Spring in Israel is SO short (even shorter than So short). In the last few weeks I feel a huge urge to be in the nature. To simply hike in nature with friends, to go for a day trip or even just to have a picnic brunch. I will take it all without any extra thoughts. Visiting nature is such a delightful experience during these short weeks of Spring. Everything here is so green and lush at the moment and the weather is just perfect. Not too warm and not too cold. Colourful flowers of all kinds are blooming and covering huge surfaces and I just can’t get enough of it.

A Spring Knitting picnic

I can’t begin to describe to you how happy it makes me to go out in the green these days. It makes such a difference and fills me up with energy. And we know it will disappear before we event notice once the furious summer starts. So last Monday we met outside to knit and it was D E L I C I O U S. Lina, a sweet lady from our Monday’s club, found us the nicest spot, not very far, where we could all meet for a knitting brunch. Each of us had a little bag of something nice for the brunch and a little bag of knitting. We had THE most delightful Spring picnic. The food was delicious. I baked a sourdough beard. We had butter, good different types of cheese and homemade jams, Apple pie, fruits, strawberries, coffee, and herbs tea. What a bliss. We knitted and chatted and simply enjoyed the Spring. I was teaching in a Spring knitting picnic – this is a start up! To be honest I was teaching here and there for bits and pieces. Not something to call teaching. I even had time to cast on my Jelly Rolls socks. I shared my WIP on IG stories.

How To Knit – Video Tutorials For Beginners

On Sunday, the day before our Spring knitting picnic I was filming two knitting tutorials for my YouTube channel. Actually, let’s go back to last weekend for a second ok? Last weekend I received a few VERY nice requests for a How To Knit video tutorials for beginners. One of the ladies kindly sent me an email saying ” I would love an English video. 🥰🥳🥰 and I don’t think I am alone. I know there are many videos in English, but you have a gift for explaining and teaching. I have been making crochet since I was a child and over the years I have learnt a lot with Youtube, but with knitting it has not been the case”. Another lady wrote to me that she would like to start making my KISS blanket but she doesn’t know how to knit. She watched my how to knit video, which was one of the first I uploaded to my channel. But she said she can’t understand the Hebrew. So, I changed my original plans for this week’s filming. Yesterday I uploaded the HOW TO KNIT video tutorial and this time I speak English (my English ;). Which planned to be the first in a ‘Knitting for beginners’ playlist. And here is the video for you:

How To Knit – Part 1

In this video I show how to start knitting. You probably know that I’m a left handed but I knit as a right handed. I guess it’s because my grandma taught me to knit and she was a right handed. In my video I teach how to knit exactly like my grandma taught me. I try to keep it simple, as I do here in my knitting classes. I broke it into steps and filmed it close to my hands, to make it easy for you to follow. In the first half of the video I show how to cast on – using the long tail cast on. VERY simple and easy to follow. In the second half I show how to knit. In knitting instructions Knit = K = knit stitch. I start with knitting using the English style, where you hold the yarn on your right hand and which was the way my Grandma taught me. In the last part of the video I show how to knit using the continental style, where you hold the yarn on the left hand. In this video I’m using Toft DK in colour Cream 14448 and my 4 mm Lykee DPN’s

7 Tips For Beginners

Here are 7 knitting tips for beginners, to go along with my How To Knit Video.

1. Give yourself time to practice

Number one tip for you is a BIG one. When you watch the video, first start with just watching. Then when you try to do it yourself, start with making the first step. Stop the video, watch this part again and try doing it again. Go back and forth as many times as you need. Watch the next step, Make the next step, stop the video and try it again. Repeat it with each and every step in the video. Take this tip as the most important one out of my 7 knitting tips for beginners. It will help you to get the most out of the How To Knit video.

2. Work with what you have

Don’t run to buy anything. Borrow some needles from a friend, your mom, mother in law or a neighbor. Use a simple yarn/ wool, anything you have. Make sure not to start with a dark yarn. A dark yarn will make it very difficult for you to see what you’re doing.

3. Tention

The secret in Knitting is tension. When you watch the video try to look how I hold the yarn. What I do with my left hand and with my right hand. How I close my right hand fingers. What’s my left hand finger’s position? You want the yarn in a balanced tension and you need to practice holding the yarn. It’ll take time till you feel you control the tension. At first it will feel like you try to hold water, don’t worry just keep on practicing it. Your fingers will have to get used to some new positions.

4. What Knitting style to choose

I recommend that if this is the first time you try to knit, start with the English style. But if you have tried knitting in the past and you remember you’ve been holding your yarn in your left hand, try the continental way as well. Try to feel which of the two is your natural intuitive knitting way. Holding the yarn in the right hand feels different than holding it in left hand. You will develop your own style after a while.

5. Make your HAPPY PLACE

I’m a big believer in “make yourself your happy place”. I make sure each and everyone of my students have their own HAPPY KNITTING PLACE. This is exactly what I say to my students: Choose a spot that you like to work. Put your yarn and needles in a little basket or a nice box. Make sure you have enough light in this spot. Make yourself a cup of coffee/ tea and make it your self-care time. Your happy knitting place will become a magnet.

6. Arms position

Make sure you sit comfortably and if you sit next to a table try not to put your elbows on the table. Keep them lower then your needles and fingers. Try to lay back on the chair.

7. Enjoy experiencing new skill

Enjoy the fact that you learn something new. Learning new skills is so good for our brain and positively affecting our mind. Don’t be afraid to visit places out of your comfort zone. Enjoy the way. If you tried knitting in the past and it wasn’t successful it doesn’t mean that it will stay the same this time. Every time you start is different. If you feel it’s too frustrating, get up, do something else and come back to it later with fresh energies. As always with learning new skills there’s the learning curve so here we are again in the first tip – give yourself time to practice.

Knitting is joy

These are my 7 knitting tips for beginners to complete the How To Knit video. Let me know what you think and if you have any tip to add from your own experience. Knitting is meditating and it has so many mental health benefits. It makes me feel so good to be able to teach and to share my love for knitting with others. It takes time and practice. At first it will feel impossible but after teaching so many beginners I know it’s just a matter of practice. It is a simple skill and YOU CAN DO IT. Thank you so much for reading and for watching my video, If you find it helpful, please give my video the thumbs up and don’t forget to subscribe for more videos like this. xxMo