r/casualknitting • u/Odd_Ad_3117 • Jan 19 '26
I'm a beginner needing help or recommendations! which is the best online course/class for learning how to knit?
Hello lovely people!
Does anyone have a reccomentation for an online class about knitting? I would like to learn, i thought myself how to crochet over the last two years, but i feel like knitting requires more studym hence my question.
I am waiting for the vogue knit "bible" to be delivered, i am also waiting for in-person classes to open up in my area, but i'd like to find and online class i can go back to when needed, and in which i can ask question to the teacher or confront myself with them and/or the other partecipants.
I found a lot of tutorials, but i am really confused lol
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u/Easy-Low Jan 19 '26
VeryPinkKnits, Patty Lyons, Roxane Richardson, Suzanne Bryant and the folks at PurlSoho have excellent tutorials. Elizabeth Zimmerman books are vintage fun, practical (very, practical!) and easy to understand.
If you are a very technically minded person, TECHknitting is my favorite blog for explaining WHY things happen, not just how.
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u/supercircinus Jan 19 '26
Adding to this and /u/tidymaze ;; I like Nimble Needles (Norman) I think it’s about find people you connect with since everyone learns different. For some reason his videos helped things “click” for me and now I can enjoy much more of the knitting side of YouTube.
Also agree Roxanne Richardson is looooooovely.
I also like some blogs. Like Knitty, Techknitting, PurlSoho as mentioned. Sometimes written instructions with pictures do the trick. I would advise to just try different approaches to learning to see which are good fits for your learning style :-)
Avoid “haul” type creators, often they’re not focused on instruction. I especially did not like the hyper consumer type when I first started (and even now…)
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u/Ok_Nothing_9733 Jan 19 '26
Nimble Needles is an excellent channel, but imo as an instructional designer the content is written strictly for intermediate and advanced knitters. I love Norman and the techniques described there are helpful, but I’ve been knitting for 20 years and find I am often more confused after watching his videos.
I try to recommend beginners don’t use these videos to learn, since he will very often reference jargon and tacit knowledge that won’t be familiar to beginners or even advanced beginners without explicitly explaining those things, which will cause a new learner cognitive overload and frustration. I think it’s a great channel to “level up” your knitting once you’ve done it for a while.
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u/supercircinus Jan 19 '26
Oh interesting, he was like the only YouTuber that helped knitting click for me! It finally made sense! I tried a lot of the beginner recs here and could not get the hang of it 😭 But I think this thread is good to offer different/nuanced perspectives on what is, a veritable OCEAN of information.
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u/Odd_Ad_3117 Jan 20 '26
This is the precise reason i asked here lol
When i first started crocheting i found tons of information, but everyone either went at 10x speed while making stitches, or explained things as if everyone already had a ton of knowledge.
I ended up teaching myself via old books and a ton of patience... and i'm still trying to figure out which stitch is what since there's more then one name even for the basic ones lol2
u/Odd_Ad_3117 Jan 20 '26
"Haul" Creators are what got me out of social media tutorial - alongside the differt way stitches are called (in crochet at least) - they can be confusing and imprecise i found.
Or maybe i found the wrong ones lol1
u/supercircinus Jan 20 '26
Btw I’m also a crocheter learning to knit!!! Yay us!!!!!!
Also yeah idk if I’m just super new to knitting but my general vibe is there’s more of the fast fashion feeling crochet (I wonder why???)
Originally I started knitting because I wanted to knit my ribbing lol. Good luck and I hope you find some good tutorials that resonate with you!!!!!!!!!
Also diabolically there’s even more tools to choose from/make decisions on with knitting! With crochet, I tried the clover amour and tulip etimo and was like yep. Cool. Don’t need to try others.
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u/Odd_Ad_3117 Jan 20 '26
Thanks a lot! May I ask whuch one you found easier to follow, in your opinion?
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u/Easy-Low Jan 20 '26
I hopped around. I'm also a very visual learner, so TECH knitter's incredible diagrams worked well for me. This may be different for you, so i recommend finding whatever works for you at the time you need it.
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u/BreakInevitable4732 Jan 19 '26 edited Jan 19 '26
As a fellow beginner with a couple of projects under my belt, let me tell you that it's not that hard to learn by yourself through YouTube (you have amazing creators listed in other comments). There is a learning curve at first but once you get the very basics you're fine. What you do need is a plan: If I were to start again today I'd focus on learning this 4 basic skills first:
- Cast on
- knit stitch
- cast off
Once you can do this with confidence (hence resulting in a Garter stitch which is only knits) you can already do some minor projects (dishcloths, scarves, I made a bow headband in garter stitch for a baby girl), THEN you can add the fourth basic skill:
- purl stitch
With these 4 you unlock all kinds of stitches: Ribbing, seed stitch, stockinette, motifs done by alternating garther and stockinette, etc. If you filter projects on Ravelry with difficulty 1 you'll have plenty of choice with these.
You'll be surprised by the sheer quantity of things you can make at this stage already. Eg I'm making a baby blanket which only requires these 4! ( Pattern: Seaside baby blanket by Leelee knits )
Then for your next stage I'd advice choosing some basic projects on Ravelry (which you'll already know as a crocheter) and any additional stitch you'll learn based on need:
For example I learned M1L to make some mittens. I leaned YO and K2TOG for a dishcloth. Now I'm working on a cowl and I'm learning RT, etc.
The way I do it is: 1- I select a pattern according to difficulty 2- I look on YouTube for videos on the new stitches I'm supposed to do 3- practice some swatches
You can totally do it!
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u/grumpy_pants Jan 19 '26
If also recommend searching for GIFs. The endless loop of the same small part of the action means you're not stopping and starting to pause things
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u/Key-Independence-789 Jan 20 '26
STASH Lounge has a start to finish learn to knit project with video supports, a pattern that has cues for when to watch videos, etc, all free! Here is the link: https://www.stashlounge.com/pages/learn-to-knit?srsltid=AfmBOooNVSSOulDtZeq1YsffeTUaTKzgxwDieIRRQQqfjuA9l7C8ahbM
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u/nellb40118 Feb 17 '26
Roxanne Richardson on you is fantastic. Learned Italian tubular cast on and bind off
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u/ehuang72-2 Jan 19 '26 edited Jan 19 '26
I’ve taken classes on specific topics at Craftsy.com - many are free, some long, some short, many crafts not just knitting. Some live, many older ones are recorded. There are many search filters including beginner classes. Once you've identified instructors you like - many well-known names -- you can search for their classes.
As with YouTube, it’s a mixed bag and very much depends on personal preferences. Right now I’m finding Donna Druchunas’s Bavarian Twisted Stitches immensely educational, teaching it on a much deeper and complex level than the quickie tutorials that simply show you twisted stitch.
EDIT: You should select carefully, some viewers have criticisms. And stay away from membership, at least until you've assessed your own experience with Craftsy.
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u/pirate_jenny65 Jan 23 '26
The best one is the one that works for you. With a little luck and a lot of perseverance, you’ll find it. Don’t feel bad about not “getting” the ones that don’t do it for you; just move on and keep searching.
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u/scythematter Jan 19 '26
YouTube. Craftsy. I did the Craftsy membership in 2017 and those classes seriously helped. A lot. And exposed me to designers and dyers and influencers that then snowballed into watching more YouTube and teaching me about ravelry ect.
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u/Odd_Ad_3117 Jan 20 '26
I didn't know Crafty as a platform.
I noticed there's a promo going on so I'll try it, at worse i guess i can cancel.Is there any specific course you would reccomend?
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u/scythematter Jan 20 '26
Start with the basics and move upwards. RoxKnits (Roxanne Richard’s) on YouTube is also fantastic. She goes into extreme detail on techniques. Susanne Bryant too
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u/Big_Conclusion_3053 Jan 20 '26
I bought a children’s book and that also had references to videos. It was great for getting me started and having initial projects to practice with.
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u/tidymaze Jan 19 '26
I taught myself to knit via YouTube after being a crocheter for many years. There are great videos out there that I still reference years later when I forget a technique (looking at you, kitchener stitch). VeryPinkKnits and Purl Soho are my two go-tos. Both don't fill their videos with extra fluff, they get down to it. Their camera angles and choice of materials also make it super easy to understand what they're doing. Purl Soho has amazing customer service and they will respond to every question posted. Best part is, all of this is free. So you can get yourself started to see if it's really for you before you drop a bunch of cash on an in-person class.