A List of Tools

 

     So you want to crochet. Or knit. But you don't know what to do or how to do it. What do you need? Where do you go?

Knitting or crocheting? What you'll need is:

A hook (or a pair of needles). Check the band on your yarn for details. (worsted weight or 4 usually uses a 5mm needle and a 5.5mm hook. This varies from yarn to yarn, so check my blog for more posts about yarn weights and needle/hook sizes, in order to find out what you need!)

          [a pair of blue Susan Bates needles with a blue-handled Clover Amour hook]

yarn: Any yarn will do! Obviously in this situation, I'll recommend cheap yarn.

                                                [Big Twist Value Yarn in Purple]

Scissors. Usually small ones are fine, like embroidery scissors, or folding scissors.

[three pairs of scissors. left to right: green handled multiuse scissors, pastel green and white embroidery scissors, novelty rainbow unicorn steel embroidery scissors]

Finishing needles/yarn needles. To weave in ends.

[various finishing needles. Left to right: a kit of metal needles, a black Lantern Moon ebony needle, two plastic needles, one light blue, one teal with a bent tip]

Stitch markers: you can use any kind, but plastic ones that look like safety pins are cheap and easy to find. A lot of companies will send you some when you buy a product, often times when you get yarn needles.

  

    [ a rainbow of plastic locking stitch markers which look like safety pins]

Storage: you can use pretty much any containers, I keep my stitch markers in an old ice cream pint container (those plastic ones with a screw on lid, like Talenti). As long as it closes, you can use it. If you don't have stuff on hand, check the dollar store. 

                                [stitch markers stored in a screw-top pint container]

Things you could use, but don't specifically need:

 a yarn ball winder. this is great if you have hanks, or you can't find a center pull on your skein

a yarn swift. to put the  hank on in order to spin it onto the winder

a yarn bowl. to hold your yarn. Depending on what you have on hand, you might not need to buy one. (a plain bowl will do as well. A heavier bowl will work better, so look for ceramic dishes at the thrift store or at the dollar store)

a measuring tape. (warning: may be labeled "for weight loss" if you buy online) (you can get these almost anywhere!)

a row counter.

a pattern reading folder (you can DIY these if needed!) [This one needs explaining. Basically you put your pattern printout in a folder either in a sheet protector which you can then underline lines with washi tape from the dollar store, or in a file folder and put a cutout into the file folder to read the lines. Or you can just cross out lines with a marker, but where's the aesthetic? *wink*

blocking pins/T-pins: in case you want to block something. these HAVE to be stainless steel so they don't rust.

foam pads for blocking: Please for the love of god, do NOT spend the money on expensive "knit blocking" mats. Just buy something for kids. I got a HUGE amount of foam squares for like $30 on Amazon. Probably more than I need. You can sometimes find them in the exercise section of Walmart or the kids' section as play mats.

Hooks for rescuing dropped stitches: if you knit, you may need two of these, one small and one large depending on projects.

Handheld steamer: for blocking! This is way easier than wet blocking. (literally the best. It heats up so fast, and is super cute. My sister in law bought it for me, and it's so useful)

 Where to go:

While you can go to Amazon, a lot of people really don't like shopping there. I get it. So while you can find any of these things on Amazon, you may want to check out places like Etsy and Ebay, or poke around at Joann, Michael's, Walmart, and Hobbii.

Extra: Things you probably don't need:

wooden yarn winder/swift: really not necessary.
cable needles: you can literally use anything to hold stitches if you get cabling, even a toothpick or a knitting needle.
yarn holder rings: unless yarn is tearing up your fingers, you're probably okay

Things you really do not need:

Fancy storage on the wall. If you have the space, and no concerns about moths because your yarn is acrylic? I guess so. But it's not necessary. You can stuff your yarn into paper bags, cardboard boxes, cloth underbed storage bags. Reuse the plastic bag your bedding came in. Make bags with cheap fabric.

This post is not sponsored. All items or locations mentioned are for information purposes only. My opnions are my own. Thank you for reading. If you'd like to help out, buy me a coffee!