Marly Bird’s BiCrafty Boot Camp: Team Thoughts on Knitting Lesson One

Hello! Have you signed up for Marly Bird’s BiCrafty Boot Camp: Knitting Lessons for Crocheters? This is a FREE weekly series that teaches you how to knit from the ground up. Anyone can join. However, it’s particularly geared towards crocheters who are ready to put the skills they already know to use to make learning to knit easier.

• Find all the details here. Each week’s lesson will be linked to at the bottom of that post when it’s live.
• You can also find all BiCrafty Boot Camp posts here.
• Enlist here. (This just means that we know you’re participating and you’ll get weekly newsletters sharing the latest from the project.)

The Team’s First Facebook Live Chat

BiCrafty Boot Camp started off on 3/31/21. We launched slowly so that you have a chance to get into the swing of things. So far, we’ve learned a bit about knitting needles, how to cast on, and how to knit stitch.

Every other week, we’ll do a Facebook Live where you can watch the team chat about their own challenges as they learn to knit alongside you. You’ll also get a chance to see all of the amazing knitting tools and notions that our sponsors have sent us from Signature Needle Arts, ChiaoGoo, Prym, Jimmy Beans Wool, and Erin.Lane Bags. (There will be giveaways to come!) And we’ll answer any questions that have come up in the preceding weeks.

Since we’re starting off slow, the first video is an introduction to the project. Plus you get to meet some of my team. Kathryn and Cryssi both joined the team about six months ago and you might have interacted with them online but now you get a chance to see them live. So, in case you missed it – or you just want to watch again – here’s that video:

Some Thoughts From Lesson One

Kathryn and Cryssi are both newbie knitters but experienced crocheters. They are both thrilled to learn to knit from Marly Bird using some of the best knitting tools in the industry thanks to those sponsors. In the video, you’ll see some of those supplies.

Choosing Knitting Needles

See our beginner’s guide to knitting needles and also check out our recommended knitting needles for beginners.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by how many options there are for knitting needles out there, but don’t let that distract you. You can easily start with whatever materials you can afford right now, and you can scale up to different needles in the future as you get used to knitting. That said, we specifically reached out to these sponsors because theirs are the needles that I love to work with. In the video you can see a terrific Erin.Lane bags roll-up DPN case that I love along with the Signature Needle Arts needles that are among my favorites.

Each month we’ll be showcasing the needles from a different sponsor. Right now we’re working with ChiaoGoo. We are all working with size 8 knitting needles for this project. (That said, depending on your tension – something you know about from crochet – you may find yourself going up or down a size to 7 or 9.) We are working with circular needles. Cryssi is working with the 24″ patina bamboo circulars while Kathryn is working with their 24″ steel circulars.

Both women have tried both a little bit, though, and agree that the material of the needle makes a lot of difference in the ease of knitting. As we discussed in the video, it might be easier to start out on bamboo / wooden knitting needles that grip the yarn better so that your stitches don’t slide off as easily. As an experienced knitter, I use metal and want the slickest, fastest stitching possible. But it takes time to get there, so don’t worry if you’re still adjusting. That’s normal.

Signature Needle Arts Promo Code

We also discuss that there are different types of needle points – some are blunter and some are pointier. Signature Needle Arts is well-known for their stiletto points, which are as pointy as it gets. If you can afford to get a set of needles from this sponsor, they’re well worth it. They’re the Ferrari of knitting needles. Oh and by the way, they’re offering discounts to members of BiCrafty Boot Camp! Get 10% off at Signature Needle Arts when you use promo code MARLYKNITS. Make sure it’s all caps. You can only use this code once per customer, during the length of BiCrafty Boot Camp. And it can’t be combined with other deals.

Being a Beginner Again

Cryssi is a little bit further along than Kathryn is with learning how to knit but both women are finding similar challenges. It’s a little bit frustrating to be a beginner again. But at the same time, it’s so helpful to remember that there was a time neither knew how to crochet. The video emphasizes a lot of things we already know as crocheters that do make this process easier. For example, although you might not know what every abbreviation means, you basically know what you’re looking at when you see a knitting pattern. Remember before you could read a crochet pattern and it was all gibberish? But now you’ve got it, and you’ll get this too.

So, some reminders about being a beginner:

• It can be a great feeling. You’re learning something new and when you get it, it feels great.
• It can also be frustrating. And that’s okay. Take ten mintues a day to work on your knit stitch. And if it gets too frustrating, take a break.
• You can do this! You will build up muscle memory. Skills will develop. Maybe you’ll love it or maybe you’ll make a few projects here and there and still mostly crochet. Either way, it’s nice to develop that bicrafty handiness. And I absolutely believe in you. I love teaching and I can’t wait to have you join the knitting world.

So join us. Sign up for boot camp. Check out the first lessons. Watch the YouTube Live above. Tag @themarlybird on Instagram. Share your progress there or on Facebook. We’re all in this together!