Summer is still quite present in Belgium, but autumn and its beautiful colors are approaching.

A perfect season to start knitting or pick up your needles again if the heat had made you put them aside.   

Knitting is an ancient and magnificent art that allows us to dress from head to toe, in any season. Depending on the yarns used (their composition and thickness), the pieces will be light or keep us very warm! With a little practice, you quickly manage to make beautiful pieces that look great while being affordable to make. But shh! It’s an insider secret 😉 

For about fifteen years, knitting has experienced, like other fiber arts, a real resurgence of interest and a new artistic breath. Whether we talk about Estonian lace knitting, Japanese patterns, jacquard, socks, or highly creative contemporary knits, there is something for everyone! And what’s more, many projects are very easily portable.

But to get started or deepen your knowledge, you need landmarks and good equipment.
I really wanted to share with you a "knitting" overview based on my experience of more than 12 years. I hope you will like it.   

Marie Hélène, our super knitting teacher with our mascot aptly named "Glitter Dale"

Before any project: define our goals 

Before diving into the concrete, I advise you to think about your desires and your goals.
- Do you want a project that will finish quickly or a project that will allow you to enjoy the practice of knitting?
- Is the project intended for an adult or a baby?
- Will it need to be machine washable or can it be hand washed...
- Do you need to see your textured stitches or, on the contrary, are you looking for a fluffy and airy yarn...?

So many questions that will guide you in choosing the pattern, the yarn, and the needles for a successful project!

Do you know what you want to make? Let's move on to the necessary equipment to make it happen!

Necessary equipment

In sewing as in knitting, it is better to start directly with good equipment, it avoids many pitfalls. In knitting, we are lucky to be able to do a lot with little, but for the comfort of the practice, good equipment is essential.

1. The yarn 

The yarns have different characteristics that you will need to keep in mind for the final result.

Do you want a warm or lighter knit? For a knit that will withstand the rigors of winter (which will however take a bit of time), I recommend Rowan Felted Tweed, composed mainly of sheep wool and alpaca. And why not knit it double with its cousin from the brand, Kidsilk Haze? The latter is a mohair and silk yarn of incredible softness. It will add warmth and an extra nuance to the knit’s appearance. If you want a spiderweb-like knit, but nice and warm, go for the Kidsilk alone, the result will be magnificent!

DMC's Andes wool will also give a beautiful classic look in sweater or cardigan form, with the lovely softness of alpaca. If you plan to knit baby clothes, DMC's Woolly 5 is a very soft merino yarn. DMC thought of parents because it is very easy to wash. And from experience, I can confirm that it doesn’t lose its shape! With its strong twist, it is very fluffy, which is perfect for wrapping a baby snugly. My little niece never parts with her Woolly knitted comforter! And I intend to knit myself a collar in Woolly as well, but I will add a touch of sparkle by using the Chic version which is adorned with a lurex thread. For those in a hurry, thicker yarns will allow you to see the project progress faster! As its name suggests, DMC's Big Knit will allow you to complete a project in a single evening, thanks to its knitting with size 12 needles! Convenient when, like me, you are often late for end-of-year gifts! 😉

As we have seen, knitwear designers have undergone a deep renewal in recent years, but yarn creators too! DMC now offers the Merino Essentiel Ombré and Révélation yarns, a large 520-meter skein allowing you to knit a collar or a small shawl with just one skein, but also and especially with a gradient of colors that is truly magnificent. And to top it off, the Révélation is also available in a sparkling version! 

In yarn creation, you wouldn't think there are so many possibilities. The yarn can be made of one strand or several, and the twist of the whole can vary greatly. What can also be done is composing a yarn with strands of different colors and playing with color changes, like the Pirouette yarn. Designer Andrea Mowry really likes this kind of yarn for very interesting transition effects. And last but not least, how could we not present the yarn that adorns our new mascot, GlitterDale!? It is the Knitty glitter which offers a yarn in pretty solid colors with a superb glittery enhancement thanks to a lurex thread! At the shop, we are won over!

2. Stitch markers 

Among the essentials in the knitting kit, stitch markers hold a good place. They allow you to place markers, to highlight the different parts of a work in progress. When knitting a seamless sweater, at some point you end up knitting the front, back, left sleeve, and right sleeve all in one piece. Needless to say, knowing who is who – thanks to the ring markers – is essential! They also allow highlighting repetitions of lace or jacquard stitch patterns. My advice: have some open ones, so you can reposition them, and some closed ones for their ease of use.

3. The yarn needle

You know, at the shop, we stay very attentive to having beautiful finishes. In knitting, this involves – among other things – the action of "weaving in the ends": when a project is finished, with the yarn needle we pass the loose ends through the stitches of a row to hide them without cutting (the stitches might come undone!)

4. A crochet hook

You wouldn’t think you need a crochet hook in knitting, but it will save you from the most dreadful situation: dropped stitches! In this case, it is the crochet hook, and not really the needles, that will help you recover the lost stitch(es) and work back up to the current row of knitting.

An essential, even if you try to avoid using it!

5. Needle gauge

Not essential when you have three or four pairs of needles, but when you start to have a well-stocked assortment, it is not always obvious to know the number (or size) of each of our pairs. The gauge will allow you to find the size of a pair in the blink of an eye.

6. Special wool soap 

When making hand-knitted items, we need to keep their care in mind. Some yarns have a composition or treatment that allows machine washing (wool program and wool detergent, of course!), others, more delicate, will require hand washing. And in that case, Eucalan will be very useful. A drop is enough and rinsing is not necessary, it eventually dissolves in the water. Personally, I use the jasmine-scented one because I love that fragrance. Eucalan will also very easily allow you to "block" your knitting swatch and your project once finished: blocking is a soapy bath followed by flat drying while taking the time to properly shape your work so that it has a nice form once dry.

7. and 8. Embroidery scissors and measuring tape

These tools are not specific to knitting, you will easily find them in a drawer at home, but they also have their full use in your knitting toolbox. It is a pair of embroidery-type scissors to precisely cut wool strands and a measuring tape to assess the dimensions that emerge as our knitting evenings progress.   

And last, but not least of course…  

9. The needles 

Depending on your preferences, you can opt for the well-known straight needles or circular needles. The latter will notably allow you to make sweaters and cardigans without seams or to easily knit small diameters. You can also choose them in wood or metal. Again, it depends on your preferences and how you knit. Straight or circular needles, their size will be determined by the indications of the pattern you want to make and the result you want to achieve. At the shop, we have chosen DMC straight needles and Chiaogoo for circular needles. Two brands that have proven themselves in terms of quality. The world of needles is a world unto itself, and since we want to take the time for details, we are saving this topic for another article. To be continued!    

10. A good course to start safely! 

In knitting, as in embroidery or sewing, acquiring the right gestures directly is essential! The first lessons will help you hold your needles and yarn correctly. Learning to knit "comfortably" without unnecessary or counterproductive movements will guarantee you comfortable and pain-free knitting. 

Moreover, the expert will share their secrets for casting on, tightening stitches correctly according to the desired effect... in short, being accompanied for your first rows is really important! 

So if you don't have a grandmother or mom knitter ready to share her knitting secrets, we organize beginner and advanced courses at the shop.

I would be delighted to introduce you or help the more initiated to progress and above all to share my passion with kindness. 

Here is a nice overview of the essential knitting tools. I hope it has been an opportunity for you to see things more clearly in this area or to happily immerse yourself in this subject for the more experienced; 

So without further ado... Get your needles ready!