Finding a new hobby that you actually enjoy is hard. You might be stuck in a rut and need something new. Maybe you had tried something in the past and it didn’t quite work out but you want to try again? Whatever it is, finding a new hobby can be exciting but scary.
I tried knitting when I was younger with my grandma. She made it look so easy but at the time I was more than terrible. We tend to quit things early on if we are not any good at them. This was me. I never looked back.
Since then, I tried rock, feather, and pog collecting. I had a ton of elephant sculptures for awhile because my family found out I loved them so naturally, every gift for years, was something with an elephant on it. I tried dance class, yoga, pole dancing and rock climbing. Nothing seemed to stick. Sure, I enjoyed most of them, but some things were a flat out no. Finding a hobby is harder than you think. You really have to be invested in doing something you are terrible at over and over until you start to become decent. That takes time and dedication.
Since deploying overseas, one of the girls I roomed with knitted. I still had a hatred for it from my childhood but I figured I could try again and see if I could get the hang of it as an adult. If so, I could knit my granny a scarf for Christmas and surprise her that I actually completed a scarf!
I started off my next hobby adventure with some <a href="http://Lion Brand Yarn 640-536 Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn, Fossil
“>thick yarn and a <a href="http://
“>big knitting needles. (This combo seems to be the easiest when you are first learning.)
I love the yarn I linked. It’s big enough for beginners and the quality is awesome. It’s also $6 a ball for a lot of colors which I think it’s reasonable. The needles I linked are all you will need to get started. A ton of different sizes and easy to work with.
Since starting to knit, I have wanted to expand my horizons and try knitting with circular needles<a href="http://18 Pairs Bamboo Knitting Needles Set, Vancens Circular Wooden Knitting Needles with Colorful Plastic Tube, Small Tools for Weave are Included, 18 Sizes: 2mm – 10mm, 31.5" Length
“>,
crochet, and double pointed needles. These hyperlinks are what I am currently using. The circular needles are holding up just fine. The crochet hooks are an amazing deal and the bag and accessories are all great quality for the price. The double pointed needles are holding up fine and very sturdy. Some of the reviews were not great but I have no issues with anything.
Yarn is also very tricky to order online. There are so many variables to look at and it’s awful that you are not able to feel the quality. Below are the links to what I have used and my opinion of them.
This yarn worked well for a scarf and headband I made for my niece. It’s on the smaller side, so not so easy for beginners but does not fray and has a nice color transition.
This yarn was used to make a scarf and it is so soft and easy to use. This was the first yarn/scarf I made that I had not a single imperfection in my knitting. It has a nice stretch and I have purchased this in many colors.
So soft! This Chenille yarn is easy to work with, extremely soft and does not shed like some yarn can. The cakes are small, 164 yards, which is a bummer, but the quality is good.
Currently making a scarf with this Comfy Cotton Blend yarn. It is very soft but this yarn is hard to work with. The strands often fray and slide down the yarn as you knit. I like to hold my yarn tight and learned quickly that I could not do that when it frays as easily as it does.
Looks pretty online and even in person. The minute you start working with it, it gets very frizzy and also comes apart easily within the strand. A portion of the color change is black that I was not aware of and did not like in the color scheme so I cut that portion out and continued with the color changes of the one in the picture.
Sometimes the cheap stuff is the best. This yarn is wonderful. While not very soft like some, it’s so easy to work with. Never changes textures or thickness. It also does not fray or frizz. I made baby booties out of them and they had great structural integrity as well.
At 315 yards a roll, you feel like you will never get to the end of this ball. It’s soooo soft. Easy to work with and comes in awesome colors. Currently working on a scarf and it has awesome weight and texture as a whole.
There are obviously thousands more types of yarns but this is what I used from Amazon so far. Being deployed, you can’t really go into a craft store and pick what you want.
I find knitting very relaxing and mindless which sometimes is exactly what I need. I can knit and watch tv/listen to music/podcasts and still feel like I’m accomplishing something. All the different types of needles and hooks I purchased allow me to make really anything I can find a video on.
It’s been an awesome new hobby and a relatively cheap one to maintain. They also let you take knitting needles on planes, which I didn’t know, so you can knit literally anywhere in the world! Except probably prison. But besides that, you’re good to go!
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