Curious what got people started.
I learned the very basics (cast on, bind off, knit, purl, knit 2 together, read a knitting pattern with those things in it) from my grandmother and a knitting book.
Nowadays, learning more about knitting is on a need-to-know basis. I’ll see a pretty pattern and a technique in it I don’t know, and decide that I’m willing to take on the project anyways. Or I’ll reach the end of a project and realize I forgot the best way to weave in the ends and need to look it up.
When I end up needing to learn more, I’ll use online resources, favoring articles with images (like this one telling you how to weave in ends in stockinette) and GIFs over videos, and favoring shorter videos over longer ones.
YouTube on both counts. I’ve tried knitting a few times and it just didn’t work for me. Tried English and continental. Finally stumbled on Portuguese and it just worked perfectly. I’ve only knit a few things since learning, but my main problem now is that anything beyond knit and purl I have to try and translate into Portuguese, and it makes it a bit difficult sometimes.
We were all taught basic knitting in school when I was a kid, alongside sewing and all. But I think I stuck with it because my mom likes to knit and helped me whenever I lost a knit or got confused. It was pretty simple to figure out stuff after you learn to read the knits though and after that I’ve been learning new techniques from YouTube whenever a pattern requires it. But I would probably still credit those school lessons for providing me with the tools and materials to try so I could then look more into it myself to really learn!
I learned to knit as a child - my mother was an incredible knitter and made us a lot of knitted garments, including a horrendous bathing suit (!!!) and a jumper with a fair isle yoke that was so beautiful I grieved when I grew out of it. In my teens I knitted a pair of gloves, but they felted badly and I lost interest in the craft.
Fast forward to age about 60, when I was given a pair of hand-knitted socks. I was beyond thrilled, and set out to learn how to knit them myself. What really set me on fire was discovering the advances in yarn. Not just machine-washable merino, though that is brilliant, but the number of independent dyers creating the most sensational colours and effects. My sock drawer is now ablaze with colour, and all my friends and family flaunt socks, shawls and scarves I’ve knitted. Along the way I was introduced to Ravelry and its forums and patterns, and I attended several yarn festivals where I got to fan-girl over my favourite designers and dyers. Such fun!
My ambition is to knit myself a beautiful jumper with a fair isle yoke. I’ve had a few goes at colour work but it went badly, so I’m going to find a workshop and learn properly.
I had no idea knitted garments could stand up to swimming!
They can’t! The wool soaks up water like a sponge, stretching the fabric down almost to the backs of your knees. Hideously uncomfortable.
I tried to learn knitting as a kid from my uncle (lol) but I think my left-handedness got in the way so I gave it up for 30 years. This year I started taking my mom to a knitting meetup as she’s been an avid knitter for most of her life. At first I was just gonna make her company, maybe crochet something, but since I was there I said why not try again? I picked it up quickly, at least knit and purl and then I fell into the rabbit hole that is Ravelry and with the help of Youtube tutorials picked up more techniques.
There’s been a few quirks. I’ve recently learned that the way my mom, and honestly everyone here, knits is called combined continental and while it works really well in the flat, it doesn’t so much in the round where there’s no ‘wrong’/purl side to untwist stitches. So thanks to Youtube I’ve learned continental for in the round knitting and keeping the style I was taught for flat.
I learned originally from my Grandma, just knit and purl. After that YouTube.
That’s my story too!
Learned from my English Nana, who also tried to teach me basic crochet and various cast ons and offs. Managed a scarf that my mum finished.
But it was Brownies that made me complete a ‘potholder’ square independently. Since then, on and off, adding to skills from books mostly. We used to have a shop in the region with a proprietor who knew obscure knitting techniques and would show them patiently as long as you were buying yarn there regularly. No longer unfortunately.
However, I’ve found YouTube great more recently for some of those rarely used techniques that there’s no one around to show you.
I remember “finger knitting” a lot as a kid but I didn’t know how to make a new row so would just sit for hours making hilariously long chains. And I’m pretty sure it was more finger crochet, but honestly not sure as I can’t remember how I was doing it.
My grandma knitted for a while but had absolutely terrible taste, all the grandkids dreaded being gifted something so that probably put me off for a fair while!
Ended up learning for real in early 2013, I’d just moved in with my now-husband and must have felt secure enough to start a yarn stash after years of moving around between different rentals every few months. Basically just googled for tutorials and followed them as best I could, which did result in me knitting everything through the back loop for a while due to one ambiguous image in a tutorial somewhere. Within a couple months I’d done a full size adult jumper and a lace shawl, just jumped in at the deep end with no fear whatsoever.
These days I’m with you OP it’s pretty much new things as and when I see a pretty pattern using them. And then most of the time, modern patterns are going to have at least a brief explanation of any unusual techniques included, so you often don’t even need an external resource at all! On those occasions when I do I’ll look for written with photos first, video if the pics weren’t clear enough. And then of course sometimes I just make it up and if it looks close enough to the pattern photo I’m happy 😆
The internet, to both questions. I didn’t know anyone irl who knitted, and I was too shy to go learn from a class or group.
I did try to learn from my grandmother when I was a kid but it didn’t stick. I don’t think I had the manual dexterity, when I looked it up on YouTube as an adult I didn’t have too much trouble with it.
I had forgotten learning from my grandmother but I found some of my old notes and things at her house the other week that been stored away for the last 30 years or so.
Now I learn from YouTube and certain books. How to knit socks that fit, jumper knitting handbook type stuff and the Japanese knitting stitch Bible.
I started with crochet and moved onto knitting. Now I much prefer it and how versatile it is
My freshman year of college (mumble mumble 21 years ago), one of my friends was knitting during finals week. I asked her what she was doing and why? Knitting and because it relieved stress. I asked her to teach me; studying paused. We got a skein of yarn and the needles it said to use. She taught me stockinette and cut me loose to make a scarf (which I still have).
Everything else, I’ve learned from YouTube and various websites. Knitty and Studio Knit were my main tutorial resources in the early years. Knit Picks and Purl Soho are sites I’ve added to my resource list over the years. My sister has started knitting since I started but no one else in my family knits so I don’t have that resource. Many of my friends knit and we bounce ideas and patterns off each other. Ravelry helped me go DEEP down the rabbit hole on patterns and yarn.
