Which craft is best for you?? 🧶 | my journey from crochet to knitting

[@ManateeTail123]

My story is quite similar to yours. My mom taught me how to chain and single crochet at 10, then when I was 11-12 I bought a book and taught myself more, and that’s when I really took off. About 2 years ago I started slowly learning how to knit, a small project here and there. This year I’ve really been expanding my skills beyond flat beginner projects. I finished a raglan sweater recently and the last few days I’ve been learning how to work dpns so I can knit socks!

[@nataliebeau]

That’s amazing!!

[@fantabulousjess]

I’ve been crocheting since middle school as well! You inspired me to pick up knitting and I just finished my first vanilla sock and I LOVE IT. Thanks for sharing your journey! Looking forward to more videos and seeing what you make 😊

[@jennyh107]

For me, crochet is definitely faster, but knitting wins in almost every other category. I love the look of knit fabric, and I love overcoming a challenge, since I do find it a lot harder than crochet! I do want to do a tapestry crochet piece soon though

[@nataliebeau]

Before I learned how to knit, I was so intimidated by it! I am so glad I am not anymore because you're right, it is such a beautiful process!! Ive never tried tapestry crochet but it looks SO cool!!

[@t.t.9081]

Just the video (& comments) I needed to hear. Been crocheting for quite awhile now (macrame was my first thing) & my knitted garment envy has been growing & growing, so this video has made me finally decide to give it a try. So thanks! Btw, your siblings comment on another video is what made me actually watch it & subscribe before finding this video. So thanks to them as well. 😀

[@stephaniebeaulieu2505]

I can't do either so good job

[@nataliebeau]

😂

[@fatigue_ling]

I knit for about a decade before learning to crochet, and I agree with you that it's really nice to have the option to do both. Personally, I much prefer the process of crocheting (and I feel less intimidated about tackling new stitches/techniques/complicated patterns), but I tend to like the finished objects I knit more. I love the drape of knit fabric but it feels so much slower and knitting doesn't keep my interest like crochet does

[@fidgetscrochet]

i also picked up crochet so much quicker!! i make a lot of plushies too which i think helps. knitting is great for clothing though, it takes me way longer but i like how it looks more!!

[@nataliebeau]

Yes! I totally agree!! I love making little crochet plushies 🥹

[@pinkpandamiranda]

I picked up knitting like I already knew how to do it - incredibly beginner friendly for me. But I've heard some people say the same for crochet (cannot understand it myself lol) so it's all about perspective!

[@nataliebeau]

So true!!!

[@lashonda_r]

I do both. Crochet is faster for me, though. But I enjoy doing both of them just like you said. They both look so different, and the techniques are so different. But I have love in my heart for both of them. But I started with crochet.

[@nataliebeau]

Yes!!! We are exactly the same!!! I am so glad people are starting to learn both arts instead of it being an "us vs them" situation!

[@lashonda_r]

@nataliebeau I couldn't agree more, they both are so beautiful, but in different ways. And like you I struggled at first to get a hang of it, when I discovered Continental Knitting it was a game changer because I think I was struggling with holding my yarn in the opposite hand and it just wouldn't click lol

[@JDempsey23]

I’ve tried crochet but have never been able to get past doing a chain! I’ve attempted to learn twice in my life and just gave up. I just don’t understand counting stitches and tension in crochet. Knitting is still something I’m getting more experience in and learning about, so it’s been enough for me right now. But there are things I want to do in crochet like amiguri and granny square projects. People keep saying it’s easier than knitting so I’ll have to give it a go again sometime. I think it would be really useful to know how to do both, it would also lessen the gap of the knitters vs crocheters debate. Also people say not to do scarves bc they’re boring but I honestly love knitting them 😂 I like being able to mindlessly knit vs checking a pattern or counting rows constantly. It’s so easy and fun to come up with your own patterns as well lol I hate how I leave such long comments but I got really hyper fixated on knitting again the past few months and it’s fun getting to talk about it 😅

[@nataliebeau]

I love the long comments!! And yes, I think you should 100% try crocheting again! I will say, the first couple weeks of learning it is REALLY frustrating, but I promise if you persist through it, it will start to click! Ive made a couple of crochet amiguri projects and they are so fun and rewarding! Highly recommend them!!

[@lashonda_r]

Honestly, crochet was super frustrating for me at first. I felt like I could never figure it out. Now I'm 2 years in freehanding wearable without patterns. Consistency and repetition is definitely the way to learn things. And honestly sometimes just the supplies you use can make a world of difference. Get a decent hook and some yarn and just passive simple stitches until you get one down, do another that's what worked for me🙂

[@nataliebeau]

Yes!!! So so true!!

[@alexyssaubrie1606]

I’ve been knitting for 20 year and have been crocheting for less than a year, and I definitely find crochet easier for beginners too. I find myself already more confident trying harder projects, whereas with knitting I’ve only made hats and scarves this whole time. Only having one loop is huge! I tried knitting again after crocheting for a while and I found myself so anxious about slipping stitches, I accidentally added them on. And then the tension was off so it was way too big and I had to start again…then when back to crocheting. I’ve made tops, amigurumi and a mesh bag. I’ve even made up how to do things on my own and it actually worked. Knitting to me is more like baking. It has to be precise, and you have to follow the recipe exactly or it won’t turn out right. But crocheting is more like cooking, so you can customize it easier to your preferences. Both are fun in their own ways. I’m definitely gonna try knitting socks soon because I hate commercial socks with a passion and think this might solve my problems.

[@nataliebeau]

That is such a great analogy for crocheting and knitting!! I'll have to use that...;) and YES please give socks a try! They are amazing, I have a whole video about them 😅

[@macaronicrafts]

I haven't learned knitting yet but I really want to, it's just intimidating 😭I love crocheting though. It took me a long time to relax my tension enough to make it sustainable, but even the tension that feels "natural" is often too tight to meet gauge on patterns, so I tend to size up a hook by default. I think it's just a side effect of having small hands lmao.

[@nataliebeau]

I am the same way! I felt SO intimidated from knitting, but it really looks harder than it actually is. It was definitely an adjustment to switch over. My hands felt really weird at first, but I am so glad I did it! If you know anyone who can knit, It was great being able to learn in person! But I know know not everyone has that chance.

I disagree about crochet being more beginner friendly! Maybe because I started with knitting, it comes to me much more naturally and easily. I can never for the life of me figure out what I am doing wrong in crochet, whereas in knitting, if you drop a stitch, twist a stitch, etc., it's kinda easier to know what is wrong. Also with knitting you only really have two stitches, it's either a knit or a purl. With crochet we have chain, slip stitch, single crochet, double crochet, half-double crochet, and they are all considered "basic stitches". Last but not least, with crochet we have to keep counting all the time, or we might accidentally add or loose stitches somewhere and the item gets warped. With knitting, every stitch you need is in the needles already, and you can just go with the flow, row after row, until it's time to increase or decrease and then, only then you need to count. I also disagree about the tools! You can do almost anything with one circular needle, yarn, a darning needle and the very same stitch markers you use for crochet. The rest is just extra. So to start knitting or crocheting we need very the same things, except the needle/hook. I agree on the point about the different fabrics produced. Coincidentally, I was going through Ravelry today adding interesting crochet patterns to my queue, and I by-passed all the sweaters. They looked waaay too stiff. Overall, for garments, I think knitting looks best. I think the criteria for deciding what a person prefers boils down to the personal taste for the final fabric plus the amount of patience they have. Knitting is slower by nature (even though the speed of a project will always vary based on yarn weight, complexity, etc. and some simple knits can be way quicker than some Irish crochet, Filet crochet, Tapestry crochet, for example). But in general, if someone can't commit to a project for a long time, they will get more satisfaction from crochet. Personally, I'm more or a knitter, but I wanted to learn crochet for the decorative side of it (and for the structure/functionality in other cases as well). And because the tradition for crochet is more solid than the knitting tradition in my country, which means we get a wider variety of crochet materials and patterns than of knitting

[@nataliebeau]

You make some really great points that I've never thought about before! It's so crazy how each experience of these crafts can be so personal. Thanks for sharing!!

[@krinix_]

both are too hard for me😂😭