So you want to be a knitter - part 2

Yarn

For your first shopping expedition I would highly recommend that you give the large hobby stores a miss. There is a perfectly good reason for this, and later I'd recommend you go, but the first time you get there you will be enabled and you won't know what you need, and there is no one to ask. There are racks upon racks of beautiful yarn begging to be picked up and squeezed, shelves of knitting books that might as well be written in a foreign language and these things that you know must be important or they wouldn't be there but you have no idea what they are or what you use them for.

So you panic and go into a shopping frenzy and buy lots of things because you must need them right, and that yarn is so soft, but how many balls do you need? You don't know so you buy lots and lots. Experienced knitters have the same problem with yarn but they at least know to avoid the notions and books.

In your local yarn store it's different, first of all it gives you the sense of being like a club that you're not part of and everyone knows the rules but you, but there is always someone to ask for help.

On your first foray into the sanctum sanctorum of local knitters you will be both flummoxed and tempted. One wall is covered in needles all in different sizes and materials and the rest is little cubby holes full of yarn. There is usually a table with folders on it and the lighting isn't quite as bright as you're used to to keep the yarn from fading. In mine there is a table with gadgets and gizmos and swifts and looms and other things that make me go ooh, ahh, I mustn't.

There are often knitting starter packs for children arranged brightly on the desk, next to the pin cushions, tape measures and ribbon bundles. Most of them will have someone behind the counter working on their own knitting. Sometimes these shops are slightly more expensive than their chain counterparts but they are full of knitters who know what they're doing and are more than happy to help if you just ask.

Often they will have little items tacked up next to the cubby hole with the wool so you can see it knit up, something that the counter lady is working on, and if they haven't got it in stock they can order it. They will also know the location of any knitting circles in the area, and once they get used to you being part of their club, which is just a matter of knitting believe it or not, they will often think of you when they order yarn, so they'll recommend it to you.

It is the nature of knitters to acquire yarn, and you will acquire it. Before you know it you will have a bag/cupboard/suitcase full of unopened skeins of yarn just begging you do to something with them as soon as you have the right pattern. The joy of scale knitting as opposed to human sized is you can get away with using one skein not twenty. This means it's not that expensive, there is nothing to stop you spending £20 on one skein because it's beautiful and using it for a scarf because it's not too expensive to consider.

Also don't neglect the remnant bin- you don't need five or six balls of one colour so you can pick up some great yarns for a fraction of the price. You will end up with the yarn equivalent of King Solomon's mines, I only recommend leaving the Hobby chain for a while because you don't need to go rooting around in Aladdin's cave just yet.

Just because you're knitting in scale doesn't mean that there are any sizes of wool that you can't use, you just need to use them cleverly.

For most patterns to create a tight gauge and doll sized amount of detail I use 4ply and 2mm needles, because this is my comfort yarn I know the sizes and this allows me to chart very detailed works without arduous trial and error. Other knitters I know prefer lace weight and 1.5mm. Again it's personal preference.

However because it's easier to purchase I would recommend starting with 2mm and 4ply wool. These can be purchased over the counter without having to order things in and are available in a wide selection of colours. I prefer bamboo needles but it's up to you.

Trust your eye, if something about the yarn seems off and you don't know what it is, leave it. If the notions you're purchasing don't seem quite right, don't buy them.

With practice you can go into a yarn store and pick ten skeins of different yarns off the racks barely looking and they will all be perfect sized, and will knit up a dream. With practice. Until you get to that stage do not hesitate to bring your doll into the store and explain what you're doing. Get them to help, it's what they're paid for and it's a challenge to them. They will have suggestions that are unique to them, I hear something new every time I ask, and don't hesitate to try things. Knitting isn't like dressmaking, if you make a mistake you can just rip it back and there's no waste.

Yarn, especially hand dyed yarn, will behave differently as soon as it's washed, therefore if possible, wash it before you start to knit, put it in a sink of hot water and wool soap and swish it around. This will allow the yarn to change as it will when you wash it and also take any excess dye out of it and stop it staining your doll.