What to Buy First

Buy for the first project, not the hobby

The most common first mistake is buying a set. A ten-piece hook set or a full interchangeable needle set is the correct purchase for someone who already knows they will keep doing this, and a waste for someone who might not.

The second most common mistake is the opposite: buying the very cheapest of everything, discovering that the yarn is scratchy and the needle is slippery, and concluding that the craft is not for you. Both mistakes are avoidable with a short, specific list.

The knitting list

Buy a circular rather than straights even for flat knitting. It does the same job, it removes the width limit, and it is the needle you will still be using in a year. The reasoning is in best straight knitting needles and cable lengths explained.

The crochet list

Identical, with a hook in place of the needle.

• One 5mm (H-8) hook. Aluminum is the cheap way to find out whether you like it. If you already know your hands complain, buy a cushioned one instead - see best ergonomic crochet hooks.
• The same yarn. Worsted, light, smooth.
• The same tapestry needle and markers. Markers matter more in crochet, because there is no needle to count from.

If you are not sure which craft to start with, knitting vs crochet answers it by what you want to make rather than by which is easier.

The yarn, in more detail

This is the choice that decides whether the first hour is pleasant, and the usual advice - buy the cheapest - is wrong.

1. Worsted weight, CYC 4. Big enough to see, small enough that a scarf does not take a week. The weight system explains the numbering.
2. A light, solid color. Dark yarn hides stitches, and variegated yarn hides mistakes until they are ten rows down.
3. Smooth, plied, no fluff. Every fancy texture makes it harder to see what you did.
4. A wool-acrylic blend or a soft acrylic. Blends have a little spring, which forgives uneven tension. All-cotton is unforgiving for a first project - excellent for a dishcloth, harder for a scarf.

Our best yarn for beginners page has the full picks.

What to skip, for now

• A needle or hook set. Wait until you know which sizes you actually reach for.
• A yarn winder and swift. Only needed if you buy hanks, and you will not yet. See best yarn swifts.
• Blocking mats. Real, and a second-project purchase.
• A row counter. A pencil and paper is genuinely fine.
• A project bag. A tote you own works. It becomes worth buying when you have three projects at once.
• Expensive yarn. Not yet. Buy it for the second project, when you can tell the difference.

Two things nobody tells beginners

The second thing: buy enough yarn. Yarn is sold in dye lots, and two balls from different lots do not match exactly. Buy one more ball than you think you need, from the same lot, and keep the ball band - it carries the lot number and the care instructions.

What to buy second

After the first project, in roughly this order. Each of these is a purchase you make once.

1. A set. Now that you know which sizes you use. Interchangeable needle sets or a hook set.
2. A comfortable grip. If your hand aches, this is the fix, and it is a bigger difference than any other upgrade.
3. Blocking mats. The single biggest improvement to how a finished piece looks - see best blocking mats.
4. Better yarn. Once you can feel the difference. Upgrading from acrylic is the honest version of that step.
5. A project bag. When you have more than one project going.

Should you buy a kit instead?

If it is a gift, or if you want everything to arrive in one box with video instruction, yes - once. Our full argument is in are crochet kits worth it, and the short version is that a kit sells you instruction and packaging, and the materials are the part you can buy better yourself.

The list above is what a kit would contain if it were assembled by someone who was not trying to make a margin on it.