Knitting vs. Crochet

Photo from Flickr

Since I've recently learned to crochet I've had quite a few people ask me which one I like better. Here's what I've decided.

Knitting :

PROS - It's fairly easy to learn. You can make pretty much anything with those two sticks, if you set your mind to it! I definitely like circular needles. They allow you to easily connect your project sides, without any additional stitching.

Stockinette stitch is one of my favorites. The chevron pattern that appears can be spectacular with certain yarns! The multitude of patterns that you can make are mind boggling. I believe you could knit a different pattern every day for a year and not even put a dent in the spectrum of patterns.

I prefer the tightness that can be achieved with knitted fabrics. This is particularly helpful in sweaters, glove, hats, and the like.

CONS - Some of the designs are fairly complicated to achieve. The "wrong" side of some of the patterns is not very pretty and could potentially cause problems when putting on or taking off the item.

When you make a (noticeable) mistake it can be difficult to back down to the error for correction. The last time I backed down, somehow I ended up on the bias and was then forced to unravel twice as much yarn as I originally needed to.

Carrying the entire weight of some projects can be tiring to your arms and hands.


Crochet -

PROS - Even easier to learn. The patterns are fairly simple and quick to grasp. Having one needle has it's benefits. This may actually make it easier to participate in other things while continuing your project. Additionally, you carry less weight on your arms by releasing the project as you go, which may allow you to work longer.

Triple and Quadruple crochet sets make light and airy projects a breeze. These are wonderful for spring, summer, and fall accessories. I love the ease of creating circular and connecting rows for more stitchless projects!

The best thing about crochet to me is the ease of correcting errors. You know they're going to happen and the ability to take out one individual set at a time makes it much less frustrating to correct the problem.

CONS - Crochet projects are touted to use more yarn than knit items. Counting is pretty much a given for any project due to half double, double, triple, etc... If you miss count then you mess up the stitch.

The hand that I hold my project with tends to cramp from holding the project in a similar position for extended periods of time. Even though the hand position is similar to the one you use in traditional knitting, this position bothers me more than the knitting position. It may have something to do with the tension...


Things I love about both -

Available yarn selections are phenomenal! Whether you want basic acrylic, wool or silk you can find what you need in hundreds of color varieties. The possibilities of creating the exact same project as some one else has to be close to a million to one.

Portability is a huge plus for me. I LOVE the fact that I can take my craft anywhere and work. Waiting for appointments has never been so pleasurable!

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Do you have a preference? Which one do you like better and why? Or do you appreciate them both?