Arm Knitting: The perfect place to start for beginners

If you've tried knitting or crochet with conventional knitting yarns (I call them "skinny" yarns!) you'll know that a project can take days, weeks, even months to complete, depending on how large and complex it is. Tiny stitches take time and require a fair amount of concentration! This can put off a beginner to the craft. What beginners need is fast results, an awesome completed item and a sense of achievement to give their self confidence a head start.

Giant yarns are different. For the most part they can be worked without knitting needles or crochet hooks - just your hands or arms will do! The projects can usually be finished up within a couple of hours, which is a big tick in the "craft satisfaction" box, and the patterns are generally quite simple and repetitive. Learn one stitch and repeat. I believe any knitting newbie aged over 12 years can pick up arm knitting and complete a blanket in the same sitting. Aged 7+ can arm knit smaller items like scarves which aren't so heavy for little arms! I've taught over 1000 beginners in workshops and with my kit tutorials to do the same in under 2 hours. It really is that easy!

So with that in mind, here are my top 5 reasons for giving giant yarn crafting and arm knitting try, especially if you a beginner to knitting:

1. It's quick and easy to learn to arm knit or hand crochet with giant yarn. Oversized stitches are easy to see and identify and there won't be too many stitches to count! Teeny stitches can be a bit overwhelming to count and recognise when you're are just starting out.

2. You don't need to invest in any "tools" like massive needles and giant hooks. You can use your very own arms and fingers to create stitches perfectly. Just you being a magician transforming a big ball of yarn into something beautiful :-).

3. Giant yarn is incredibly tactile and sensory to work with. Whether you're using giant merino yarn or giant vegan friendly unspun acrylic (which I use in my kits), you are essentially working with a raw fibre. It is super soft and makes the knitting process very relaxing and immersive.

4. Giant knitting is quite a meditative process. But unlike needing to be a proficient regular knitter to reach that moment when you can just switch off and knit without looking, you'll experience this feeling on your very first try with giant yarn. And so you get all the benefits of mindful crafting from day one. The cosiness of a blanket literally growing over your legs as you're making it and the fact that your conscious thinking mind literally goes on holiday once you're a few of rows in, makes it one of the easiest ways to switch off and relax.

5. Believe it or not, it is hard to create something that looks absolutely terrible with giant yarn. Most projects look pretty decent on a first attempt. We all need to find more ways to feel good about ourselves, to congratulate little wins and take care of our self esteem. Let me tell you now. When you complete a giant knit blanket it feels like the best thing ever. Then you'll want to do it again...and again.....you've been warned! These fabulous ladies made their throws in under two hours and had never arm knitted before. Aren't their blankets gorgeous!!

All kits in the Cloud Nine Knits range are suitable for absolute beginners and come with a video tutorial where I teach you from scratch and walk you through the project step by step.

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