The Edit — Craft
Knitting Kits for Beginners: What to Check
A first knitting kit lives or dies on 4 things: a yarn of weight 4 or 5, needles that match it, a small first project, and instructions you can follow. 6 kits and a book, read against those checks.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick.Research-led, nothing handled. We may earn from links; it never changes a pick. How we choose
This page sets out the 4 checks that decide whether a first knitting kit gets finished, with 6 picks read against what each listing states, as How we choose describes. Nothing here was handled or tested.
Thoughtful Stitch Knitting Kit for Beginners
Good fit A beginner who learns from a printed page
Not for Someone who learns better by video
Aeelike Knitting Kit for Beginners, Easy Dishcloth Set
Good fit An adult who wants to finish something this weekend
Not for Someone who wants to wear what they make
CraftLab Knitting Kit with Wool Yarn
Good fit A first project to wear in winter
Not for Anyone sensitive to wool
Boye Yarn Knitting for Beginners Kit, 9 Patterns
Good fit A beginner who will want a second project
Not for Someone who wants every piece chosen for them
Creativity for Kids Learn to Knit Pocket Scarf
Good fit A child of 8 or so with an adult nearby
Not for An adult beginner
Knitting for the Absolute Beginner
Good fit Any kit whose leaflet is thin
Not for Someone who already knits
Choose weight 4 or 5 yarn first
A thick strand shows every stitch, so a beginner can see a mistake and fix it. The Craft Yarn Council numbers yarn from 0 to 7, and weight 4, medium or worsted, and weight 5, bulky, are the sizes to learn on. A kit that hides its yarn weight is a kit to question. The yarn band carries the number, and the yarn weight guide explains it.
The needles must match the yarn
A needle that is too small for the yarn makes stiff, tight fabric that fights you on every row. The Craft Yarn Council pairs weight 4 yarn with US 7 to 9 needles, 4.5 to 5.5 mm, and weight 5 with US 9 to 11, 5.5 to 8 mm. None of the listing titles here states a needle size, so check the kit’s own label before you start. The Thoughtful Stitch kit names bamboo needles and adds a tutorial book.
Thoughtful Stitch Knitting Kit for Beginners
A learn-to-knit kit with bamboo needles, yarn and a tutorial book, sold for adults and children.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Needles | Bamboo, per the listing |
|---|---|
| Includes | Tutorial book |
Bamboo needles and a tutorial book, for learning from the page.
Buy it if
- A beginner who learns from a printed page
Don't buy it if
- Someone who learns better by video
A dishcloth or a scarf finishes in 1 weekend
A first project should take a weekend, not a winter. A dishcloth is a square of plain rows that shows every stitch, and nobody minds if it ends up uneven. The Aeelike dishcloth kit comes with needles, cotton yarn and step-by-step instructions. If its cotton is a weight 4, it knits on the same US 7 to 9 needles as most beginner patterns. For a first piece to wear, the CraftLab kit uses wool yarn.
Aeelike Knitting Kit for Beginners, Easy Dishcloth Set
A dishcloth kit with knitting needles, cotton yarn and step-by-step instructions.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Project | Dishcloths |
|---|---|
| Yarn | Cotton, per the listing |
A cotton dishcloth kit, for a project finished in a weekend.
Buy it if
- An adult who wants to finish something this weekend
Don't buy it if
- Someone who wants to wear what they make
CraftLab Knitting Kit with Wool Yarn
A beginner kit with wool yarn, needles and instructions, sold as a gift.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Yarn | Wool, per the listing |
|---|---|
| Includes | Needles, instructions |
A wool kit, for a first piece to wear.
Buy it if
- A first project to wear in winter
Don't buy it if
- Anyone sensitive to wool
More patterns keep a beginner going
The second project is where most beginners stop, because the kit has run out. Boye’s beginner kit carries 9 patterns, so there is somewhere to go after the first square. It suits someone who means to keep going.
Boye Yarn Knitting for Beginners Kit, 9 Patterns
Boye's beginner kit with 9 patterns.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Patterns | 9 |
|---|---|
| Maker | Boye |
9 patterns, for the project after the first one.
Buy it if
- A beginner who will want a second project
Don't buy it if
- Someone who wants every piece chosen for them
A child needs a smaller project and an adult nearby
A child learns on the same rules, with a shorter project. Creativity for Kids’ Learn to Knit Pocket Scarf is a children’s kit for one small scarf, and it is a good gift for a child of about 8 who likes to make things. Plan to sit with them for the first 20 rows.
Creativity for Kids Learn to Knit Pocket Scarf
A children's craft kit for knitting a pocket scarf.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Project | Pocket scarf |
|---|---|
| For | Kids, per the listing |
A pocket scarf kit, for a child’s first knitting.
Buy it if
- A child of 8 or so with an adult nearby
Don't buy it if
- An adult beginner
Add a book when the kit’s leaflet is thin
A kit leaflet often shows the stitch and stops there. Knitting for the Absolute Beginner is a how-to book that covers the steps a leaflet skips, such as casting on and binding off. It is worth adding to any kit, and it outlasts the yarn.
Knitting for the Absolute Beginner
A how-to book in the Absolute Beginner Craft series.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| Series | Absolute Beginner Craft |
A how-to book, for any kit with thin instructions.
Buy it if
- Any kit whose leaflet is thin
Don't buy it if
- Someone who already knits
| Check | What to look for | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| Yarn | Weight 4 or 5 | Check the band |
| Needles | US 7 to 11, to match | Thoughtful Stitch (bamboo) |
| First project | Dishcloth or scarf | Aeelike, CraftLab |
| What comes next | More patterns | Boye, 9 patterns |
| A child | A small, quick project | Creativity for Kids |
| Instructions | More than a leaflet | The Absolute Beginner book |
For another craft with the same first-project problem, see what is in a good needlepoint kit.
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