Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 58 - Knitting vs Crochet - Which is easier?

I get asked all the time when people are wanting to start either knitting or crochet: Which is easier?

Well, it depends.

The actual first question you need to consider is what sort of items do you want to make? Some things are more easily made via crochet and some are more easily made via knitting. Cute little plushies for example, are way easier with crochet, so if that’s what you want to end up with, then crochet would be better for you. Something like a hat or scarf could be done with either craft. Sweaters and socks are better suited for knitting.

Knitting has a couple distinct disadvantages:

• Casting on is super annoying at first. It’s hard to explain and it’s hard to get your head around. There’s a lot going on with the yarn and it’s easy to get discouraged. I really haven’t figured out a way to get past that, so I’m open to suggestions.

• Dropping a stitch can cause a lot of problems. The work can unravel and it can be hard to rescue it.

Crochet, on the other hand, has some drawbacks as well

• Can often look distinctly “home made”, Knitting is more similar to commercially knit products, so it can look a little more “polished.”

• Crochet is worked more with your dominant hand, so it’s super difficult for left handers because almost all patterns are written for right handers.

• Uses a lot more yarn per finished item. The stitches are a little thicker and use more yarn, which can add bulk to items.

The basic stitches for each craft are pretty similar in difficulty. Reading the patterns can be just as vague (lol) in knitting as in crochet. As to which one is faster, that’s difficult to measure. Yes, I could make a blanket “faster” in crochet vs knitting, but it would be a fundamentally different end product. This also relates to the idea of being a product maker vs. a process maker. It may not matter to you how “fast” something gets done.

There is a lot to consider, so I really don’t want to claim that one craft is easier than the other. One may just make more sense to you than the other. One may bring you joy and the other is super frustrating. Figure out what you like to make and just give it a try.

Shawl pattern is Four Seasons by Alana Dakos.