Stockton-Lodi SNB

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does it cost to belong to this group?

A: Nothing! We don't have dues. We do meet at a restaurant, and several of us have beverages or even lunch there; it would be polite if you did at least order a beverage. We don't want to abuse our permission to meet there, you know?

Q: What do I have to do to join your group?

A: Show up! It's as simple as that. We're not a sorority you have to pledge; just a group of stitchers who love to meet new people and share the love of creating and crafting.

Q: Do I have to know how to knit/crochet to attend?

A: NO! People who are interested in learning how to knit or crochet are very welcome! We will be happy to assist you in getting started on your yarn addiction. Please let us know when you're going to be coming, to make sure it isn't one of our days off (like a holiday, or field trip).

Q: What should a brand-new knitter/crocheter make? What should I bring?

A: Good starter projects are dishcloths and scarves. Yarn and notions can be bought at the JoAnn's in the same shopping center where we meet. Note: do not be tempted by the furry, sparkly, fluffy, bumpy or pretty yarns. They make learning much more difficult! The kind of yarn that looks like a smooth, ordinary string is what you want.

For a scarf: get one or two skeins of a basic, worsted-weight acrylic yarn (Red Heart, Lion Brand, Caron are good brands). Acrylic is preferred for a scarf because you may have to "frog" your project, and it holds up better to being ripped apart than wool or other natural fibers might.
For a dishcloth: one or two balls of worsted-weight cotton yarn (such as Bernat Handicrafter, Lion Cotton, Sugar 'n Cream).

You can pick a solid color (stay away from dark colors for your first project; they make it harder to see stitches) or a variegated (multi-color) yarn. Read the label; it should tell you what size knitting needles or crochet hook to get. If not, size 7, 8 or 9 needles should be fine; or a crochet hook size I, J or K. Needles are generally sold by individual pairs, and for a scarf, you'll probably not want the 13" long needles. Hooks are sold individually or in packs of assorted sizes. It is up to you whether you want to buy metal, plastic or wooden needles or hooks. Each have their pros and cons.

There are books of 'beginner' patterns out there; things like "I Can't Believe I'm Knitting!" and "I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting!", while cheesy-sounding in name, do have useful information in them. Debbie Stoller's "Stitch 'n Bitch" is an excellent resource for knitting; her "Happy Hooker" is excellent for crocheting. If you're not certain you're ready to splurge on a book just yet, if you've let us know ahead of time that you're coming, we can bring some of our books and patterns for you to look over. The internet is also a vast resource of patterns and instructional videos.

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Frequently Asked Questions