The great yarn debate.
Two crafts, one question, and a surprising amount of strong opinion from people who are otherwise very calm.
Here's our position, from a brand that sells both: neither one is better. They're different tools for making different things. The right one for you depends on what you want to make and how your brain likes to work.
So let's skip the tribalism and get you an answer.
The short answer
If you want to make soft, stretchy things you wear, like cardigans, jumpers and scarves, start with knitting.
If you want to make structured things, like bags, baskets, homewares or small stuffed creatures, start with crochet.
If you're not sure, pick whichever finished object you're most excited about. That matters more than anything else in this post.
What's actually the difference?
Knitting uses two needles. You hold a whole row of stitches on one needle and work them across onto the other. Those "live" stitches give knitted fabric its stretch and drape.
Crochet uses one hook. You usually work with just one live loop at a time, building each new stitch on top of the last. The result is a thicker, sturdier, more structured fabric.
That one difference, a whole row of live stitches versus one, explains almost everything else about how the two crafts feel.
| Knitting | Crochet | |
|---|---|---|
| Tools | Two needles | One hook |
| Live stitches | A whole row | Usually one |
| Fabric | Soft, stretchy, drapey | Thicker, sturdier, structured |
| Fixing mistakes | Trickier | Easier |
| Great for | Jumpers, cardigans, scarves, blankets | Bags, homewares, toys, blankets, clothes too |
What each one is best for
Knitting shines when you want drape and stretch. Jumpers, cardigans, scarves, beanies, and cosy blankets you want to melt into. Shop our knitting kits
Crochet shines when you want shape and structure. Bags, baskets, homewares, and amigurumi: the tiny crocheted creatures with surprisingly detailed emotional lives. It does clothes too, with a chunkier, more textured look. Shop our crochet kits
Blankets? Both. Genuinely a draw.
Which one is easier for beginners?
The honest answer is that they're easy in different ways.
Crochet is usually easier to fix. With only one live loop, a mistake stays small. Pull the yarn back to where it went wrong and carry on.
Knitting has fewer stitches to learn. Almost everything in knitting is built from two stitches: knit and purl. Learn those and you can make a jumper. Crochet has a handful of basic stitches of different heights, which makes it wonderfully flexible but can make the first week feel busier.
Knitting has more to manage at once. Two needles and a row of live stitches can feel like a lot in the first hour. Drop a stitch and it can travel down a few rows. Very fixable, but alarming the first time.
Knitting's rhythm is the reward. Once it clicks, that repetitive motion is where the calm lives.
Your hands will probably have an opinion before your brain does.
One thing crocheters need to know
Crochet stitch names are different in the UK compared with the US. An American "single crochet" is what the UK call a "double crochet," and an American "double" is a UK "treble." Same stitch, different name.
It trips up a lot of beginners, especially if you're learning from UK videos. Check which terms a pattern uses before you start. Our patterns use US terms.
A quick way to decide
Ask yourself three questions:
- What do I want to be holding when I'm finished? Something to wear, or something to use?
- How do I feel about mistakes? If the idea of unravelling makes you tense, crochet's forgiving nature is on your side.
- What do I want my evenings to feel like? Rhythmic and meditative, or building something piece by piece?
Wear, rhythm, and mistakes don't scare you? Knitting. Use, building, and you'd like an undo button? Crochet. Split down the middle? Go back to question one.
Three myths worth ignoring
"One is way harder than the other." They're hard in different ways, for about the same amount of time. Nobody's first row looks good in either.
"You need to be crafty." You need a first project that doesn't make you want to quit. Plain instructions and big yarn will do more for you than talent.
"You have to choose forever." You don't. Plenty of makers do both, and once you understand how yarn behaves in one, the other feels less foreign.
Still can't decide?
Start with the thing you're most excited to finish. Motivation will carry you much further than choosing whichever craft someone says is "easiest."
When you're ready, we've made a short guide that matches you with a first kit based on the kind of maker you are, knitting or crochet.