Best Yarn & Projects for Beginners

Check out our top 5 projects and yarns for beginner knitters!

If you've just learned to knit for the first time or if you're starting to learn now, we're excited for you! Knitting is a fun and relaxing way to exercise your creativity and to make your own customized items that can be used for years to come! As you dive into the fiber art world, you will find that there is an innumerable amount of things you can craft with your yarn and needles. Where do you even begin? In order to help you answer this question for yourself, we've put together a list of our top 5 projects and yarns for knitting beginners!

We selected these five projects based on the simplicity of the patterns and the width of the yarn used to make them. Thicker yarns, such as worsted weight and up, are often easier for beginners to work with.

Without further ado, here are our top 5 picks!

1. The Felt Ball Cowl

The felt ball cowl is a fun and easy project that is certain to get attention when you wear it out on the town! The pattern for this cowl was designed to be used with our unique and snazzy Handmade Thick and Thin Wool Felt Ball Yarn.

Do you like soft, bulky yarns? If so, this is a project for you! Using yarns of a thicker width is often easier for knitters who are just starting out. For this project and others that call for bulky yarn, we recommend using jumbo knitting needles (15mm and up), such as those that can be found in our ombre collection!

2. The Tasseled Sari Silk Clutch

What are you looking to get out of your next easy knitting project? If your answer is a practical and fashionable item that will help you carry your everyday belongings while on the go, then take a look at the Tasseled Sari Silk Clutch! This DIY boho carry purse is for ladies who love to craft and accessorize!

The pattern for this clutch was designed by Daniella Hua of @oddknotsandthreads with our Sari Silk Ribbon Yarn. This wide ribbon yarn is handcrafted by fairly paid seamstresses in India with upcycled sari silk fabric strips!

3. The Spring Infinity Scarf

If you're learning to knit during the warmer months of the year, you might feel limited in what you can make to wear right away. Knitting is for making winter hats, gloves, and scarves, right? Wrong. With the right yarn and pattern, you can knit accessories for any season!

A great example of this truth is our Spring Infinity Scarf! The pattern for this lightweight and the fashionable scarf was designed by Sheri Berent of @made_in_stitches with our Banana Fiber Yarn. This eco-friendly yarn is made from the fibers found in banana tree bark and is shown above in the colorway Coral.

When you make this soft and cheerful scarf, it can be worn in the spring, fall, or any time when temperatures are moderate.

4. The Cozy Lux Adventure Cowl

If the weather is a little bit colder where you are, we've got the perfect beginner knitter's neckwear for that too! The Cozy Lux Adventure Cowl is soft, fluffy, warm, and stylish. Designed by Ellen Bergmann of @crochet.by.ellen with our Lux Adventure Recycled Silk Yarn, the pattern for this scarf is ideal for beginners! We have even created a beginner's tutorial with full instructions for making this cowl.

Available in a variety of fun colors, our recycled Lux Adventure Yarn is fuzzy, yet cord-like, which makes it easy to maneuver with your knitting needles.

5. The Darn Cute Ear Warmer

Here at Darn Good Yarn Headquarters, there are a lot of women who live in the Northeastern United States. None of us are strangers to facing cold temperatures and wintry conditions during the weeks between October and April. (Yes, Upstate N.Y. winters are that long!) For this reason, we all appreciate a good ear warmer.

If you too need a good ear warmer in your life, and you're learning to knit, meet the Darn Cute Ear Warmer designed by Liz Chandler of @purlsandpixels! Liz used our colorful and bulky Punky Chunky Recycled Silk Handspun Yarn to make multiple ear warmers with this pattern! This easy knitting project will not only help keep your head warm; it will also show off your creative talents and personality to those around you.

Now, are you ready to start knitting? We hope this post has provided you with the direction and inspiration to begin creating everything you've ever wished to create with your needles and yarn!

If you're a beginner knitter, do you have any questions for us that weren't answered in this post? If you've been knitting for a while, what's a piece of advice that you would give to someone who is just starting out? Let us know in the comments!