Best Knitting Kits for Beginners That Won't Leave You Frustrated
You decided to take up knitting and you’ve learned to cast-on, knit stitches, and purl stitches. Whether you want to knit for the process of knitting or you want functional, warm, and interesting handmade garments and accessories (or both!), you will quickly move from the basics to choosing new patterns and learning new techniques. Choosing a knitting kit can take some of the guesswork out of moving from knit and purl to making the projects you want.
Why a Knitting Kit?
The Burnside Socks Kit offers a simple sock project with beginner-friendly colorwork, giving knitters a satisfying first step into colorwork knitting.
Knitting kits are curated yarn sets for a specific pattern. The yarn shop (or sometimes the pattern designer) has chosen the yarn, the colors, and the amount of yarn needed for each size. All that work has been taken care of for you! For our kits at The Woolly Thistle, we have knitting kits for all skill levels in our recommended yarns and color combinations matched with specific patterns, so you don’t have to worry about if it’s the right yarn, the right colors, or the right amount to complete the project.
What Makes a Knitting Kit Beginner-Friendly?
Knitting kits can be beginner-friendly in a few different ways. A “beginner” knitter can mean a lot of different things to different people, from the person returning to knitting after decades away to the person who just learned to knit a stitch. Generally, a knitting kit for beginners is usually a bit simpler in three ways: techniques, colors, and structure.
Technique: Beginner knitting kits usually do not include cables or lace, or if they are included, it’s only one or the other and the patterns are simple and clean.
Colors: Simpler color schemes, usually one or two colors, make a knitting kit more beginner-friendly, because you’re not managing a huge number of colors in the project.
Structure: Beginner knitting kits usually do not require much seaming, are often knit in the round, and usually with a minimal amount of picking up stitches.
Not to say that you shouldn’t use a knitting kit to learn new skills! It’s actually quite the opposite. A knitting kit where the guesswork is taken away can be a great way to try a new-to-you technique, color combo, or structure. However, trying multiple new things in the same project is the quickest way to overwhelm and frustration. As you get better, you can add in more and more skills until you can knit anything that catches your eye.
The Vanilla Sweater Kit is one of our best-selling beginner-friendly knitting kits, featuring a flattering raglan design that suits every body and softens wonderfully with wear.
Notice something I didn’t mention? I didn’t say that sweaters are not for beginners! Simple sweaters can have the same level of complexity and difficulty as some hats. Yes, it’ll take longer, but most knitting in many sweaters is straight stockinette (all knit stitches). Don’t be scared to tackle a simple sweater as a new knitter!
Best Projects for New Knitters
In my opinion, the ultimate first knitting project is a single-layer cowl. It’s really just a tube of knitting that is wide enough to get around your head and neck. You learn to cast-on, knit, probably purl, and bind-off. Anything more than that is adding style. Plus, it’s not long enough for you to get bored before it’s finished.
The 2-Color Tapestry Cowl Kit is a friendly introduction to colorwork, using just two colors to create a striking, approachable project.
Shop the 2-Color Tapestry Cowl Kit
From there, knitting double-layer cowls is almost as simple. Instead of knitting the tube to go around your head and neck, you knit a longer tube that then you attach back to itself to wrap around your neck. Our Tapestry Cowl is a good example of this, and I’d call the Two-Color Tapestry Cowl in particular to be a good beginner knitting kit.
Hats are also always popular for a first knitting project. The only difference between a hat and a single-layer cowl is that you decrease the stitches toward the crown to end with closing the hat at the top of your head.
The Vanilla Fluff Sweater Kit brings all the ease of the Vanilla Sweater with an extra-soft, cozy fabric thanks to the addition of mohair yarn.
Purchase the Vanilla Fluff Sweater Kit
Finally, simple raglan sweaters are, in my opinion, the best beginner sweater kits. You are usually using increases (instead of decreases like in a hat), but it’s almost as simple. If you’ve knit a hat, you can absolutely knit a sweater, especially our Vanilla Sweater, Vanilla Fluff, and Big Sister Sweater.
Yarn Types to Knit With
Most yarns are going to be beginner-friendly, so it’s easier to list what you should probably avoid.
Top of the list is unspun yarns like Plotulopi, Manchelopis, and Nutiden. These are basically just fiber so they pull apart easily. They have some great qualities that make them good for later in your knitting journey, but they would be frustrating for beginners.
Next would be laceweight and laceweight mohair yarns. These are just too thin to be rewarding to knit with as a beginner - you won’t have the satisfaction of seeing the progress you’re making. Laceweight mohair is also very difficult to pull back, so if you make a mistake, it’s much harder to start over than with wool yarn. 
Rauma Finullgarn is a favorite fingering weight yarn with an incredibly vast palette, sturdy character that softens with wear.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t steer you away from any yarn weight. Fingering weight will make your project take a bit longer than a heavier yarn, but the real motivator in the first project is knitting something you want. So if that’s in fingering weight, I’d say go ahead!
Browse All 4-Ply & Fingering Yarns
Top Recommendations for Beginner Knitting Kits
For cowls and hats, I would recommend the Cambo Cowl, the Rue Bonnie Cowl and Hat, or the Alpine Bloom Hat to try out some two-color colorwork. The Hapkerchief is another striking cowl that doesn’t actually use colorwork, but uses simple increases and decreases instead.
The Vanilla's Big Sister Sweater Kit has the same easygoing raglan construction as the Vanilla Sweater, with a larger gauge that helps the knitting move right along.
For beginner sweaters, we have a list of Five Beginner Sweaters, three of which are Woolly Thistle patterns by Corinne Tomlinson. These three also have video courses to help you step-by-step. Looking for the kits and yarn sets for these and several other great choices? Check out the Beginner Sweater Kits and Sets. All have been specifically selected for new sweater knitters.
Want to browse all of our kit options? Check out the whole list here.
Yarn Kits vs. Yarn Sets
At The Woolly Thistle, you’ll often see both Yarn Kits and Yarn Sets, and the difference is simple but important.
A Yarn Kit includes the yarn and the pattern, so you have what you need to begin the featured project. A Yarn Set includes the yarn selected for a specific design, but the pattern is not included. This is often because the pattern is sold separately by the designer through Ravelry, Payhip, the designer’s website, or another source.
We always recommend checking the product description before purchasing so you know exactly what is included. Kits are a handy choice when you want the yarn and pattern gathered together for you, while sets are a great option when you already own the pattern or prefer to purchase it directly from the designer.
Beginner Knitting Kit FAQs
What is the best knitting kit for beginners?
The best knitting kit for a beginner is one that (A) you will learn one new technique or skill and (B) that you want to make! The best motivation to learn something new in knitting is to pick a project that you really want to have at the end.
Are knitting kits easier than choosing yarn yourself?
They can be! This is especially true for choosing color combinations. If choosing colors is intimidating, a knitting kit does that for you. It’s also true if you’re concerned about your yarn choice working well for a specific pattern or if you’re unsure how much yarn you need. Choosing a knitting kit will answer all those questions.
What yarn is easiest for beginners to knit with?
The easiest yarn for beginners is a mid-weight yarn with good stitch definition. You want to be able to see what you’re doing - another reason mohair can be a tricky choice - and you want to be able to make visible progress each time you work on your project.
Should beginners start with sweaters or accessories?
It depends what you want to have! If you don’t really wear hats, don’t make hats! Or make a hat and gift it to someone else. If you’ve always wanted to knit a sweater but think you have to work up to it? Not true! A simple sweater that you really want can be a great motivation to learn.
Do beginner knitting kits include needles?
Usually no. Knitting tension (how loosely or tightly you knit) is completely personal to individual knitters, so you may need a smaller or larger needle to complete the same project as another person.
Do beginner knitting kits include the pattern?
Sometimes but not always! It’s important to check the description of the kit to see if you need to purchase the pattern from the designer directly (usually through Ravelry), if the pattern is in a book that you can purchase, or if it is included in the kit.
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