Both types of handwork are enjoyed by many people, young and old alike but people who knit do not necessarily crochet and those who crochet do not necessarily knit. One key difference in the two methods is that knitting requires two needles while crochet work is done with a single hook.

While both methods can be used to produce articles of clothing, house wares like blankets or table cloths, and accessories like bags or caps, in general crochet work is lighter, being crafted of thread, while knitting tends to produce heavier articles like knitted sweaters for winter. Both yarns and threads come in various grades and weights that are similar for given applications. For instance crochet thread used to produce coverlets known as afghans are roughly equivalent in size to a regular knitting yarn and the two may be interchanged.

Since crochet stitches use a more open pattern, in general you can assume that crochet work requires less yarn or thread than a knitting project but for estimates to be accurate they must be made per project. When you are just starting out with either hobby, you may want to purchase "all in one" kits, which are designed to have the required materials included in sufficient quantity. This will help you to get a feel for how much thread or yarn you will need when you try more complex projects that provide instructions only and leave the material purchase to the crafter. Don't worry if you find that you simply are not good at estimating the amount of thread or yarn you need. Clerks in sewing and craft stores do that kind of thing every day and will be more than glad to help you select your supplies.

Obviously many factors play a role in the decision of crochet vs. knitting. In choosing the sort of handwork in which you are interested you may want to consider what it is you hope to create or who you know. If all your friends are knitters, you have a ready reference source. Sometimes the only way to get past a problem in a project is to hand it over to someone else to untangle.

Continue to: Differences between Knitting and Crochet or Crochet vs Knitting