Learn How To Knit With 2024‘s Top 11+ Best Online Knitting Classes [Free + Paid]
Knitting is an extremely enjoyable hobby that is both relaxing, easy (once you learn), and almost meditative. Unlike many other hobbies, with knitting, you also have a finished product you can use, or even give away!
So if you want to learn knitting and are after the best free online knitting classes in 2024, you’re in the right place! Even if you are a complete beginner, I also have you covered!
Below, you will find a wide range of courses that are great for first-time knitters, all the way to advanced. Let’s begin!
Top 11+ Best Online Knitting Classes, Courses & Training 2024 [Free + Paid]
1. Knitting I: Learn the Basics with a Simple Scarf (Skillshare)
If you are just looking to get started with knitting, then this introductory course is a fantastic place to start.
Instructor Davina Choy, the founder of Sheep and Stitch, understands that knitting can be daunting for total beginners, so she has designed this course for people who have never tried knitting before. Over the course of 11 video lessons, Davina will walk you through the entire process of knitting a scarf. Step-by-step.
Some of the modules covered in this class are the kind of needles and yarn you’ll need, the cast-on and the knit stitch, the purl stitch, the cast-off, how to rescue dropped stitches, and how to finish your scarf with an optional fringe!
As for the price of this course… there is none! Being hosted on Skillshare, new users can get a 1-month free trial (cancel anytime) and get access to this class plus all the other Skillshare classes mentioned below. Highly recommended!
Strengths:
- Low time commitment: 11 lessons, 46m
- For beginners
- Popular course: 4,162 students
- This is the first class in a series of knitting classes, so if you like Davina, you can continue to learn from her
- Cool project that will let you practice your skills: knit a garter stitch scarf with optional fringe
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2. Learn The Basics Of Knitting (Skillshare)
Next on my list is another standout beginner knitting class taught by instructor Charlotte Hintzen (who runs the Wool & the Gang knitting website), who will teach you how to master the basic stitches of knitting.
Also during this process, students will learn how to knit a cool woolly clutch, along with the knowledge and skills needed to pursue knitting as a hobby.
This course consists of just four lessons, so the content is far from overwhelming, which makes it ideal for first-time knitters. Lessons and topics include: getting started & tools, basic stitches, knitting needles, making the clutch, and getting familiar with jersey knitting yarn.
Being hosted on Skillshare, new users can take this course plus thousands of others when taking advantage of their free trial! Happy knitting!
Strengths:
- Very low time commitment: 4 lessons, 28m
- Beginner-friendly
- Great class project: make your own cutch using the double moss stitch
- Mobile learning available
- 1,200+ students
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3. Knitting III: Learn Knitting in the Round with a Slouchy Hat (Skillshare)
Are you ready to take your knitting skills up a notch? Once you’ve succeeded in making scarves, why not try and tackle a slouchy hat instead? This will keep you nice and cozy along with your scarf!
As for the teacher of this course, you will again be taught by Instructor Davina Choy, who has years of experience in knitting and has taught 10,000’s of students.
Some of the more intermediate topics covered in this course are understanding knitting gauge, measuring a gauge swatch, choosing the right materials, creating the longtail cast on, joining the round, knitting needles, switching needles, decreasing stitches, switching to double-pointed needles, and tons more!
So if you are ready to graduate to more intriguing projects and enjoy a challenger, this course is a great place to start! Overall, one of the top online knitting classes available!
Strengths:
- Intermediate level
- Cool project: knit a slouchy hat with a pompom
- Low time commitment: 13 lessons, 1h13m
- 1,100+ students
- 4.5-star review from past students
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4. Udemy: Knitting 101 | Beginner’s Guide to Knitting (Udemy)
Up next on my list is an in-depth knitting course that will take students through the foundations of what it takes to become a competent knitters. Students will also learn a glossary of common knitting terms and abbreviations so that they can talk the talk AND spin a yarn!
The instructors for this course are Mike and Ash who are both passionate knitters and love to share their knowledge. Some of the modules they cover are the basic knit stitch, purl stitch, moss stitch, sand stitch, seed stitch, and 1×1 rib stitch.
Students will also learn how to make a scarf, including changing colors and adding a fringe to the scarf, and how to make an octopus! Overall, an outstanding and in-depth course!
Strengths:
- Popular: 2,028 students
- Extensive content: 4h31m, 35 lectures
- Learn how to knit two different things: scarf and octopus
- Lifetime access to course content
- Comes with a course completion certificate
5. Knitting II: Learn Stitch Widths With a Triangle Scarf (Skillshare)
Davina Choy is back to give you more great tips and tricks for knitting like a pro. This course will allow you to build on your basic knitting skills and start incorporating some more advanced techniques like shaping fabric into alternate shapes and color blocking.
This course is also great for someone who doesn’t have a lot of free time because it will take less than an hour to work through. Davina will introduce you to the project, walk you through the materials you’ll need, and explain how to go about considering yarn weights.
Other topics covered are the cast on and increase stitches; planning for color blocking and mixed yarns; demonstrating color blocking, and finishing with weaving off. After this course, you’ll be able to get creative with your knitting and let your imagination run wild! This is also one of my personal favorite free online knitting courses!
Strengths:
- Very low time commitment: 8 lessons, 38m
- Beginner friendly, but includes some more advanced techniques
- The second course in a series of courses
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6. Udemy: Continental Knitting (Udemy)
This course will open your eyes to a whole new style of knitting: the continental knitting style. Even if you have never tried knitting of any style, by the end of the course you’ll know several types of continental stitches and even have some great ideas for projects!
First, you’ll learn the foundation chain cast on and the easy short tail pick-up. Then you’ll go on to learn the continental knit stitch and the continental purl stitch – a knitter’s bread and butter. You’ll even learn how to use the knit and purl stitches to make a rib pattern.
Lastly, you’ll learn how to do a continental cast off and create a loop. Side note – continental knitting is very intuitive for people who know how to crochet as the process is similar! This is definitely the best online knitting course for people who want to learn continental style knitting.
Strengths:
- Very high 4.7-star rating
- Low time commitment: 12 lectures, 43m
- Specific focus: continental knitting
- Lifetime access to course content
- Comes with a course completion certificate
7. Creative Live: Knit Maker 201: Socks (CreativeLive)
As you can see from the title, this course will teach you how to make socks. Nothing is better than having a hobby that is not only fun but practical too. Knitting socks takes some advanced skills so this course will help guide your progression and ensure that your socks turn out great!
Instructor Vickie Howell will teach you the whole sock knitting process from start to finish. This includes creating the heel of the sock and grafting the toe using the kitchener stitch. Start thinking about which colors you want to use because you can definitely let your creativity run wild with this project.
Some other topics covered in this course are casting on & knitting cuff; heel flap; turning the heel; knitting needles; gusset & foot; toe decreases; and picot edging. Knitted socks are beyond cozy and they can be a great gift for a friend or loved one – nothing beats a handmade gesture! So if want to learn to knit, this is a great place to start.
Strengths:
- Popular: 1.8K students
- Fun, enthusiastic instructor
- Comes with bonus materials: socks pattern and knitting abbreviations
8. Udemy: Learn to Knit It: Complete 7 Simple Projects (Udemy)
This is an amazingly comprehensive course – it has almost 10 hours of material! But the time commitment is worth it, because after you complete it you’ll be able to make 7 unique knitting projects. You’ll feel like a real knitter by the end of the course!
The 7 projects are a scarf, a teddy bear, a phone pouch, fingerless gloves, a beanie hat with optional pompom, a cushion cover, and a blanket. The majority of the 78 lessons in the course are knit-a-long demonstrations, so all you have to do is copy what you see on the screen in order to create the project.
Of course, you’ll end up learning a bunch of different knitting stitches as well! Stitches you’ll learn include the knit stitch, the purl stitch, the stocking/stockinette stitch, the rib stitch, and the moss/seed stitch. With all of that knowledge, you’ll be able to knit anything you want!
Strengths:
- Huge amount of course content: 78 lectures, 9h42m
- High rating: 4.4-star rating
- Awesome course projects and great step-by-step instructions. You’ll come away from this course with 7 hand-knit items!
- Lifetime access to course content
- Comes with a course completion certificate
9. Creative Live: Knit Maker: Skills and Technique (CreativeLive)
Are you ready to start trying some advanced knitting patterns? This course is a great choice for someone who has mastered the basics of knitting and is ready to push themselves to keep learning new and exciting knitting techniques and styles!
You’ll learn some advanced seaming techniques such as the kitchener stitch, the mattress stitch, and the 3-needle bind-off. You’ll also learn TWO methods for creating buttonholes: the YO method and the BO/CO method.
Other topics covered in the course are the provisional cast on, the cable cast on, dropping stitches, magic loop method, and applied i-cord edging. Mastering the skills taught in this course will open up a whole new realm of knitting possibilities!
10. Creative Live: Making Fabric and Yarn With Sweaters (CreativeLive)
This course doesn’t teach you knitting techniques, but it teaches you a great way to get yarn and fabric that you can go on to use in future knitting projects. This is also a great course for ecologically minded people who try to recycle and upcycle as much as possible in their day to day lives.
Instructor, Blair Stocker will teach you how to get yarn and fabric from old sweaters! You will actually learn two different techniques: felting and disassembling. As far as felting goes, you’ll learn how to create felting fabric out of your old wool sweater and even how to shape the felt into flowers.
When it comes to disassembling your sweaters in order to create yarn, Blair will teach you how to unravel a sweater to preserve length and handle materials in a way that makes them easy to reuse. Whatever you make out of your upcycled materials is sure to hold a little extra meaning!
This is by far one of the best free online knitting classes available!
Strengths:
- Specific focus: upcycling materials – give new life to your favorite sweater!
- Low time commitment: 6 lessons, 1h20m
- Comes with downloadable resources: felted flowers and tips for using upcycled sweaters
11. Skillshare: Knitting IV: Learn Advanced Techniques with a Trendy Headband (Skillshare)
This is the fourth course in the four-course knitting series by instructor Davina Choy. And it is one of the best online knitting courses for people who want to learn advanced knitting skills and take on an advanced knitting project: a cozy (and stylish) knitted headband!
By the end of the course, you will be able to complete the course project which is to knit a single-twist or mock-turban headband. The lessons in the course cover creating the provisional cast-on; knitting 3×2 rib; knitting the twist; rejoining the twist; seaming with the kitchener stitch; and more!
The great thing is that you’ll end up with two exclusive headband patterns that you can use again and again, adding your own creative twist and experimenting with color!
Strengths:
- Low time commitment: 12 lessons, 1h10m
- Advanced/intermediate level – challenge yourself!
- Comes with Skillshare-exclusive patterns!
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Additional Learning Opportunities
If you would like to further your creativity, don’t forget to check out my other guides on jewelry making and watercolor painting courses.
