Knitting vs. Crochet Kits for Beginners — Which Is Right for You?

It's one of the first questions we hear at our workshops in Bruges and Ghent: 'Should I start with knitting or crochet?' And the answer is genuinely not one-size-fits-all. Both are wonderful, both produce beautiful results, and both are more accessible than most people expect. But they do feel different — and knowing that difference before you begin can make the whole experience much more enjoyable.

The key differences at a glance

Knitting uses two needles to create loops that interlock in a fabric, stitch by stitch. It tends to produce a stretchy, structured fabric that's ideal for garments like jumpers, cardigans, scarves, and hats. The rhythm of knitting — the quiet click of needles, the repetitive movement — is deeply meditative once you find your flow.

Crochet uses a single hook to pull loops through other loops. The fabric it creates is typically thicker and more textured than knitting, and many people find individual stitches easier to see and count. Crochet also makes it much easier to create three-dimensional shapes, which is why it's so popular for bags, home décor, and statement garments like granny square jumpers.

Which is easier for total beginners?

Most people find crochet slightly easier to learn from scratch. With only one tool to manage, there's less to juggle physically — and if you drop a stitch, it's much easier to see what happened and fix it. That said, many absolute beginners find knitting perfectly manageable, especially with a chunky yarn and simple pattern. Our Easy Scarf knitting kit, for example, was designed specifically so that someone with zero experience can cast on and get going within minutes.

Think about what you want to make

If your heart is set on a chunky jumper or a delicate colourblock wrap, knitting is your natural starting point. Start with our Easy Scarf kit or Easy Blanket kit. If you dream of a granny square blanket, a textured bag, or a bold crocheted cardigan, pick up a hook. Start with our Wave Bag kit.

At Les Cousines, our kits are designed to take you from 'I've never done this' to 'I made this myself' — whatever path you choose.

Can you do both?

Absolutely — and many of our customers do. Once you have the basics of one down, the other tends to come much more naturally. We've designed our beginner kits to give you a really solid foundation, so when you're ready to try the other craft, you already understand yarn behaviour, tension, and pattern reading.

Browse our beginner knitting and crochet kits at les-cousines.be, or join one of our workshops for hands-on guidance in Bruges or Ghent.