Do you have any tips on knitting with sight loss?

Knitting is a tactile hobby which relies on touch and is easily adapted. The basics can be mastered quickly and you’ll only need a short period of concentration before you feel confident in controlling the size of the stitches and tension of your work. Initially, you may need support from a friend, or you could approach a knitting group and enjoy tea and a chat as well as guidance on your knitting.

Tips to get started include:

  • Simple is best, avoid ambitious projects in the beginning as they may knock your confidence and make you feel frustrated.
  • Use coloured needles and bright contrasting wool in a thicker weight.
  • Use very large needles when you first start off, to help you master the art more easily.
  • Practise casting on, unravel and cast on again. It’s not worth doing a stitch until you feel confident at casting on.
  • When you do your first row, you may find it hard to get the needle into the stitch – this may be because you have pulled the wool too tight. If this happens, just try again.
  • Do a few rows practising tension – just doing one row doesn’t allow you to feel the ‘give’ of your work. The tension of your stitches is very important and does require practice.

Choosing a pattern

Once you’ve mastered the art of squares or scarves and are feeling more confident you’ll want to move onto using patterns. The RNIB Library has a number of knitting books and patterns that you can borrow, we also have a number of patterns available to buy in braille via our Newsagent team.

If you've seen a particular knitting pattern you would like in audio, braille or large print we recommend that you contact the supplier to ask about availability - that way they know there is a demand!

However, if you just need larger print, you could consider enlarging the pattern using a photocopier or printer. If you need help you can visit your local photocopy shop or library.

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