Difference Between Knitting and Crocheting

Table of Contents

By Laura Lee - January 27, 2022

If you are a grandma at heart, you probably know that crocheting and knitting are two completely different activities. But the rest of us seems to think that they are both the same thing. Today, we will be explaining the difference between knitting and crocheting so that hopefully no one has to mistake one for the other again.

Table Summary

Knitting	Crocheting
Requires at least two pointy needles	Requires a single crochet hook
Can be done by hand, machine or loom	Can only be done by hand
Dropped stitches can cause unraveling	Unlikely to unravel

Getty Images / EyeEm / Ary Dermawan

Definitions

Knitting can be done either by hand using pointy knitting needs, with the help of knitting looms or using knitting machines. Hand knitting requires a pair of needles made of metal, wood or plastic which can sometimes be connected by a cord. Knitting can require more than two needles and these tools might come in sets of four or five. While knitting you need to keep several active yarn loops secure on the needles since each stitch depends on the one below it. For this reason, if you drop a stitch, the whole column might unravel.

Crocheting requires a single crochet hook, which can vary in size, to hook loops together directly on the piece. These hooks can be made of steel, aluminum, bamboo, wood, plastic or even bone. Because it uses fewer tools and techniques, crocheting is usually easier for beginners.

Knitting VS Crocheting

Using yarn to create garments, accessories or blankets, knitting and crocheting are both needlework techniques. While crocheting only requires a single hook, knitting requires at least two needles. Knitting is more likely to unravel during the process of making an item, while crocheting is more stable because the stitches are more similar to knots.

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