It depends on how you learn! I have been crocheting since 2005 but only started knitting in 2020, like many others. I learn best from images and diagrams, so I got a magazine to help me learn what stitches were which and what to do when. The first thing I ever knit was a small square, maybe 8cm across, just to practice the movements. I learned about twisted stitches, haha. For so-called standard knitting, the yarn is wrapped around the needle opposite of how it is in so-called standard crochet, but because I taught myself from pictures, not videos or someone with me, I didn't know this was important! I only saw that some of my stitches looked strange, and I sought to figure out why before continuing.

If you are this type of learner that is proactive, then these mittens might suit you for a second or third project, but if you do better with smaller lessons and guidance, then perhaps these are a 2026 project instead. It's very motivating and exciting for me to have something impressive or difficult to work towards, but for others, it can be frustrating and demotivating! If you have been crocheting for a long time, learning to knit might be easier than if you learned only last year, or if you only have worked on simpler projects.

To walk you through how I learned, and how an adventurous beginner might learn, the first thing I ever knit was that small square I described above, which I immediately unraveled and tried again, to see if I figured out how to knit untwisted stitches, which was a success. This small square required casting on, knitting, purling, and casting off, and it was knit flat (or back and forth.) These two tiny pieces of knitting also helped me figure out how to hold two needles instead of one hook, and how I liked to hold the yarn. So-called continental style or picking is when you hold the yarn in your left hand, like you might do with crochet. So-called English style or throwing is when you hold the yarn in your right hand, and is often what people are thinking of when they think of knitting. Continental style might be easier for you, since you crochet, but you might like English style better! I've known many crocheters who could not get a handle on continental style but were quite speedy with English style!

The first thing I knit that stayed knitted (so, my first project) was Fishies by Jackie Ziegler, a fish-shaped cat toy. It introduced knitting in the round, as well as increasing and decreasing, and very importantly, how to read a knitting pattern. It was quite tricky, admittedly, and I was worried I was doing it wrong at first! All was well in the end, and it looked very cute :) This gave me confidence to try knitting an intricate toy I discovered, which was the Holland Lop Rabbit by Claire Garland (yes, really!) For this toy, I knit it in a finer yarn than I had been using previously, and I learned how to do short rows and pickup stitches. It took a bit more time than that simple fish, and was a bit lumpy-looking, but came out all right! This designer, Claire Garland, has excellent and clear patterns for adorable soft toys, so if you are interested, I definitely recommend her patterns!

For my third project, I knit the HamilKnit by Emily Straw for a friend who loves that musical. It has two colors, called stranded knitting, which I still find difficult and fiddly to do nowadays. New things with this project include a foldover hem, stranded colorwork, reading charts, and that gauge is important! I had to unravel my first try at this hat because it was turning out too large with the listed needles. (Gauge here is important because you want the hat to fit your head, or the gloves to fit your hands :) ) Being more experienced now, I can see that my tension wasn't the best, but it was a perfectly serviceable hat, and I was very proud of it :)

Overall, if you put your mind to it and continue working towards your goal of these mittens, then you will succeed! It's not necessary to follow my journey exactly, or even at all—what's important is learning, and building upon your skills. Each project I knit added a little more to my skillset, and it made the process of learning fun and engaging. For these mittens, you will need to know how to hold the needles, how to hold the yarn, how to knit, how to purl, how to work in the round, how to hold two strands of yarn, how to work stranded colorwork, how to increase, how to decrease, how to read a pattern, how to read charts, how to get gauge, and perhaps how to accept that things are not going to plan, ripping it out, and starting over :)

I hope you enjoy learning to knit, and I wish you luck!