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One of the first things you are going to need if you want to learn how to knit is some knitting yarn, in fact yarn is probably going to be the most constant knitting supply that you will use for your knitting.  Other supplies like a particular type of needle, stitch holders etc. may not always be used for all of your projects, but you will need some kind of knitting yarn for all of them.

When you are trying to decide what yarn to use you need to consider a few things like the:

• yarn weight specified by your pattern,
• composition of the thread you prefer - natural fibres or man made and which type,
• way the finished item will be used,  and
  
• most likely method that will be used to clean or care for the finished item.

If you are knitting for a small child the yarn would need to be relatively soft, so merino wool or an acrylic/nylon mix would be good.  The item is likely to get fairly messy if that small child is mobile so a yarn that can be washed easily might be an important consideration.  

Is the finished item going to be worn in a cold climate or should it be light weight for warmer weather?  Does it need to be fairly rugged (i.e., is it a work jumper for someone working in the bush) or should it be more delicate (like an evening stole or baby shawl).  And then there is the pattern.

If you are new to knitting and you want your finished item to look similar to the one on pictured on the cover of your pattern, it is probably a good idea to use the recommended yarn.  In most cases you can substitute but you need to make sure that the ply (or weight) and the meterage of your choice is similar to the yarn used by the pattern designer.

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