When you buy your yarn, it should have a suggested needle size on the label. It might also have care instructions that let you know if it can be machine washed.

Size 4 medium (also sometimes called worsted) yarn is a good place to start. Thinner yarns can be cheaper, but you need more to complete a project. Thicker yarns work up faster, but tend to be more expensive.

To that end: how do I start? I don’t want to make a massive investment in case I don’t stick with the hobby, but what would be a good robust investment that would allow me to continue should I choose to?

A pair of Boye circular needles, and some of the cheap pound of yarns. Should cost you under $20 US. Find a tutorial online, a book, however you learn the best, and just kinda go. Recommended first project is a scarf, because they very immediately show you if your tension is inconsistent.

Don’t worry too much about how you hold the yarn at first, however I would recommend learning continental as soon as you’re comfortable knitting, because repetitive stress injuries hurt more than you expect.

• I say circulars because if you do stick with it, I find circular needles far more comfortable to knit on straight needles, and they’re about the same price
• I say grab a pound because if you’re into knitting the yarn will last you a bit longer

One thing: is it possible to knit machine washable wear? That’s something about wool clothing that has always made me cautious: the fact that you can’t wash them. Blankets, sweaters, scarfs…is there a starter yarn that can be washed?

Most animal fibers aren’t machine washable, most plant fibers are, and a far as I’ve seen all synthetics are. Most cheap starter yarn is machine washable. Redheart/Lion/Caron acrylics all are, which is the cheapest yarn you’ll find, and most of what I’ve knitted with in the ~27 years I’ve been knitting.

Bonus tip: If you end up not being a huge fan of knitting, but still want to use the yarn for something, crochet might work for you, and crochet hooks are cheap. You can usually pick them up for under $5. Some people don’t do well knitting, but do well with crochet, and vice versa. Both starter projects tend to be scarves for tension reasons.

I’m a beginner so take this with a massive grain of salt.

To that end: how do I start?

Look for beginner guides on YouTube. They tell you what needles and yarn to buy, and what stitches to learn first.

I was advised to skip the oversized needles that many videos recommend for the first project.

Learn how to knit in the continental style from the beginning. Watch a few videos on the topic because people hold the tension differently. I tried a few techniques before I found one that felt natural instead of messing me up constantly.

When learning your first stitches, it’s better to be too loose than too tight.

I don’t want to make a massive investment in case I don’t stick with the hobby

You’ll be practicing just how to knit and purl for a while, so you just need a pair of straight needles and a ball of yarn, that’s like 10-20$ at most, possibly less.

One thing: is it possible to knit machine washable wear?

In my country it’s significantly harder to buy natural wool, so I’m guessing you’ll have an easy time finding synthetic or superwash wool yarn.

Experts: Give me the opposite! I want to know how I can spend tons of money on knitting to get that luxury beginner’s experience.

Forget the yarn, tell me what you lust for as an experienced knitter!

Everyone knows you can’t ever have enough yarn. As a 3D printing enthusiast, I already relate. Deeply.

whether something felts in the wash is down to the fibres, and not the way items are knitted. superwash wool can be stuck in the wash without felting, but it’ll still last longer and the colours will stay brighter if handwashed.

there are a lot of kits you can get in knitting shops that include a pattern and the right gauge & amount of yarn, and the kits will specify which ones are suitable for beginners, so they’re great starting points. some (but not all) will include needles, so check the back of the kit to see whether you need to get them separately. beyond that, just pick the kit where you’d actually like/wear the finished product!

patterns can be a bit daunting to follow at first, so i recommend also looking at youtube tutorials as you go, so you can see videos of how each stitch is done, rather than trying to figure it out from a description/illustration. there are endless knitting youtube tutorials, you’ll find something for everything from casting on, right up to repairing once you’ve worn an item so much that it’s gained a hole in it.

best of luck with starting out! i hope you enjoy it, whether you decide to stick with knitting or just try out one project! :)