I finally want to start knitting and I've watched a few YouTube videos. But now I'm totally overwhelmed by all the wool options at the hardware store and online. What would you recommend for me as a complete beginner? Should I look at Rewe or Karstadt instead?
Skip the discount stores completely - you'll just waste your time and get frustrated. The problem isn't just the terrible selection, but also that cheap yarn is often so scratchy that you'll lose interest pretty quickly. If your first knitting project feels like wire in your hands, you'll just stop, and that's the end of the hobby.
Go to a local yarn shop instead, if there's one near you - the people there are worth their weight in gold and they'll help you incredibly much. If that's not an option, look for online shops that specialize in knitting yarn. For beginners, you need a medium weight (around 100-120 meters per 100 grams), because then the stitches are big enough that you can still see your mistakes and fix them. Merino blends or pure cotton are great, but regular wool-acrylic blends work really well too. The most important thing: it can't be scratchy! Take time to feel several different types before you buy - it feels weird at first, but that's normal.
One pitfall a lot of people miss: don't buy ten different colors right away. Pick a yarn you like and do your first project with it. Maybe a simple scarf, a headband, or a dishcloth. That way you'll get to know the yarn and you won't end up with a dozen half-used balls lying around because you wanted to experiment.
I wouldn't even bother trying Rewe and Karstadt - honestly, they just don't have nearly enough selection and the quality is pretty mediocre anyway.
Better off checking out an actual yarn shop or online at specialized stores, that's where you'll get much better advice.
For starting out, you really just need yarn in medium weight (like DK or worsted weight), it should be smooth and not too thin so you don't see your mistakes right away - do you have a particular color direction you like, or is it mainly about what's practical for you?
For starters, I'd recommend merino or cotton blends in medium thickness - you'll make fewer mistakes that way because the stitches are easy to see and the yarn doesn't fray as quickly. A local yarn shop is really the better choice - the people there know their stuff and can show you directly what works for your hands.
It's really important not to start with super thick or super thin yarn right off the bat. I made that mistake - at first I got this thin merino-silk blend because it looked so pretty, and then I was totally frustrated because you could barely see the stitches and I kept making mistakes without noticing them. Go for something medium thickness instead (like a 4-6 weight, I'd say), where you can actually see what you're doing. Acrylic is completely fine for beginners, even though a lot of people look down on it - it doesn't itch, it's cheap to practice with, and if you mess up, you don't feel guilty about ruining expensive yarn.
What matters way more than the exact material composition: go to a local yarn shop. The people there can show you which yarn works with your hands (some people like smooth, others prefer rough textures) and help you with needle size too. That saves you a ton of trial and error. Ordering online is tempting, but if you don't know how something feels, you'll end up with yarn you don't enjoy working with.
One more tip: get a light color, not dark blue or black. I underestimated that, but dark stitches are really hard to see, especially when you're just starting out and the lighting isn't perfect. And be patient - you'll definitely have to rip out your first project, that's totally normal and everyone's been through it.
Whatever you do, don't use synthetic yarn to start with - it'll just keep slipping off your needles and frustrate you for no reason. The main thing is really to pick a yarn where you can see your stitches clearly - so medium weight, light color, nothing fluffy. Yarn shops (including small online stores that specialize in handicrafts) give way better advice than anywhere else, and often they can show you which needle size works. Maybe just buy a small amount to test with before you start bigger projects - that saves money too in case the yarn feels like wire.
Take your time and get advice at a yarn shop, and really feel the wool there in person - that's the most important thing because you can't tell how it feels online 😊 Most shops have beginner packages with matching needles, and the staff can show you what thickness feels good in your hands. What the others didn't mention: make sure the wool isn't too smooth, because then your stitches will keep slipping off the needle - that's mega frustrating when you're starting out. A textured yarn in medium thickness (like 4-6mm needles) is really the best way to see progress quickly and not have to keep ripping back and redoing everything.
The others are right that discount stores aren't ideal, but I wouldn't be quite so strict about it - for just trying out whether knitting is even something for you, cheaper yarn works fine. What's much more important is the yarn weight: go for something medium (like category 4 or 5), that way you'll see your stitches and notice faster when something goes wrong. For the fiber type, I'd recommend pure wool or cotton rather than blends - they're more beginner-friendly and you get a better feel for how the yarn behaves. And yeah, a proper yarn shop (online or in person) is definitely worth it, because you'll get tips there and the quality is right.
What kind of project are you thinking of - something small like a scarf or jumping straight into a sweater? I'd go with sheep's wool in weight 4-5 (so medium-thick), it's forgiving and mistakes don't show up as badly. One pro tip I can give you from my own experience: grab some cheap yarn in the same weight to practice with - before you spend money on expensive wool, you'll already learn the basics with it, and then you'll figure out yourself what quality you prefer.
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