Knitting vs. Crocheting

Over the past couple weeks, I've been trying to learn how to crochet again. I've managed to make a katamari and start, restart, restart, and restart again on a bag for myself. And oddly, I haven't given up on the crocheting bit yet... huh. Go figure, I'm obstinate that way. Though lately, I've gotten myself into weighing out what I like and dislike about both. So here's my not so epic list. I guess I'll edit it later.

Knitting...

Pros:

• You don't have to look down while doing it, making it easy to watch TV while making a scarf.
• (So far) it's easier to count stitches.
• Knitted work has an aspect of stretchability.
• (So far) knitting patterns are a lot easier to understand.
• There are only TWO basic stitches. Granted there's a lot of slipping and etc that you can do, but generally, those are rarely complicated and usually self-explanatory.

Cons:

• To be able to make whatever you want, you need to own a lot of materials. And I'm not just talking yarn. There's straight needles, ranging from sizes from the tiniest needles to these large honkin' things. No, you don't need everything, but if you need to buy a pair of needles every time you find a different size for a pattern, it gets expensive. And don't forget circulars. With circulars, you can't get the cheap stuff, the cables like to pop with those, and that makes for MESSY KNITTING. Hateful.
• Gauge. Simply a pain. The stretchability of knitting makes it so that gauge can be incredibly... hm. What's the word...? Finicky. Granted, having stretchability might be desirable, especially if you tend to knit tightly, but still. Gauge is a pain.
• Knitting can be much more time consuming. Knitting a scarf with single stitches can take a heck of a lot more time to make than if you were just doing straight up double crochets with a hook.
• Double. Pointed. Needles. They are the BANE of any knitter's existence. Does anyone here tend to knit tightly? Raise your hand. (This is the part where I proudly raise my hand here...) DPNs will give you nightmares, especially if you knit tightly. So grab those heat packs; trust me, you may need them later.

And now to my more recent hobby...

Crocheting

Pros:

• The cost is much cheaper. I don't even want to know how much I spent on my bamboo knitting needles (including the cost to replace the ones I broke by sitting on them... whoops...) but I bought an entire set of metal crochet hooks for- get this- $7.85. That's. It. Cheaper by far, and you don't need any fancy circular needles to make circles, just learn how to work in the round.
• Crocheting is so much faster. I don't know why it is. I've been knitting for what feels like ages and I can still crochet a scarf faster than I could knit one.
• It's easier to get a consistent stitch once you've gotten past the challenge of the initial chain. MUCH easier, in fact.
• There are so many shaping possibilities with crocheting that you simply cannot pull off with knitting. The sniffer quality of crocheting really makes for a lot of fun and creativity in designs.
• Crocheting hides ends well. As long as you're careful about how you go about it? There's little to no use for a yarn needle.
• Hand in hand with the previous point, colors are a breeze to switch in crocheting. Where in knitting you have a million ends to weave in, crocheting has the beauty of being able to hide the ends as you go along, saving so much more time in the end.
• Once you get started, crocheting is incredibly easy.

Cons:

• Maybe it's the OCD in me, but crocheting often times means not being able to look up, which means not being able to watch TV while crocheting (at the moment. I'm still fairly new in this endeavor.) Hooks have the tendency to catch individual threads in the yarn, and, if not fixed, it can make your crochet-work look sloppy and messy.
• Crocheting tends to come out stiffer. While yes, some people like it stiffer (that's what she said...? Sorry, couldn't resist the urge), it also makes blocking more difficult.
• Crocheting seems to use more yarn. At least, that's my current guess, because I've run out of yarn so quickly in making just one bag that I did a bit of a double-take.
• Crochet patterns are a pain in the butt to understand, in addition to there being more than just the basic stitch. And the stitches can be confusing. ("Wait, if I put the hook in here, then I count... but... I chain two and then... wait, but then do I put it in here or..." Watch as I proceed to throw my crocheting at a wall...)
• Crocheting is harder to start with than knitting... maybe. I know plenty of people who started with knitting who say knitting is easier. I know plenty who started with crocheting and will say crocheting is much easier. (Guess which team I'm on.) The initial chain, the grip of the hook- it's all incredibly confusing to start with. And coming up with an even initial chain? Forget it for the first couple projects. I literally spent days doing nothing but chaining to try and get a good start, and let's just say my hands were in pain after doing it (though not nearly as much pain as those godforsaken double pointed needles caused me...)

Granted, that's all just my current stipulations. I'm still fairly new at crocheting and this list will change by tomorrow once I start making the second half of my bag again, I assure you. But that's what's on there for now. So when you choose, choose wisely.