Earlier this week, I sat down to my sewing machine to work on a simple knit top. I got the fabric and pattern as part of a kit, and, despite the clear pattern and helpful accompanying video tutorial, I was struggling to neatly insert my top’s neckband. I got increasingly frustrated and ultimately decided to take a break.

It was a good reminder that learning something new can be really fun but also, it can be hard! Even armed with clear instructions and tutorials, sometimes it just takes a couple of tries to really get a new skill. And a bit of camaraderie can really help you through the hard bits. After I stepped away from my machine, I headed to a group for people working on the sewing kit, and saw that others had also found the neckband a challenge. Knowing I wasn’t alone – and that I might ask for some advice if I got really stumped – gave me a push to have another go, and I’m now happy to say my neckband is inserted!

Which is all to say learning can be a lot more fun with a little help from friends. Which is why we set up our online forum, The Knitalong Hub, where our monthly Confident Knitting knitalongs will be hosted. The first one will be kicking off this Monday, 1st March, and we’ve put together a short (under 3 mins!) video tutorial walking you through the quick and easy process of creating your free account: Getting Started with The Knitalong Hub (YouTube link).

Once your account is set up, here are a few tips for getting acclimated at The Knitalong Hub.

• Topics live in Categories. The Knitalong Hub is organised pretty simply. There are big Categories (things like the Members’ Lounge, Knitalongs, Our Books) that hold topics. If you’re looking for the monthly Confident Knitting knitalong chat, you’ll find a topic for it in the Knitalongs category. If you’d like to ask a question about a previous book, you’ll find topics to do so in the Our Books category. There’s a general chat topic (called What are you knitting) in the Members’ Lounge category, which is only visible to people who have an account and are signed in.

• Use the @ sign to tag or reply. If you’re posting in a topic and want to grab someone’s attention or reply to something someone’s said, the quickest way to do this is to type the @ sign and start typing their username (a dropdown menu will appear once you start typing). If you need to reference a part of someone’s previous post in your reply, there is the option to quote a post, but it’s best to use this function sparingly to cut down on many repeats of the same info. The @ sign is a quick and elegant way to let someone know you’re talking to them!

• Follow the categories or topic that interest you most. One of the great things about The Knitalong Hub is it gives you lots of options for keeping track of the content that interests you most. You can choose what topics or categories you want to follow. When you do, you’ll receive a notification in the top right hand corner of the Hub letting you know there are new replies in your followed topics or categories. If you’re taking part in Confident Knitting, we suggest you choose to follow the ‘Knitalongs’ category to keep up with the fun. From the main page of the forum select the Knitalong category, then hover over the bell in the top right and click to turn notifications on:

• And take advantage of email notifications! We know checking in daily on a new site might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and luckily, The Knitalong Hub has some nifty features that allow you to get emailed to keep track of your followed content! When you log into the Hub, head to the right hand corner and click or hover over your avatar (it’ll be the first letter of your username if you’ve not uploaded a photo) and click “settings”. Here you can elect to get immediate, daily or weekly emails about what you’ve missed, or no emails at all! Getting a daily or weekly update is a great way to stay in the loop for something like the Confident Knitting KAL even if you don’t have time to pop into the The Knitalong Hub – you’ll get everything you’ve missed delivered right to your inbox. You’ll also notice in preferences that you can set up rules for what you automatically follow.

• And finally, ask for help if you need it! We’ve got a whole category with screenshot tutorials about How The Knitalong Hub works. And if you’re having trouble with something, do let us know in the Help topic (it’s in the Members’ Lounge, so you will need an account to view it).

We can’t wait for our first Confident Knitting knitalong to kick off 1st March, and I hope these tips will give you the confidence to take part, should you wish to join in! If you have any questions, do feel free to ask them in the comments!