Knitting 101
Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................. 1
How to Cast On ............................................................................................. 2
The Knit Stitch ............................................................................................... 8
Garter Stitch ............................................................................................... 12
Purl Stitch: Little Purls of Wisdom ............................................................... 13
Stocking Stitch ............................................................................................ 16
Moss or Seed Stitch .................................................................................... 17
Ribbing for your pleasure............................................................................ 17
How to Cast Off: The Beginning of the End ................................................. 18
Understanding patterns and knitting terms ................................................ 22
Knitting & Crochet Resources ..................................................................... 29
Introduction
Introduction
Here's a stitch, here's another stitch, now knit a scarf!
I’m going to let you in on a secret: there are only two basic stitches in
knitting – knit and purl. Once you’ve got the hang of these stitches then
there are loads of things that you can make. “But what of garter stitch?” I
hear you cry. “Stocking stitch!” calls somebody else. Garter stitch is the
name given when you knit every stitch and every row and stocking stitch is
when you alternate a row of knit stitches with a row of purl stitches. Ever
heard of seed or moss stitch? There’s nothing complicated there either,
that’s when you knit a stitch and then purl a stitch until the end of the row.
So you see the knit stitch and the purl stitch really are the foundation
stones of all knitting.
Know your needles
There are three main types of knitting needles: single pointed, double
pointed and circular. Their sizes are measured in mm and range from 1mm
up until 25 mm and they vary in length. Single pointed needles are sold in
pairs and are what are most commonly used; all the projects in this book
are knitted on single pointed needles. Double pointed needles are sold in
packs of four or five and are used for knitting circular items such as socks or
gloves. Circular needles are also used for knitting circular items
(unsurprisingly!) and you can learn some nifty tricks such as knitting two
pairs of socks at once using one long circular needle.
The size of the needle determines the gauge of your finished item and
should also be appropriate for the type of yarn that you are using. As a
general rule of thumb the thinner the yarn the smaller needle size. However
some interesting and holey effects can be created by mixing this up a little
and using chunky needles and thin yarn for example. Your yarn label holds a
wealth of information including which size needles it recommends for use
with that particular yarn.
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Knitting 101
How to Cast On
So how do you get started? Setting up the number of stitches that you need
for your project is called “casting on”. When you have finished knitting your
item you then finish your work by “casting off” (also known as “binding
off”) so that your work does not unravel. There are many different ways of
casting on however the neatest way to cast on which I have found is a
method called a ‘Long-tail cast-on’.
Long-tail cast-on
Using one needle and a ball of yarn, we are going to cast-on 20 stitches. A
quick and dirty way of working out how long your “tail” should be is to wrap
it around your needle the same amount of times as the number of stitches
that you want. We want to cast on 20 stitches so leaving a few centimetres
tail before you start, wrap your yarn around your needle 20 times, holding
your yarn between finger and thumb at the appropriate length to mark it. I
usually add a little bit extra for luck, say 2 cm.
1. Here’s a really cute way to make a slip knot to start casting on your
stitches. With your needle in your right-hand, bring the end of the
working yarn over your left index finger (remember the working yarn is
the one that is still attached to the ball of yarn). Wrap the other end of
the yarn over and under your thumb.
How to Cast On
2. Hold the needle in your right hand and insert the point of the needle
from left to right through the loop on your thumb.
3. Hold both the strands of wool with three fingers in your left hand whilst
you insert the point of your needle under the strand on your index
finger.
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Knitting 101
4. Keep this strand on your needle point and bring it towards you through
the loop on your thumb. Slip your thumb out of the loop.
5. Using your thumb, gently pull on the strand of wool which is closest to
you until the slip knot is close to the needle. Make sure that you don’t
pull the knot too tight as you need to be able to slip it up and down your
needle and get the tip of your other needle in to make the stitches!
How to Cast On
6. With the yarn still around your thumb, index finger and now connected
to the slip knot on your needle, bring the needle downwards so that it
forms a V shape – this bit is a little like cat’s cradle! Now bring the
needle to the front of your thumb and to the left of the strand of yarn to
make a loop on the thumb.
7. Holding both the strands of yarn, insert the point of your needle from
left to right through the thumb loop.
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Knitting 101
8. Use the tip of your needle to pick up the strand on your index finger and
bring it through the loop on your thumb, removing your thumb as
before.
9. Again, use your thumb to pull down gently on the front strand and
tighten your second stitch so that it lies close to the first stitch on the
needle.
How to Cast On
10.Repeat points 7 to 10 to cast on the rest of your stitches. When you have
all your stitches cast on, put the needle with all stitches on in your left
hand and pick up your other needle and get ready to learn the knit
stitch!
Tip: Casting-on using this method can seem quite tricky at first and takes
a bit of practice. Once you’ve got into the swing of it though the
movement forms a nice rhythm and can be quite soothing. It’s also a
very impressive way to cast-on. Knitters and non-knitters alike will look
on with awe if you cast-on using this method! There are a lot of videos
on the internet showing how to do the long-tail cast-on so try searching
for it on You Tube or on other knitting websites (see Resources for more
details).
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Knitting 101
The Knit Stitch
1. Hold the empty needle in your right hand as if you were holding a pencil
and pick up the needle with the stitches on it in your left hand.
2. Wrap the end of the working yarn over your index finger on your right
hand, under your middle finger, back over your third finger and under
your little finger. Relax your hands on the needle and the yarn. You need
the yarn to flow freely from the ball so that it can pass smoothly and
easily through your fingers.
The Knit Stitch
3. Start by inserting the point of the right-hand needle into the front stitch
on the left-hand needle from left to right, so that they make a cross
shape.
4. The point of the right needle is now behind the point of the left needle,
now using the strand of yarn which is over your index finger bring the
yarn under and over the point of the right-hand needle to make a loop.
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Knitting 101
5. Bring the point of the right needle down and under the left needle
towards the front. This will draw the loop on the right hand needle
through the stitch on the left hand needle.
6. Slip the stitch (which you just drew the loop through) off of the left hand
needle and take a breath – well done, you’ve just knitted your first
stitch!
The Knit Stitch
7. Move onto the next stitch by inserting the point of the right needle into
the front of the next stitch on the left needle, left to right and repeat the
actions (3 - 6) to complete this and all the stitches until the end of the
row.
8. When you get to the end of the row swap the needles over so that
needle with all the stitches you just knit is in your left hand, with your
empty needle in your right hand. Knit all the stitches in the next row as
you did previously in steps 3 – 6.
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Knitting 101
Garter Stitch
As the knitting starts to grow in length you will see that it has a ridged or
waffley appearance. When you knit every row in this way it is called garter
stitch. Keep knitting rows of knit stitch until the piece of fabric which you
are knitting is approximately as long as it is wide. Don’t worry about being
exact this is just your practice knitting.
Beginner knitters often worry about not being able to get the hang of things
first time. I always say, would you expect to sit down at a piano for the first
time and play Bach? Don’t be so hard on yourself, these things take
practice! Pour yourself a drink of your choosing, put on some music, sit
down and get comfy then just experiment with your needles and yarn. The
great thing about knitting is that it’s easy enough to just slip the stitches off
the needles, unravel them, roll your yarn back into a ball and start again if
things don’t go how you’d like!
Purl Stitch: Little Purls of Wisdom
Purl Stitch: Little Purls of Wisdom
Now it’s time to learn how to purl! Cast on twenty stitches and set your
needles up as you did to start the knit stitch with the needle with all the
stitches on in your left hand and the empty needle in your right. Wrap the
yarn around your fingers in the same way: Wrap the end of the working
yarn over your index finger on your right hand, under your middle finger,
back over your third finger and under your little finger.
1. Bring the wool to the front of the right-hand needle.
2. Insert the point of the right needle from right to left through the front of
the first stitch on the left needle.
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Knitting 101
3. Bring the wool back between the points of the needles then bring it
down and under the point of the right needle to the front of needle.
4. Bring the point of the right needle back through the first stitch. The
point of the right needle is now behind the point of the left needle. It
will have the stitch on it formed by the strand of yarn which you just
brought through the loop on the left needle.
Purl Stitch: Little Purls of Wisdom
5. Slip the loop off the left needle and you will now have one purl stitch on
the right needle.
6. Continue to work the stitches on the row until they have all been purled.
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Knitting 101
Stocking Stitch
Now, if at this point you turned your work and purled the next rows you
would start to notice that you were in fact making the waffley fabric of
garter stitch. So as you already know how to do that, let’s learn something
different.
When you reach the end of your first purl row, turn your work but then
work the next row in knit stitches. For the next row work in purl stitches,
followed by another row of knit stitches. Continue to alternate rows of purl
with rows of knit. You will notice that you have created a fabric which is flat
on one side (the knit side) and ridged on the other side (the purl side). The
smooth knit side is considered the “right” side or the front of your knitting.
This is how you knit in stocking stitch.
Moss or Seed Stitch
Moss or Seed Stitch
Now, I know that you’re fingers are itching to get going so I’m going to
teach you one more stitch: the seed stitch, also known as moss stitch. This
stitch is made up by working one knit stitch followed by one purl stitch in
the row, but over an odd number of stitches.
For this example, cast on nineteen stitches then knit the first stitch, purl the
second, knit the third etc. Repeat the alternating knit and purl stitches until
you reach the end of the row. You will end with a knit stitch. If this row was
written in a pattern it would read: Knit 1, *Purl 1, Knit 1. Repeat from * to
end. Once you reach the end of the row, turn your work and repeat the
same row again: Knit 1, *Purl 1, Knit 1. Repeat from * to end.
After several rows you will notice that your knitted fabric has a bobbley
texture and this is the moss or seed stitch!
Ribbing for your pleasure
Ribs can be worked in either single or double ribbing and are made up by
alternating knit and purl stitches over an even number of stitches in the
row. Single ribbing also known as 1x1 ribbing is made by alternating one
knit stitch with one purl stitch on one row, followed by one purl stitch then
one knit stitch on the following row. You would then repeat these
alternating rows to build up the ribbing. A pattern would show this as: 1st
row - *K1, P1, rep from * to end. 2nd row - *P1, K1, rep from * to end.
Double or 2x2 ribbing is made by knitting 2 stitches then purling two
stitches all along the row and then alternating starting with purling 2
stitches then knitting two stitches. As before, you repeat these two rows to
build the rib. A pattern would show this as: 1st row - *K2, P2, rep from * to
last 2 stitches, P2. 2nd row - *P2, K2, rep from * to last 2 stitches, K2.
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Knitting 101
How to Cast Off: The Beginning of the End
Ok, so you’ve got your lovely piece of waffley knitted fabric which is about
as long as it is wide. Of course you could just keep going until it is long
enough to wrap around your neck a few times and you’ve got yourself your
very own garter stitch scarf! However, for the purposes of this example
we’re going to cast off now so that we’ve got a knitted square.
Casting off
Set yourself up so that you’re ready to knit the first stitch of a new row
(needle with stitches on in your left hand, empty needle in your right). Knit
the first two stitches as usual.
1. With your two stitches that you just knit on the right-hand needle and
the rest of the stitches on the left, insert the point of the left-hand
needle from left to right through the front of the first stitch on the righthand needle (the second stitch on the right-hand needle).
How to Cast Off: The Beginning of the End
2. Lift the first stitch over the next stitch and over the point of the needle.
Success – you have cast off your first stitch!
3. You will now have one stitch left on the right needle. Knit the next stitch
on the left needle making two stitches on the right needle again.
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Knitting 101
4. As in steps 2 and 3 above, insert the tip of the left needle into the stitch
farthest away from the tip of the right needle and lift it up and over the
other stitch, and off the needle. Now you’ve cast off two stitches!
5. Carry on knitting one stitch and casting one stitch off until all the stitches
in the row have been cast off. You will be left with one stitch on the right
hand needle. Cut your yarn leaving approximately 10 cm tail, then draw
the end of this tail through the loop, dropping the loop off the needle.
The loop will close around the tail securing your knitting.
How to Cast Off: The Beginning of the End
6. Sit back and admire your handiwork – look, you’ve knitted a square! You
could knit lots of squares using oddments of yarn that you might have
lying around or that you can pick up cheaply from charity shops. Stitch
your squares together and you’ve made yourself a classic knitted square
blanket. Don’t you feel proud of yourself?
Casting off tips: Once you’ve progressed beyond the basic knit and purl
stitches and are knitting patterns and all sorts it’s useful to know that
casting off is usually worked in the stitches that will have been
established in the pattern. The cast-off edge should be worked in the
same tension as the knitting unless the pattern states to cast off tightly
or loosely. A good tip to help you cast of tightly is to use a needle one
size smaller than the one you are working with. Similarly, to help you
cast off loosely try using a needle one size larger than the one you are
working with.
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Knitting 101
Understanding patterns and knitting terms
Now you’re beginning to get to grips with the knitting basics there are a few
more things you need to know before you go stitching merrily on your way.
Lots of people are scared of following knitting patterns but once you’ve
learnt the jargon you’ll soon see there’s nothing to be scared of. One thing
to remember before you start deciphering the various terms is that it is
called a knitting pattern for a reason – there will always be a pattern of
repeating stitches. Once you’ve worked out what that pattern is you just
keep repeating it, as directed by the instructions.
The following is a list of knitting terms and instructions that you might
encounter in a knitting pattern and some useful tips such as how to unravel
your knitting (also known as ‘frogging’ because of the repeated mantra “rip
it” which, to some, sounds like the noise a frog would make) and how to
pick up dropped stitches.
Dec. – decrease.
Inc. – This means that you need to increase the number of stitches on your
needle. To do this you need to knit into the back and then into the front of
the next stitch before slipping it off the needle. This is sometimes written as
kfb in knitting patterns meaning ‘knit front and back’.
K. – knit.
K2tog – Knit two together is a way of decreasing your number of stitches.
Knit two stitches together by putting the point of the right-hand needle
through the next two stitches and then knitting them in the same way you
would knit a single stitch.
KB – knit into the back of the stitch.
M1. - This is another way of increasing and it means Make One. You do this
by picking up the loop of yarn which is between the stitch that you just
worked and the following stitch. Place the loop on the left-hand needle and
knit into the back of the loop.
P. – purl.
Understanding patterns and knitting terms
P2tog – Purl two together is also another way of decreasing, like K2tog. You
do this by putting the point of your right-hand needle through the next two
stitches on the left-hand needle as though to purl them and working them
as you would normally purl a single stitch.
PB – purl into the back of the stitch.
PSSO – Pass slip stitch over is another decrease method worked by slipping
a stitch (see explanation for Sl.) and knitting the following stitch. Then using
your left-hand needle pass the slipped stitch over the stitch you just worked
on the right-hand needle.
Sl. – Slip a stitch by putting the point of your right-hand needle through the
next stitch on the left-hand needle as if you were going to purl, then draw
the stitch off the left-hand needle without working it.
Sl. 1 P – slip one purlwise.
St. – stitch.
Sts. – stitches.
Tog. – together.
YO – Yarn over means that you place the yarn over the point of the righthand needle before continuing with the pattern.
Tips and tricks
CHANGING COLOURS for stripes and other colour details can be done from
whether you are working on the right or wrong side. To prevent a hole from
appearing in your work then pick up the new colour strand from
underneath the dropped strand. Carry the colour you are not currently
using loosely across the back of the work.
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Knitting 101
COUNTING STITCHES WHEN CASTING OFF can be a little confusing until you
get the hang of it. When the instruction reads ‘cast off 7 sts,’ for example,
start by knitting 2 stitches. Next, insert the tip of your left needle under the
first stitch on the right needle. This means that you have cast off one stitch.
Knit another stitch and continue to cast off by lifting the old stitch over the
new stitch on the right hand needle, six more times. This will mean that you
have cast off seven stitches as directed, although eight stitches will have
been knitted. One stitch, already knitted, remains on the right hand needle.
Cut your yarn tail and draw up through this final stitch and off the needle as
per the instructions on page 21.
Sometimes you will be instructed to cast off from within a row (when you
making buttonholes for example). Knit the required number of stitches up
until the point where you need to cast off then knit the next 2 stitches in
order to cast off the first stitch. Cast off the required number of stitches and
remember that one stitch has already been knitted after the cast off
stitches. When the instructions read ‘knit until 7 stitches after the cast-off
stitches’ this means that you only need to knit six more stitches or until
there are seven stitches after the cast-off stitches.
FROGGING (or UNRAVELING YOUR WORK) is an action which every knitter
is familiar, however experienced they are. It is one of the joys of knitting
and the reason why I say that knitting teaches you patience! How does that
work? Well, at all stages of your knitting life you will knit some work and
need to unravel it, whether it’s for a very obvious blooper or just something
that only you would notice but you know that you can’t live with. So why
do I say that frogging is one of the joys of knitting? Well, when your learning
a new stitch or technique you can practice away and then if it all goes a bit
pear-shaped, you can take the stitches of the needles and pull until your
work is unravelled – and no-one need ever know!
Understanding patterns and knitting terms
If you’ve made a mistake and only need to rip down a few rows then take
your work off your needles and rip back the work, stitch by stitch and row
by row until you get to the place you need to correct. As you are unravelling
slip each stitch onto a fine needle, as if you were going to purl it, and then
knit them (or whatever the pattern calls for) back onto the right-size
needle. This is the part which calls for patience – especially if you’re ripping
back a cardigan for the second, or fifth, time that you’ve been knitting for
years, as in my case! As a pre-emptive measure, I sometimes use what are
called lifelines. To insert a lifeline into your work, run a contrasting piece of
yarn (or I like to use dental floss!) through your stitches on your needle at
appropriate intervals or at the start of an area where you are not sure of
how to work it. Then if you make a mistake you only need to frog back to
where your lifeline is, rather than going all the way down. This technique
literally saved my sanity when I was knitting a pair of lacey knee socks!
One last note of explanation on why it is called frogging. It’s because of the
action that you need to do in order to unravel your work – Rip it. To some,
it sounds rather like the noise a frog makes!
INSERTING MARKERS is done when you need to mark your place in a
pattern. The pattern will tell you where to place your marker and the
instruction often reads something like “sl a marker on needle”. You can buy
markers from haberdashery stores however a safety pin or paper clip work
equally well. If you need to mark a row or stitch then you can tie a
contrasting piece of thread around the end of the row or stitch.
JOINING THE YARN needn’t be a nightmare. There are a couple of ways that
you can do this, firstly, if possible, try and join the yarn at the beginning of a
row. The easiest way is to make a slip knot with the end of the old ball of
yarn and the beginning of the new ball of yarn. Draw the new yarn up over
the needle and continue working as before. When you have finished making
your garment then use a knitters’ needle (which looks like a big sewing
needle with an eye big enough to get your yarn end through) and run it
through the edge of the fabric to secure it.
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Knitting 101
The other way of joining the yarn is to pick up both threads, the new and
the old, and knit with them both for a couple of stitches. This weaves in
your new yarn into your knitting and you can then secure the ends of the
yarns as detailed above, with the knitters’ needle.
LEFT-HANDED KNITTERS needn’t worry about having to learn any special
techniques they just need to follow the diagrams in the pages above,
remembering that all the actions done by the right-hand are done by their
left-hand, and vice-versa. If you are finding the diagrams tricky to follow
then if you put a mirror along the bottom edge you will find that the
reflection has reversed the hands for you! You can also use this technique if
a right-handed knitter is demonstrating a technique to you. Ask them to
place a mirror under their hands on the table or on their lap and then you
can follow the movement of their hands in the mirror.
MEASURING YOUR WORK is best done by laying it flat on a surface and
spreading it out to the correct width. Measure the length of your work at
the centre.
ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL unless of course, it’s a one size pattern.
However, many patterns come in multiple sizes so that you can make the
size you need. The first figure refers to the first size (usually the smallest)
with the following sizes being contained in brackets. Take care to make sure
that you’re using the right set of bracketed figures for the size you want to
make. You might like to highlight the correct figures before you start to help
you identify the correct instructions.
Understanding patterns and knitting terms
PICK UP AND KNIT EDGE STITCHES is sometimes needed when joining parts
of your work together or adding a border to an item. From the right-side of
your work, insert the needle into the edge of the work, wrap the yarn
around the needle and finish it as a knit stitch. When you are picking up
stitches on a cast-on or cast-off edge then pick up and knit one stitch in
each stitch, going through the two loops at the top of each cast-off stitch. If
you are picking up stitches on the front or side edges, pick up and knit one
stitch in each knot which you will see on the edge of each row.
PICKING UP DROPPED STITCHES is a very useful skill to learn as a beginner
knitter! I used to be terrified that as soon as any stitches fell off my needles
that the whole thing would just unravel before my eyes. As a more
experienced knitter I have picked up and rescued many a dropped stitch
and it is for this reason that I keep a crochet hook with all my knitting
projects. If you do drop a stitch, take out your crochet hook and in stocking
stitch work from the knit side of the work (the smooth side) and use your
hook to pick up the loop of the dropped stitch. Work from the front to the
back of the work with your hook facing upwards. Pull the horizontal thread
of the row above stitch through the loop on the hook. Repeat this until you
have worked your way back to the top of your knitting and then slip the
stitch back onto your needle and carry on knitting, cool as a cucumber.
TENSION AND GAUGE are two words which can scare the hardiest of
knitters! When you are first learning to knit I always advise beginners not to
worry too much about their tension. Tense hands on the needles lead to
tiny tight tense stitches, so give yourself a break and freedom to play
around with your knitting when you’re first learning. There’s plenty of time
to worry about getting the perfect tension and gauge when you’re further
along your knitting journey. However, to ensure that you’re fully equipped
for your knitting journey let me give you a brief overview on what they both
are.
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Knitting 101
Tension is the name for the correct number of stitches and rows in a given
square, often 10cms or as indicated by your yarn label. You can measure
your work by laying it flat on a table, marking out the area of measurement
using pins and then counting the number of stitches and rows. If your
tension is too loose you can try knitting on a thinner needle, and if it’s too
tight then try using a wider one.
Gauge is the number of stitches to a certain measurement as directed in
the pattern, using the recommended yarn and needles. The size directions
will be given based on the measurements from the gauge given in the
pattern. It is for this reason that you are advised to knit a ‘tension square’
using the needles and yarn you intend to use for this pattern. Every knitter
has their own tension when they knit which is individual to them.
Identifying your tension before you start a project is worthwhile the
elimination of stress on discovering that your carefully crafted item is too
big or small! If you tension is to tight or loose then try using a different size
needle
WORK EVEN means continuing to work in the same stitch (e.g. if you were
knitting in stocking stitch you would carry on knitting a row following by
purling a row) without increasing or decreasing.
Knitting & Crochet Resources
Knitting & Crochet Resources
 Coatscrafts.co.uk: Free projects, tutorials and inspiration.
 Craftleftovers.com: Excellent blog, free patterns and very useful tutorials
on all things crafty.
 Knitrowan.com: The website from Rowan yarn, includes how-to's, free
patterns and a forum.
 Knittinghelp.com: Excellent videos on every aspect of learning to knit.
Indispensable, bookmark now!
 Knitty.com: Free patterns and how-to's. A gem of a site featuring loads
of cool, new designers.
 Mochimochiland.com: Really cute amigurumi patterns created by Anna
Hrachovec, free patterns, tutorial and shop. I featured her knitted
amigurumi heart pattern in the first kit I created for the East London
Craft Guerrilla craft night Hearts for the Heartless in September 2008.
 Ravelry.com: a knitting and crochet community on the web, you may
have to wait to sign up but it's worth it. You get forums with all the help,
advice and procrastination you could need, free patterns as well as ones
you can buy, an online notebook for storing all details of your projects, a
place to record your yarn stash and much more.
 Vogueknitting.com: Free patterns, How-to's including beginner basics
knitting and crochet 101 and a great stitch library.
 You Tube – good for general searching on all things knitting and crochet
related
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