How to Knit
Learning how to knit involves learning about all kinds of different knitting techniques. It’s going to take different skills to knit a scarf than it does to knit a blanket, for example. Once you start to learn a couple of different stitches, though, you’ll be able to knit sweaters, socks, hats and bags just the same.
Knitting Instructions
Below are some basic knitting instructions. This should point you in the right direction, while giving you pointers and ideas for learning the next level of stitching.
Basic Stitching
Knitting comes down to the ability to twist yard around itself in particular patterns to create a fabric. Knitting requires the use of two knitting needles, which are sticks with a crooked point on one end, to loop and pull yarn in the necessary fashion.
The basic stitch is taking a piece of yarn on one knitting needle, then poking the second needle into the stitches of the first knitting needle. The knitter loops the yard over a certain point, pulls it tight and finally eases the needle under and out of the new stitch they’ve created. When done right, you create a nice, tight stitch.
Basis Knitting Skills
There are two basic stitches you need to learn to begin mastering how to knit. These stitches are the knit and the purl. Once you know these you combine knits and purls to create stitches, mixing in complexity with color choices, the numbers of stitches and the types of needle used.
Casting On – Slip Knots
The “cast on” is the first step in knitting, used in getting stitches onto your needle. You’ll need to make a slip knot, where you hold yarn on the tail of the yarn ball that hangs in front of your hand. To do this, wrap the yarn behind your two big fingers on your left hand, so that it loops around your fingers in a clockwise fashion.
Next, take the yarn attached to the yarn ball and slip this under the loop that is hanging behind your fingers. You’ll slide this off your fingers, pull ever so slightly to tighten it, then slip the stitch over the needle.
Types of Stitches
Complex stitches are used to make a number of different knitting patterns. Commonly used stitches including the double knit, the basket weave and the stockingnet.
- Stockingnet – Stocking net stitches involves one knit row and then one purl row. This means one side smooth and the other bumpy.
- Double Knit – Doubleknit sweaters and scarves use two balls of yarn to create a two-play weave. This makes double knit garments thicker and warmer.
- Basket Weaves – The outside of the basket weave is woven, but creates various sorts of raised or depressed weave designs in a checkerboard pattern, called stockinette stitches and reverse stockinette stitches in a rectangular shape.
Casting Off – Binding Off
Getting the stitches off the needle is called “casting off” or “binding off”. You’ll need to knit or purl as you have throughout the process, where you slip the stitches off each other. This continues until you only have one stitch left, then close it with the tail end of the yarn.
Learn to Knit
If you’re determined to learn to knit we recommend that you practice the above methods. You’ll eventually study all kinds of patterns and stitching secrets, but get down the basics of knitting before you move on to the intermediate and advanced knitting techniques.