Knit One 2 Save One » Knitting Instructions

Knitting Instructions

How to Knit:

CO = cast on

Casting On is the term for making the foundation row of stitches on your needle.

To begin, you will need a pair of knitting needles and a skein (also called a ‘ball’ or a ‘hank’) of yarn. The terms ‘skein’, ‘ball’ and ‘hank’ refers to the form factor for the bulk yarn.

A ‘skein’ is the form that the yarn is in when it wound by the manufacturing equipment. Some skeins are designed so that you can pull the yarn from the inside as well as the outside. These are called ‘pull skeins.’
A ‘ball’ is yarn that has been rolled into a ball (sometimes done by knitters for convenience or to divide a skein into multiple quantities for use)
A ‘hank’ is the yarn wound loosely in a circle. Hanks are common in hand-spun or hand-dyed yarn, but are not common in commercially-prepared product. If your yarn is in a hank, it will tangle easily and it is advisable to roll it into a ball before beginning work.

In these instructions, we use the term ‘ball’ to describe the yarn in bulk, but the term ‘skein’ would be equally accurate — we do not mean that you have to wind your skein into a ball!

If you are left-handed, please note that knitting (unlike crochet) uses both hands equally. We recommend that left-handed knitters use the same technique as right-handed ones. Learning this way will save you a life-time of reversing instructions!

There are many different methods of casting on. The method described in this tutorial is called the ‘knitting cast-on. Other methods include

the single-stitch cast-on,
the long-tail cast-on,
the cable cast-on,
the double-knitted cast-on and
the crochet edge cast-on.

We recommend learning the knitting cast-on as your first method because it is simple and leaves an edge that stretches well. After you become more expert, you may wish to find out more about the other methods.

Casting On

1. Working on a flat surface, begin by placing the ball of yarn to your left and holding the free end (‘tail’) of the yarn in your right hand. Make a very loose loop in the yarn about 5 or 6 inches (12 or 15 cm) from the free end of the yarn (the tail) by looping the yarn from the right to the left. The tail will be front and on top of the strand that comes from the ball of yarn. Then, pass the tail behind the strand, pulling the tail very gently to the right so that it passes behind the loop and the end of the yarn lies to the right of the loop and the ball of yarn:

2. Holding one needle in your right hand and moving your needle upwards over the bottom strand, slide the tip of the needle under the strand of yarn that comes from the tail, pick it up and pull it upwards through the loop. Gently pull the tail of the yarn with your right hand so that you tighten the yarn around the needle. This is your first stitch.

3. Put the needle with the loop on it in your left hand, grasping it between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand as you might hold a pencil for writing, but with the tip up. The yarn from your ball will be IN BACK and on the bottom of the left needle; the tail will be coming off the front on the bottom. Pick up and hold other needle in your right hand, as you would hold a pencil, but with the tip pointed up. Note: Knitting needles are deliberately slippery so that the yarn can slide easily on them while knitting; keeping the tips up keeps the yarn from sliding off when you don’t want it to!

4. With a motion from front to back, insert the tip of your empty right needle into the loop on the left needle, underneath the left needle . The needles will cross inside the loop with the right needle under the left one.

5. Adjust your thumb so that you are gently gripping both needles between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. The right needle is still on the bottom.

6. There are two strands of yarn hanging down from the stitch. One is the tail of the yarn and the other strand goes to the ball of yarn. You will be working with the strand that goes to the ball of yarn. Holding the yarn with your right hand and keeping the needles in your left, bring the strand of yarn underneath the right needle. Wrap the strand around the tip of the right needle, starting underneath from the right, going around the back to the left and bringing the yarn up over the needle to the right so that the yarn is wrapped in a clockwise motion (the direction that the hands on the clock move). The strand of yarn will be on your right when you have finished:

7. Pull the yarn with your right pointer finger to tighten it so that it is not loose on the needle. Keeping the yarn wrapped on the right needle, pull the tip of the right needle towards you, out from below the left needle and up through the centre of the stitch on the left needle. Then slide the tip of the right needle so that it is now on top of the left needle and the yarn that is wrapped around it has been pulled through the stitch that is on the left needle. When you are finished, the tips of your needles will be crossed with the tip of the right needle on top and the left one below. There is a loop on the right needle that has been pulled up through the stitch. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get this on the first try! There is a ‘knack’ to moving the right needle and the loop on it so that the loop does not slide off when making this motion. This can take several tries before it becomes natural.

8. Now you have one loop on each needle with the right needle resting on top of the left needle. Elongate the pulled-through loop on the right needle by pulling it gently. This will soon be your second cast-on stitch!

9. Transfer the new cast-on stitch from the right needle to the left needle by inserting the tip of the left needle into the loop of the stitch that you have just created on the right needle and slipping the stitch from the right needle to the left needle.

10. You now have 2 loops (‘cast-on stitches’) on your left needle!

Repeat steps 4 through 9 until you have the desired number of stitches on the left needle. When you have as many stitches on the needle as are required by your pattern, your cast-on is complete!

Now get ready to knit!

k = knit

Knitting is the art of creating a fabric by making interlocking loops of yarn. There are two basic ways to create these loops:

The action of inserting your needles through the bottom of a loop and pulling a new loop down and through the first loop is called ‘knitting’.
The action of inserting your needles from the top of a loop and pulling a new loop up and through the first stitch is called ‘purling’.

You can insert the working needle (the needle held in the right hand) into the working stitch (the one on the left needle) either in on top (in front) or underneath (in back) of the left needle. When you insert the working needle underneath, this is called ‘working through the back loop’. When you insert the working needle on top, this is called ‘working through the front loop’. Combining knit or purled stitches and changing whether the stitch is worked through the back or front loop gives a knitted fabric its texture and pattern.

There are different methods for holding the yarn and needles. In the ‘English’ method, the yarn is controlled and looped (or ‘thrown’) with the right hand to create stitches. In the ‘Continental’ method, the yarn is controlled in the left hand and the stitches are made by ‘picking’ loops off the left needle with the needle held in the right hand. Some knitters feel that the Continental method is faster because there is less waste motion. Because the yarn is controlled in the left hand, the Continental method may also be a little easier for left-handed knitters and somewhat more difficult for right-handed ones. Both methods work well and if one does not feel comfortable to you, you may want to try the other one.

This tutorial teaches you how to knit using the English method. The tutorial is available in both video and written format.

Making a knit stitch (‘garter stitch’)

1. Start by casting on as many stitches as are required by your pattern. When your cast-on is ready, hold the needle with the cast-on stitches on it in your left hand so that the first stitch is approximately one inch [2.5 cm] from the top of the needle. Loop the yarn that goes from the bottom of the first stitch to ball over the top of the forefinger of your right hand and hold the empty needle in your right hand.

2. Guess what? You already know what to do next! Insert the tip of the right needle into the stitch closest to the tip of the left needle. This is the same way that you inserted the needle in step 4 when casting on.

3. Move your left hand so that both needles are held in your left hand between your thumb and your forefinger. Using your right forefinger, wrap the yarn from the stitch on the left needle up and over the top of the right needle in a clockwise motion (this is the direction that the hands on a clock move). This is the same motion that you used in step 6 in the section on casting on.

4. Slide the right needle (with the loop of yarn on it) down and towards you through the centre of the stitch that is on the left needle.

Pull the yarn that is around the tip of the right needle down and through the stitch on the left needle to create a new loop (‘stitch’) on the right needle. This is the same motion you used in step 7 when casting on.

5. Now for something new! Slip the new stitch and the stitch from the left needle to which it is connected completely off the tip of the left needle.

You now have one stitch on your right needle.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have just knit your first stitch!

Now continue repeating steps 1 through 7 until you have knit all the stitches off of your left needle and onto your right one. When you reach that last stitch DON’T PANIC. Just knit the stitch. You have now completed a ROW. Note that the cast-on does not count as a row if you are knitting a piece where you have to count rows. What you have just finished– cast-on included — is row 1.

When the row is finished, it is time to turn your work. Exchange the empty needle in your left hand with the full needle in your right and begin again.

Just remember that knitting is a 4-step process:

Insert the needle
Wrap the yarn
Pull through the loop
Pull off the new stitch

After you have knit several rows, the fabric you are making will feel bumpy and you’ll be able to tell that it is composed of a series of ridges. Each ridge is created by two rows of knitting. The ridges are on both sides of the knitted fabric and you can easily see and feel them.

This is called the GARTER STITCH.

Fabric that is made completely in garter stitch is very stable and stretchy. Pieces made in garter stitch do not curl. Because of this characteristic, garter stitch edges are often used to stabilize pieces of knitted fabric so that they will lie flat.

p = purl

Knitting is the art of creating a fabric by making interlocking loops of yarn. There are two basic ways to create these loops:

The action of inserting your needles through the bottom of a loop and pulling a new loop down and through the first loop is called ‘knitting’.
The action of inserting your needles from the top of a loop and pulling a new loop up and through the first stitch is called ‘purling’.

This tutorial teaches you how to purl through the front loop using the English method. We offer this tutorial in both video and written format.

The Purl Stitch

To make a purl stitch, you do all the same steps as you do to make a knit stitch except with slightly different motions. Hold the needles as if to knit — the needle with the stitches is in your left hand and the empty needle is in your right hand. . Place the yarn from the existing piece and the ball IN FRONT of the left needle. Insert the right needle towards you through the first stitch on the left needle (right to left, from the back to the front). The right needle will be on top of the left needle and pointing towards you (downward.)

Loop the yarn from the left needle around the tip of the right needle from the front around the back in a downward counter-clockwise motion (the motion that is opposite the direction that the hands of the clock move)

To make sure you don’t lose the loop, place your right thumb over the yarn on the right needle so it won’t come loose when you move the needle. Slide the tip of the right needle and the yarn on it through the center of the stitch on the left needle, moving it away from you.

With the tip of the right needle, pull the new loop off the tip of the left needle.

You now have a stitch on your right needle.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have just made a purl stitch!

Repeat steps 1 through 4 to complete the row. If the process feels a little awkward, you are not alone. If you have only done the knit stitch, it will seem a little strange, but soon you’ll feel at home using both stitches.

When you have finished this row, turn your work (place the full needle in your left hand and the empty needle in your right hand) and KNIT the next row. After that, PURL the next row. Continue working, alternating each knit row with a purl row.

The process of alternating knit and purl rows creates stocking stitch. Stocking is smooth on one side with stitches that look and feel like V’s. That’s the knit side. The other side of a piece that is knitted in stocking stitch looks and feels like it is covered with bumps. and ridges. When you are knitting stocking, the side that is smooth is considered to be the right side (abbreviated ‘RS’). The purl side with the bumps and ridges is considered to be the wrong side (abbreviated ‘WS’).

When you are holding the work on the needles in your left hand if the smooth side with the V’s is facing you, you are on the knit side and should knit the row. If the bumps are facing you, you are on the purl side, so purl the row.

Congratulations! You have now mastered the two stitches that make everything possible!

Ribbing

Ribbing is a border that is commonly used on the cuffs of sweaters. It is used because it produces a stretchy fabric. It is made with a combination of knit stitches and purl stitches. Ribbing can be done with any number of stitches, but two or three is common. In our example, we use two.

Knit two stitches. Bring the yarn from the back of your work between the needles to the front. Now purl two stitches. Bring the yarn to the back of your work between the needles. Knit two stitches. Continue to knit two stitches, purl two stitches until you reach the end of the row or until the pattern instructs you to do something different.

On subsequent rows, knit the knit stitches (V stitches) and purl the purl stitches (bump stitches) Remember to have the working yarn in BACK when you knit and in FRONT when you purl

St st = Stocking stitch

To figure out whether you should be knitting the row or purling the row, put your work in your left hand.

Which side is facing you?

If the V’s are facing you, you are on the knit side and should knit the row. If the bumps are facing you, you are on the purl side, so purl the row.

BO = bind off

So your piece is finished! Congratulations! Now to get it off the needles and into use! This tutorial shows you how to finish off your knitted piece. We offer this in both video and written format.

Binding Off (‘Casting Off’)

Knit two stitches. Insert the top of the left needle into the first stitch on the right needle. Lift the stitch over the last stitch you knit and over the top of the right needle.

One stitch remains on the right needle. Knit another stitch. Lift that stitch over the stitch just knit.

Continue in this way until one loop remains. Cut the yarn, leaving a tail of 4 or 5 inches and draw the end through the last stitch.

Making a Gauge Swatch

Gauge refers to the number of stitches and rows a knitter or crocheter makes per inch using a certain yarn and needles or hook. Gauge varies from person to person, so it is very important to make sure you are achieving the gauge of your pattern. Your gauge determines the size of your finished piece.

If you don’t get the proper gauge, the garment will not come out to the intended size.

If you are knitting with a thick yarn like Wool-Ease® Thick and Quick® you’ll make bigger stitches and have very few stitches and rows per inch. If you are knitting with a finer yarn, you’ll make smaller stitches and have more stitches and rows per inch.

To make an accurate gauge swatch, cast on or chain enough stitches to equal approximately four inches and work in pattern for four inches. Take your stitches off the needle and, without stretching the fabric, place a tape measure on your work and gently pin where the tape measure reads one inch.

Count your stitches. Don’t cheat. Make sure to count even a half or quarter of a stitch and include that into your gauge.

If you have more stitches per inch than the gauge suggests, that means you are working too tightly; try a larger needle or hook. If you have fewer stitches than the suggested gauge, your stitches are too loose; try a smaller needle or hook

Joining New Yarn

It is always better to add a new ball of yarn at the beginning of a row. Loosely tie a knot with the new yarn around the old yarn, leaving a tail of a least 4 inches.

Slide the knot up the tail of the old yarn as close as possible to your work.

Recovering a dropped stitch

At some point in your knitting career, you are going to drop a stitch. When this happens, a stitch falls off your needle and unravels for several rows beneath the row you are working on.

First of all, don’t panic. Knit until you’ve reached the dropped stitch. Insert a crochet hook (if you don’t have one available, the top of your needle will also work) into the loop of the dropped stitch.

Now grab the bar of the stitch right above it in the crook of your crochet hook. Pull the bar through the stitch. If your stitch has dropped down several rows, repeat until your stitch is on the same row as the rest of your knitting.

Slip the stitch onto your knitting needle.

Unravelling Stitch by Stitch

Sometimes a mistake is too many rows down to fix with a crochet hook. Instead, you need to unravel your work in order to fix the error. As painful as it may sound, any good knitting teacher will tell you that ‘Ripping is part of Knitting.”

Unravel your knitting by following the directions below. This is a slightly slower but a very safe method to fix your knitting.

On a knit stitch, holding the yarn in the back, insert the left needle into the stitch one row below the first stitch on the right needle.

On a purl stitch (not shown), hold the yarn in front and insert the needle from the back of the work.

Slip the stitch onto your left needle, gently pulling the yarn out of the stitch above it. Continue in this way until you have reached your mistake.

Avoiding Extra Stitches

Sometimes an extra stitch is formed at the beginning of your needle. This happens when you begin to work a row and you take the yarn over the top of the needle.

To prevent this, bring your yarn underneath your knitting when moving it from front to back for a knit stitch or from back to front for a purl stitch.

inc = increas(e)(s)(ing)

Increasing is the process of adding one or more stitches to a piece. Adding stitches to a knit piece makes it a bigger size. For example, when you knit a sleeve, you increase stitches from the cuff to the shoulder.

Please check the FAQ for information and examples of

Kfb = knit in front and back of st

An easy way to add a stitch is to use an existing stitch. Insert the right needle into the stitch, wrap the yarn around the needle and pull through as for a normal knit stitch, elongating the loop slightly. Don’t pull the stitch over the left needle yet.

Bring the top of the right needle around to the back and knit into the back loop of the stitch as shown (see the FAQ on knitting into the back loop for more detail). You now have two stitches on the right needle.

M1 = make 1

This increase is also called ‘Make One’. Work to the place where the increase is to be made. Insert the left needle from front to back into the horizontal strand between the two stitches:

Knit the stitch through the back loop as shown.

On the purl side, insert the needle from front to back and then purl the stitch through the back loop.

Increasing – The Yarn Over Increase

To work a yarn over increase, bring the yarn to the front and knit the next stitch in the normal way. This leaves an extra loop (new stitch) on the needle.

On the next purl row, purl the loop in the normal way as shown.

Kfb = knit in front and back of st

dec = decreas(e)(s)(ing)

Decreasing is the process of removing one or more stitches from a piece.

There are a number of ways to decrease and the choice of decrease used is most often determined by the desired slant of the stitches. Two common decreases are:

ssk = slip, slip, knit

Work to the place where the decrease is to be made. Slip the next 2 stitches, one at a time as if to knit, to the right needle.

Insert the left needle into the fronts of these two stitches and knit them together. One stitch is decreased. This decrease slants to the left.

On the purl side of the work, the decrease is called slip, slip, purl (ssp). In the same way as ssk, slip the 2 stitches on at a time as if to knit to the right needle. Purl them together through the back loops (see the FAQ on purling through the back loops for detail). This decrease slants to the left.

sl = slip

Sometimes stitches are slipped without working from the right needle to the left needle. They can either be slipped purlwise or knitwise. If you are asked to slip stiches and the instructions don’t specify which way, slip the stitch or stitches purlwise.

Slipping Stitches Purlwise

Insert the right needle (from back to front) into the next stitch on the left needle and place it on the right needle without working it.

Slipping Stitches Knitwise

Insert the right needle into the next stitch on the left needle as shown and place it on the right needle without working it.

Making a cable

Cables are easy to make. They are simply worked by transferring a number of stitches to a third needle and knitting them in a different sequence. The examples shown here are worked over 6 stitches. Cables can be made over any even number of stitches (for example, 4-stitch, 8-stitch or 10-stitch cables.) A cable row is normally worked on right side rows as indicated in the pattern. A cable needle is used to hold the stitches in place as the stitches are being transferred.

Right (back) 6-stitch Cable

On the cable row, work to the cable and then slip the next three stitches onto a cable needle and hold them to the back of the work.
Leaving the stitches on the cable needle, knit the next three stitches.
Knit the 3 stitches on the cable needle without twisting them.
A completed cable with two cable rows.

Left (front) 6-stitch Cable

On the cable row, work to the cable and then slip the next three stitches onto a cable needle and hold them to the front of the work.
Leaving the stitches on the cable needle, knit the next three stitches.
Knit the 3 stitches on the cable needle without twisting them.
A completed cable with two cable rows.

Knitting into the Back Loop/Front Loop

Knitting into the front loops is the normal procedure and is used unless otherwise specified. Knitting through the back loop twists the stitch.

Knitting Into the Front Loop

Insert the right needle into the front of the stitch from front to back and continue to knit the stitch.

Knitting Into the Back Loop

Insert the right needle into the back of the stitch from the front to back and continue to knit each stitch.

Purling into the Back Loop/Front Loop

Purling into the front loops is the normal procedure and is used unless otherwise specified. Purling through the back loop twists the stitch.

Purling Into the Front Loop

Insert the right needle into the front of the stitch from right to left as shown and continue to purl the stitch.

Purling Into the Back Loop

Insert the right needle into the back of the stitch from back to front and continue to purl the stitch.

Finishing / Sewing pieces together

Once you have your knit pieces finished, assemble them by sewing them together. The seaming technique used depends on the type of stitch used in the piece and whether you are making a vertical or a horizontal seam.

JOINING GARTER STITCH

To join two pieces together, thread a darning needle with the same yarn used to make the garment. Place the edges of the garment side by side with the right sides (the sides that people will see) FACING OUT.

Stitch up the sides as shown, alternating from side to side.

JOINING STOCKING STITCH (‘Mattress Stitch’)

With the right sides (knit sides) facing you, begin seaming as for the beginning illustration of joining garter stitch. Working from side to side, go under the horizontal bar one stitch in from the edge as shown.

JOINING SHOULDER SEAMS

With the right sides facing you, align the shoulders and insert the yarn needle under one complete stitch as shown. Work inside the bind-off edge for a seamless look.

Weaving in Ends

Ends of yarn can be woven directly into your knitting. Thread a darning needle with the end of the yarn and run it in and out in an inconspicuous place for an inch or two. Clip remaining excess yarn.

3-needle bindoff

With right sides together, hold in one hand two needles with equal number of stitches on each.

With third needle, knit together one stitch from each needle, *knit together one stitch from each needle, pass first stitch worked over second to bind off, repeat form * across to last stitch.

Cut working yarn and pull through last stitch to secure.

For the original knitting instructions and video demonstrations, please see http://learntoknit.lionbrand.com

Knitting Instructions

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