How to Knit
The instructions below will show you how to cast on and to make a knit stitch, also known as garter stitch. If you follow them exactly, you’ll complete a 7″ by 9″ block, which will be great practice.
With these basics, you can make a scarf, hat, pillow, bag or any item of your choice.
What you need:
Worsted-weight yarn, any color or colors
Size 8, 14″-long knitting needles
Yarn needle with big eye
Small scissors
Casting On
Step one: Make a slip knot on the shaft of one needle. This counts as your first stitch.
Casting On – Step 1
Step two: Place this needle in left hand. Hold the other needle in your right hand to control the yarn. Insert point of the right needle, from front to back, into the slip knot and under the left needle.
Casting On – Step 2
Step three: Hold the left needle still in your left hand, and move your left fingers over to brace the right needle.
Casting On – Step 3
Step four: With your right index finger, pick up the yarn from the ball.
Casting On – Step 4
Step five: Release your right hand’s grip on the needle, and use the index finger to bring the yarn under and over the point of the right needle.
Casting On – Step 5
Step six: Return your right fingers to the right needle, and draw the yarn through the stitch with the point of the right needle.
Casting On – Step 6
Step seven: Slide the point of the left needle into the back of the new stitch, and then remove the right needle.
Casting On – Step 7
Step eight: Pull the ball yarn gently to make the stitch fit snugly on the needle. You have now made one stitch (called casting on), and there are two stitches on the left needle (slip knot is counted as a stitch).
Casting On – Step 8
Step nine: Insert the point of the right needle, from front to back, into the stitch just made, and under the left needle. Repeat Steps 5 through 9, 26 more times, until you have 28 stitches on the left needle. This completes the cast-on row, which is the way all knitting is begun.
First Knit Row
Step one: Hold the needle with the stitches in your left hand; insert the point of the right needle in the first stitch, from front to back, just as in casting on.
First Knit Row – Step 1
Step two: With the right index finger, bring yarn from the ball under and over the point of the right needle.
First Knit Row – Step 2
Step three: Draw yarn through the stitch with the right needle point.
First Knit Row – Step 3
Step four: This step now differs from casting on: Slip the loop on the left needle off, so that the new stitch is entirely on the right needle.
First Knit Row – Step 4
This completes one knit stitch. Repeat Steps 1 through 4 in each stitch still on the left needle. When the last stitch is worked, one row of knitting is completed.
Now measure your work. It should be about 7″ wide. If it is too wide, start over and cast on fewer stitches; if it is too narrow, start over and cast on more stitches.
When the width is correct, begin the next knit row as follows: turn the right needle and hold it now in your left hand. With the free needle in your right hand, work Steps 1 through 4 of First Knit Row in each stitch. Again take the needle with stitches in your left hand, and work another row of knit stitches. Work rows of knit stitches until the block measures 9″ long.
To complete the block, now bind off all the stitches.
Binding Off
Binding Off
Step one: Knit the first 2 stitches; insert the left needle into the stitch you knitted first, and pull it over the second stitch and completely off the needle.
Binding Off – Step 1
One stitch is now bound off.
Step two: Knit one more stitch, insert the left needle into the first stitch on the right needle, and pull it over the new stitch and completely off the needle. Another stitch is bound off; make sure you don’t work too tightly.
Binding Off – Step 2
Repeat Step 2 until one stitch remains; now cut yarn from the skein, leaving a 6″ end.
Step three: With a needle, draw an end up and through the last stitch to secure it. Thread the yarn end into the yarn needle and weave the end into several stitches to secure it.