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How to Knit

In today’s high speed world, knitting is surprisingly enjoying a revival of sorts as a calming yet productive hobby. Whether it’s a middle-aged man knitting in his cubicle to help keep his blood pressure in check, or a child being taught to knit in school because it teaches hand-and-mind coordination, the new generation of knitters do not fall neatly into any one category. If you want to jump on the knitting bandwagon, this step by step guide, geared for beginners, should start you on your way to a lifetime of knitting.

Steps

1. Make a slip knot.
   • Make a loop with the end of yarn. The long end of the yarn (the one attached to the ball) should go over the short, loose end as shown.
   • Pinch the long end through the loop and…
   • Pull it gently up and through the loop. Don’t pull so much of it, though, that the loose end comes through.
   • Slip this new loop over one knitting needle.
   • Pull on the ends to tighten the knot around the needle.
2. Cast on.
   • Make another loop with the yarn that’s connected to the ball. The end that comes from the needle should be behind the end that comes from the ball.
   • Slip the loop onto the needle.
   • Pull the long end (the yarn that goes to the ball) to secure the loop.
   • Repeat several times. Each time you do this, you create a stitch. The slip knot from the previous step counts as your first stitch and every loop you add is another stitch.
3. Knit a stitch. There are various kinds of stitches you can make in knitting, but the actual “knit” stitch is only one of them. You can also do the purl stitch, for example. Since you have to start somewhere, let’s begin with the knit stitch.
   • Insert the second needle into the loop that’s closest to the point. When the needles make an “x” the yarn should be behind the “x” not in front of it.
   • With whichever hand is holding the needle that just got inserted, use your pointer finger and thumb to bring the yarn forward between the needles (right on top of the intersection where the needles meet) and wrap it around the inserted needle (around the front and towards the back) as shown.
   • Start pulling the inserted needle out of the loop slowly, making sure that the yarn you just wrapped around it doesn’t fall off. It may help to hold that yarn tight so the loop remains snug around the needle.
   • As the point of the needle is about to pull completely out of the loop, turn the point so that it faces you and takes the yarn that was wrapped around it along. What you’re doing here is pulling a loop through a stitch. That loop you just pulled onto the second needle is a new stitch.
   • Now that you’ve got a new stitch, pull off the previous stitch that you were working with. Just pull on the new stitch gently until the old stitch (the one that you pull the loop through) falls off of the first needle.
4. Repeat until you’ve knitted every stitch that was on the first needle, and they’ll all been transferred to the second needle.
5. Switch the needles. Knit all the stitches from the full needle to the empty needle.
6. Knit every row. Keep doing this and you’ll start creating a “garter stitch” pattern.
7. Cast off.
8. Cut the yarn, leaving a 6 inch (15cm) end.
9. With your fingers, gently pull on the last stitch to make it a little bit bigger.
10. Pull the cut end through the loop and pull it tight.
11. Congratulations! You have just knitted for the first time.

Tips

• Many think that knitting is just for women. This is not true, because men knit too. There are as many knitting groups for men, as there are for women. History tells us that knitting guilds in the 1400s were for men only. Yahoo has a special knitting group just for men. But no matter the gender, knitting is one of the most relaxing and enjoyable as well as creative activities enjoyed by all.
• The entire purpose of this very elementary knitting lesson is to teach the basics of casting on, knitting a row, and then casting off.
• Learn this and you can start knitting any basic article.
• Smaller projects can be very portable; carry it with you when you know you’ll be sat down waiting. It can be sitting on a park bench, in the library, or while waiting for a dental appointment.
• Purchase or make a knitting bag, to keep everything handy and safe, including the pattern page.

Warnings

• Knitting can be habit forming. Make sure you have the time to finish when you start a large knitting project.
• If it’s your first time knitting, it’s better to use a thick yarn, as it takes less time to knit a project.

Things You’ll Need

• ball of yarn
• large sized knitting needles

Related wikiHows

• How to Knit the Knit Stitch
• How to Knit the Purl Stitch
• How to Knit the Garter Stitch
• How to Choose Knitting Needles
• How to Choose Knitting Yarn
• How to Read a Knitting Pattern
• How to Sew a Knitting Needle Roll Up
• How to Organize Your Knitting Supplies
• How to Steam Press a Sweater or Other Knit Garment

Source: wikiHow to do anything | How to Knit