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How to Knit

2012-01-06T13:00:00Z


	*Stockinette stitch (photo from Knit Fix* by Lisa Kartus)**

Knitting is a centuries-old craft, practiced out of necessity to create clothing to protect people from the elements. Today, knitting is a more casual craft, with everyone from artisans to casual novices finding appeal in the variety of techniques.

When a new knitter looks at all the yarn and patterns available today, it can be overwhelming to figure out how to start knitting. But here at Knitting Daily, we don't want this to get to you, remember; even the most accomplished knitters were once learning to knit.

It may surprise you to know there are really only two knitting stitches used to make any knitted object: the knit stitch and purl stitch.

Knit stitches are very versatile and are the building blocks for all knitted items. With every row you knit using the knit stitch, you're actually creating a pattern called "garter stitch." Then, when you add the purl stitch, your knitting options open up even more.

Combine the knit and purl stitches to create lace shawls, cabled hats, or moss-stitch sweaters. Sky's the limit!

Before You Start

Learn To Knit with KDTV Episodes

Knitting Daily TV
Episode 106:
Exploring Cables

Knitting Daily TV
Episode 202:
Knit Tricks and Fixes

Knitting Daily TV
Episode 403:
Knit & Purl Magic

Knitting Daily TV
Episode 703:
Make it Fit!

More Knitting Resources
from the Knitting Daily Shop:

How to Knit Books and eBooks

How to Knit CD Collections

How to Knit DVDs/Videos

As with any craft, there are some basic supplies you'll want to have on hand. These include:

—Yarn, wound into a ball if it didn't come that way

—Needles appropriate to your yarn size

—Measuring tape to measure your progress

—Crochet hook for fixing mistakes

—Pen and paper for making notes

—And a bag to keep everything in!

Casting On


	Figure 1

1. Leaving a long tail (about 2 1⁄2" to 3" for each stitch to be cast on), make a slipknot and place on right needle.

2. Place thumb and index finger of left hand between yarn ends so that working yarn is around index finger and tail end is around thumb.

3. With your other fingers, secure the ends a few inches below the needles. Hold palm upwards, making a V of yarn (Figure 1).

4. Bring needle up through loop on thumb (Figure 2), grab first strand around index finger with needle, and go back down through loop on thumb (Figure 3).

5. Drop loop off thumb and, placing thumb back in V configuration, gently tighten resulting stitch on needle (Figure 4).



Figure 2	Figure 3	Figure 4

Source: Knit Fix by Lisa Kartus, Interweave, 2006

The Knit Stitch

There are several ways to accomplish the knit stitch; the two most popular are the English method (also called "throwing") and the Continental method (also called "picking"). In the English method, the working yarn is held in the right hand. In the Continental method, the yarn is held in the left hand. The information below shows how knit in the Continental method. If it feels more natural to hold the yarn in your right hand, you might prefer the English method. It's good to practice both techniques to see which feels best to you; there's no right or wrong way to knit.

To use the Continental method of knitting, follow the steps below.

Step 1. With the working yarn under and in the back of the needle, place the tip of your right needle between the front and back legs of the first stitch on the left needle (Figure 1). The tip of the needle should point away from you.

Step 2. Wrap the yarn counterclockwise around the right needle (the one you just put through the stitch (Figure 2).

Step 3. Pull the right needle back just enough to slip underneath the left needle and pull the yarn along with it , through the stitch on the left needle (Figure 3).

Step 4. Slip the stitch off the left needle (Figure 4). You just created a new stitch!

For Practice
Make a practice swatch—just keep knitting rows! If you make a mistake, keep going. You aren't making anything but practice knitting, so you can ignore mistakes.

Source: The Knitter's Companion by Vicki Square, Interweave, 2010

The Purl Stitch

These instructions are for purling Continental style. If you prefer to hold your yarn in your right hand, here are instructions for purling English style.

Step 1. Holding your working yarn to the front, place your right needle between the front and back legs of the first stitch on the left needle from back to front (Figure 1). The right needle tip will be pointing toward you.

Step 2. Wrap the working yarn counter-clockwise around the right needle (Figure 2).



Figure 1		Figure 2

Step 3. Pull right needle back out of the old stitch and pull the new stitch through (Figure 3).

Step 4. Slip the old stitch off the left needle (Figure 4).



Figure 3		Figure 4

Source: Knit Fix by Lisa Kartus, Interweave, 2006

FEATURED PRODUCT

Complete with an instructional 2-disc DVD set, The Knitter's Companion is every knitter's perfect reference guide to learn how to knit, complete with techniques, illustrations, and definitions. This resource is chock-full of tips, illustrations, and definitions, all made even easier to understand with the accompanying DVDs. You'll find: an overview of stitches, gauges, joins, seams, borders, and buttonholes, as well as information on innovative methods, color knitting techniques, and embellishments. An indispensable resource for learning how to knit.

Knitted Hats

2011-12-30T13:00:00Z


	Blume Hat ePattern

Who knows when the first person decided to put something over their head to keep it warm, but knitters know that knitted hats are some of the most fun and easy things to knit.

When they're worked in the round there is little in the way of shaping, except when you get to the crown.

Most hats are worked from the bottom up, with stitches cast-on and worked in a snug stitch pattern such as ribbing, or in stockinette for a rolled bring hat, using a smaller size needle than is used for the head portion of the hat.

In many hat patterns, the hat is worked straight for the desired length of the crown, then nearly all of the stitches are evenly decreased over the course of just a few rounds.

The yarn is cut, the tail threaded through the remaining stitches, pulled tight, and fastened off to the inside of the hat.

The hat can be topped with a pom pom, i-cord, tassel, or whatever embellishment strikes your fancy.

A great book for learning to make hats is Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns, from which some of the material on this page is excerpted. There are chapters on basic hats as well as the type of hats called "tams."

Types of Hats


Solitaire Beret from Weekend Hats

Shop Knitted Hat Patterns

Bohus-Inspired Hat
Colorwork knitted hat with buckle.

A Family of Hats
Fair Isle hats for the whole family.

Double Cap
Knit this fun pointy-eared cap for someone special.

Floating Spiral Hat
An offset cable pattern creates rich texture.

More hat knitting resources from
the Knitting Daily Shop:

Knitted Hat Books and eBooks

Knitted Hat CD Collections

Knitted Hat DVDs/Videos

Knitted Hat eMags

Knitted Hat Magazines

Knitted Hat Patterns

There are several types of hats, but the most popular knitted hats are beanie-type caps, tams (sometimes called "berets"), slouch hats, earflap hats, and tuques.

Beanies: These hats can be super simple or dressed up with a lace or cable patterns. In cooler climates, they're wonderful gifts for knitters to make.

Tams/Berets: There are so many different stitch patterns to use in this style. Tams and berets can be plain stockinette or intricate Fair Isle. This style of hat is really flattering on just about every face shape, too.

Earflap Hats: These hats are popular in cold climates. They're great for keeping ears warm and they're fun to knit. The knitters of Peru specialize in these hats, as shown in the photo at right.

Tuques: Stylish and popular, toques are old-fashioned hats that are coming back into style. Their fashion-forward look is very popular.

Hat Knitting Tips


	Side-Slip Cloche from Boutique Knits

For more rounded top shaping, work the top decreases every other round or every three rounds.
If you don't want to knit a hat in the round and you don't mind a slightly visible seam on the finished hat, work it back and forth in a single piece and seam the back.
Work the inside of a hemmed edge in cotton to make it more comfortable against sensitive skin.
To make a hat wind- and water-resistant, work the yarn at a smaller gauge (more stitches per inch) than recommended. For example, use smaller needles to work a worsted weight yarn at six stitches to the inch. (You'll need to cast on more stitches in this approach, so use your gauge swatch to determine the additional number of stitches needed.)

Source: The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, by Ann Budd, Interweave, 2002

A Few Notes on Fit


	Shadow Tuque ePattern

Often a knitted hat will have a finished size that is smaller than the average adult head. That's because hats meant to fit closely at the brim need a bit of negative ease to help them fit snugly and keep them on the head.

The amount of negative ease refers to the difference between the finished size of the object and the size of body part on which it will be worn. A hat that measures 19" (48.5 cm) around and is worn on a 22" (56 cm) head has 3" (7.5 cm) of negative ease.

A beret-type hat might have negative ease at the brim, but a few inches of positive ease in the body of the hat. The extra fabric is what creates its loose, flowing shape, while the tighter brim keeps it fitted to the head.

Source: Weekend Hats by Cecily Glowik MacDonald and Melissa LaBarre, Interweave, 2011

Featured Product

Every day can be as great as the weekend when you embrace the hottest head-turning fashion accessory: the knitted hat. With their new book Weekend Hats, Cecily Glowik MacDonald and Melissa LaBarre have brought you the best in designer knitted hat patterns all in one beautiful, fun-loving collection. You'll also discover expert advice appropriate for a variety of skill levels with special attention paid to exploring cables, lace, color, and texture. Included are 25 variations on caps, berets, beanies, cloches, hats, toques, tams, and snoods ranging from feminine and chic to sporty and playful, from top designers including Tanis Gray, Courtney Kelley, Laura Irwin, Kate Gagnon Osborn, Connie Chang Chinchio, Jared Flood, and more. You'll love the broad range of hats that offer loads of creativity and intrigue.

Knitting Terms

2009-09-10T19:58:00Z

Part of the fun in learning to knit, is familiarizing yourself with all the fun knitting terms! What is a “thrum”? How to I knit “in the round”? Why should I care about “blocking”? Learn these terms (and techniques) and watch your knitting skills soar!

Knitting Videos

2009-09-10T19:58:00Z

Get helpful how-to video clips to walk you through your knitting projects. From casting-on to finishing tips, think of Knitting Daily when you need your next video tutorial.

Lace Knitting

2009-09-10T19:58:00Z

Enjoy the timeless beauty of lace knitting! Everyone can appreciate the beauty, skill and patience required to knit lace, and Knitting Daily is here to help you every step of the way. Your knitted lace heirlooms are sure to be treasured for years to come.

Sock Knitting

2009-09-10T19:58:00Z


	*A rainbow of socks from Getting Started Knitting Socks* by Ann Budd**

A Short History of the Knitted Sock. The history of the knitted sock is a long and interesting one. Knitted Islamic stockings and other knitted fragments date from the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries. Many were worked upward in colored patterns that often incorporated the name "Allah" in Kufic (an early Arabic script).

As the craft of knitting spread through Europe, the logic of making knitted hose rather than woven, cut, and sewn hose certainly became evident. Although this old style of hose were still worn, knitted stockings became increasingly popular. Knitted fabric was superior to woven cloth because it retained its shape, it fit better, and it offered new options in design and color.


*Arabic stocking from Folk Socks* by Nancy Bush**

Early knitted stockings were wool or linen, coarsely made with large needles. As skill in metalwork advanced, finer needles allowed finer knit work, and knitted silk stockings appeared on royalty and the aristocracy of Europe.

Due to their popularity and usefulness, the knitting of stockings, socks, caps, and other articles of clothing offered a source of livelihood for many people, thereby becoming an industry in its own right. The knitting of stockings gave many peasant laborers an independence they could not have had otherwise.

In spite of the great strides of technology, the making of stockings by hand still holds an interest for knitters. There's an attraction to making a useful item with one's own hands. A hand-knit pair of socks requires techniques that have been developed through history and talents that have been passed on from one knitter to the next. The knitting of stockings or socks provides a connection to history and each pair is, perhaps, a small honor to all the knitters who have had the great pleasure of creating a well-turned heel.

Source: Folk Socks by Nancy Bush, Interweave Press, 1994.

How to Knit a Sock

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All Sock Knitting Related Products

Knit the cuff. Begin by casting on the required number of stitches and knitting the cuff, usually in a K1, P1 rib or a K2, P2 rib. The rib hugs the leg and helps keep the sock up.

Knit the leg. There are so many sock patterns to choose from, and this is usually where you begin working a stitch pattern if there is one. Knit the leg until it is the desired height.

Knit the heel flap. The heel flap is the extra bit of knitting that extends along the back of the heel from the ankle bone to the base of the foot. The heel flap is usually knit in a slip-stitch pattern, which adds durability to your sock.

Turn the heel. This is one of the parts of the sock (the other is the gusset) that transitions the leg of the sock to the foot of the sock. The heel turn is usually worked with short-rows, which are nothing more than partial rows worked on just the center stitches.

Knit the gusset. The gusset connects the heel with the instep so that you can work the foot in rounds to the tip of the toe. To form the gusset, you'll pick up stitches along the sides of the heel flap that will connect the newly turned heel stitches with the waiting instep stitches. Once all of the stitches are picked up, you'll work several sets of decreases on every other round until you get back to the number of stitches you have in the leg portion of the sock.

Knit the foot. Now you knit in the round until you reach the desired foot length, not including the toe.

Knit the toe. This involves decreasing on each side of the sock every other row. You'll form a wedge shape, similar to the shape of your toes. If your toes are pointy, you can decrease more; if they're flat, decrease less.

Finish the toe. Work the Kitchener stitch across the toe stitches to form a seamless toe. The Kitchener stitch is worked by using a length of yarn to weave in and out of stitches in a specific pattern that mimics a knit stitch.

Source: Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd, Interweave Press, 2007.

Join Eunny Jang as she takes you through the steps of knitting a sock!

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Working Socks From The Toe Up by Ann Budd


On-Your-Toes Socks by Ann Budd

In general, I like to knit socks from the top down, beginning with a cast-on at the top of the leg and ending with the Kitchener stitch at the tip of the toe. But sometimes it's practical (and preferable) to work in the opposite direction—from the tip of the toe to the top of the leg. With this method, you cast on stitches at the tip of the toe, work the foot to the desired length, work short-rows to shape the heel, then work the leg to the desired length, finishing with a flexible bind-off at the top of the leg. One advantage of the toe-up method is that you can try on the socks at any point along the way to make sure that they fit just right.

Another advantage of toe-up sock knitting is that the heel is shaped in short-rows without a heel flap or gussets. You won't have to count rows in the heel flap or pick up stitches for the gussets, which can be particularly helpful if you're working with a highly textured yarn that obscures individual stitches or you tend to have trouble seeing the stitches. And best of all for many knitters, when you work from the toe up, you don't have to work the Kitchener stitch.

Working socks from the toe up is also a good idea if you're worried about running out of yarn. Begin with two balls of equal size, one for each sock. Work the foot to the desired length while you have lots of yarn, then continue up the leg as far as you can before the ball runs out. This is a great way to economize with expensive yarn--buy a single ball for each sock and use every precious yard.

—Ann Budd

A Perfect Sock Cast-On from Nancy Bush

Here's a lesson from Nancy Bush about an Estonian cast-on that's perfect to use for socks because it's so stretchy. I like this cast-on because the space from my heel to where the top of my foot meets my leg is a little bigger than average, and if I'm going to have trouble with a sock fitting, it's going to be there. I always cast-on loosely, but I don't like the look of a really loose cast-on because it can be messy and "loopy." This cast-on is naturally stretchy without looking loose. Try it on your next pair of socks!

Speaking of your next pair, Nancy has written several classic sock knitting books, including Knitting on the Road, Knitting Vintage Socks, and Folk Socks . If you don't have at least one of these sock books, you are missing out on some amazing sock-knitting opportunities!

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10 Tips for Longer-Lasting Socks


	*Fun striped socks from Getting Started Knitting Socks* by Ann Budd**

1. Don't wind your yarn into a cake until you're ready to knit. Winding a skein into a cake pulls fibers taut and over months the yarn could lose its ability to spring back into shape.

2. Choose the right yarn for the project; 100% cotton yarn isn't necessarily appropriate for socks because they will quickly bag and lose their shape when worn. Wool and wool/nylon blends are popular for socks because of their innate elasticity.

3. Choose high-quality sock yarn-inexpensive sock yarn tends have short fibers, which pill and wear out more quickly than longer fibers. If your budget is tight, you can find great deals in sale sections.

4. Go down one needle size (or more) when knitting the feet. If a label calls for a US 2 needle, knit the foot of the sock on a US 1, or even a US 0 so you get a dense fabric that holds up to wear.

5. Knit the right size socks. Too-big socks slip around more on the foot and cause more wear as they move around in your shoes.

6. Rinse socks separately before washing with other items. While dye shouldn't run, super-saturated colors might and you don't want your other socks to be affected.

7. Turn socks inside-out when washing. That way the inside of the sock gets a fuzzy halo over time, and not the outside.

8. Consider washing your finished socks in a small mesh bag in the machine so they don't catch on zippers.

9. Don't wash socks in hot water. Even socks labeled "superwash" could felt or shrink a bit.

10. Lay socks flat to dry. Over time, machine drying will lessen stitch definition and make socks look worn. The intense heat of drying might also break down fibers.

—Allison Van Zandt, Simply Socks Yarn Company

Sockupied eMag—Fall 2011

Featured Product: In pursuit of sock knitting? Download the interactive Sockupied eMag with sock-knitting tips, techniques, and patterns that will keep your feet happy! The Fall 2011 Sockupied eMag features 5 sock patterns from classic cables to stranded colorwork, methods for saving your hand-knitted socks from wear and tear, top-notch sock designer insights, customizing ideas, and interactive videos and galleries for sock-knitting inspiration.

PC Users: Click here to learn more		MAC Users: Click here to learn more

Online Knitting

2009-09-10T19:58:00Z

Knitting Daily is your community for all your online knitting needs. Need expert tips and tricks? Looking for the perfect finish to your project? Trying to find a beautiful pattern? Have a question you need answered from a peer in the forum? It’s all right here…and we’re so glad you are too!

Knitting for Children

2009-09-10T19:57:00Z

The personalization of your knitting is what makes it so special for those who look forward to wearing it. Even the pickiest fashonista will appreciate the time and effort you spent making it just for them. Receive sound advice from Knitting Daily experts, and knit something extraordinary for the special child in your life!

Knitting for Men

2009-09-10T19:57:00Z

It’s not always easy to find advice (or great patterns) when knitting for men. From gallery photos, to tips along the way, Knitting Daily will help you knit up that special something (for that special someone).

Knitting for Women

2009-09-10T19:57:00Z

Whether you’re looking to knit something up for yourself or a special woman in your life, Knitting Daily has you covered with tips, techniques, and patterns galore! Knitting Daily forums are also filled with knitting divas who are happy to jump in and help, 24 hours a day!

Knitting Sweaters

2009-09-10T19:57:00Z

Every knitter has dreamed of knitting the perfect sweater. Cozy up with Knitting Daily as we discuss alternate finishing options, offer advice on the best yarn to use, show you the latest fashion trends, and so much more.

Home Decor

2009-09-10T19:56:00Z

How do you get custom home décor that expresses your individual style? Knit great pieces yourself with the help and advice of Knitting Daily experts. We also have patterns and ideas galore just waiting for your personal touch!

Knitted Accessories

2009-09-10T19:56:00Z

Find a knitted accessory for any occasion (or no occasion at all) right here at Knitting Daily. In addition to patterns, we also offer expert tips and ideas to help you make your knitted accessories uniquely you!

Knitting Cardigans

2009-09-10T19:56:00Z

Every knitter has dreamed of knitting the perfect cardigan pattern. Learn with us as we host helpful knit-alongs, offer advice on cabling, provide tips on the best yarn to use, and so much more.

Knitting for Babies

2009-09-10T19:56:00Z

One of the many wonderful things about knitting is that you can find amazing patterns in all sorts of shapes and sizes! Knitting for babies is fun for you, and appreciated by those who enjoy the finished product—smiles are guaranteed!