Welcome to the wonderful world of knitting! Even if you’ve been here for a while, there is always something new about this most fascinating craft!

Let me start by introducing you to the five stitch types that I believe are at the very heart of knitting!

Learning to knit, you know, is nothing more than learning different knitting stitch types.

Wherever I roam on the Web, many of the same questions arise. Over and over again, I come across forums and discussions with the same types of concerns.

In this article, I will attempt to explain some of the basic knitting stitches and everything they encompass.

I will talk about ‘the knit stitch’, ‘the purl stitch’, ‘knit 2 together’, ‘yarn-over’, and the ’stockinette stitch’.

These five stitches, I believe, form the very foundation of knitting. Learn, and perfect, each one of these, and you will be well on your way to becoming an expert in knitting!

All other patterns emerge from these few stitches. So, let’s begin!

‘The Knit Stitch’. Have you ever looked at something knitted? I mean, really looked? If you have, you will see one side of the knitting looks different from the other.

Knitting follows structures. The knit stitch is formed by making loops which interweave with one another; one after another.

The knit stitch will resemble little “v” patterns when viewed from the knit side of a pattern.

To form a “knit stitch” you use one needle to pull a loop of yarn through the existing stitch on the other needle. (You can knit with more than two needles, but that’s a discussion for another day.)

Holding both needles in your hands, insert the right needle, from “front to back” into the first stitch on the left needle. Keeping the yarn at the back, bring it “over” the tip of the needle, counterclockwise. Pull the yarn down, and catch it with the right needle.

Slip the “old” stitch off the left needle and you have a new stitch on the right needle! A knit stitch!

Many times you will be told the knit stitch is the “right side” or RS of your work. But, once in a while, it will be the “wrong side” or WS.

Either way, it’s good to know those two abbreviations.

‘The Purl Stitch’. The purl stitch will resemble what looks like “brick-face” when viewed from the purl side of a pattern.

Unlike the knit stitch, with the purl stitch, you hold the yarn to the “front” of your knitting.

Insert the right needle from “back to front” into the first stitch on the left needle. With your right index finger, wrap yarn counterclockwise around and down the right needle.

Draw the right needle and yarn backwards through the “old” stitch. Slip off the old stitch. A new stitch forms. A purl stitch!

‘Knit 2 Together.’ Now, this is easy! Just knit two together! Insert the right needle into the second stitch from the tip of the left needle, making sure to “catch” the first stitch with it.

Bring your yarn over and up, then down, catch your yarn, slip the old stitches off, and you have a new stitch in their place.

You will have only one new stitch from two. Knitting two together is often used to decrease stitches or to create an open-work pattern.

‘Yarn-over’. Adding a yarn-over, or YO, is also used when creating open-work designs. To do a yarn-over after a knit stitch, just bring your yarn across your work from the back to the front. Then, knit the next stitch.

You will see an extra “stitch” on the row. When you come to that stitch in your next row of knitting, it will not look anchored like the others. That’s because you put it there, all of itself.

Knit it like you would knit any stitch. As you go, you will see that yarn-overs create “holes” or openwork designs in your knitting.

‘Stockinette Stitch’. This stitch is knitting’s most common. All it consists of is knitting one row, then purling the next, and so on, and so on.

The stockinette stitch is exactly where every knitter should begin. And stick with it until you know your stitches well!

So there you have it! *5* most popular knitting stitch types!

Get knitting!

Copyright 2006 Alice Seidel

 

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Knitting wool is created by first shearing the wool off the animal. There are different types of wool including lambs wool, sheep wool, alpaca wool, and llama wool. Shearing means that the animal’s hair is shaved back and collected to use for clothing, towels, and other cloth items. Shearing does not hurt the animals and in very hot regions it has to be done to keep the animal from overheating. This is where using the hair from animals was first considered. Once the hair is removed it must be washed before it can be spun. Before the days of running water, people would fill porous bags with hair and put the bags into rivers or creeks to get out all of the dirt and other particles that were left behind. This process is similar today except that some people use their washing machines. The hair is washed in very hot water two or three times and then dried. Fine or dirty hairs are taken out.

Wool hairs can be purchased in most craft stores or bought from farms. The hair is not yet knitting wool. After the hair has dried, it will need to be spun. Some people use spinners which consist of a big wheel that is fed the hair. Spinning is what creates the knitting wool. Hairs are spun together to form a tight yarn. This yarn can then be used to knit. If a person cannot fit a spinning wheel into their home, smaller hand spinning wheels can be used. These are traditional spinning wheels that are two or three inches wide. Spinning the wheel that is attached to a stick and adding hair will begin to create the knitting wool. This can be a laborious process, but one that will be worth it.

After the knitting wool has been spun, people will begin to knit, which is another process by which yarn is interwoven to create clothing and other fabrics that people use everyday. Traditional knitting can take weeks or months to finish one or two items. Wool sweaters, blankets, shirts, and other clothing made from wool will last a long time because the wool is very strong material. Knitting wool is a renewable resource. Many people will combine different kinds of wool to create blends that may feel a little softer. These blends are also used to create different patterns. Dying the wool allows for more color choices.

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Life is good. We need to always remember that. Do something worthwhile. Learn to knit.

Of course, when learning to knit, one of the first things you need to figure out is how to hold the needles.

Knitters, no matter where they live, all knit in the same fashion. The only difference is how you hold the yarn, and in what hand.

There are two basic ways in which to knit. One is the English (or American) way, and the other is the Continental way.

To begin knitting in the English method, hold the right needle as you would a pencil. The left needle gets held between your left thumb and index finger so as to control the stitches.

Some knitters like to knit close to the tip of the needle, while others prefer the safety of keeping the stitches further back on the needles. Either way is fine.

In fact, some projects are easier to work close to the tip than others. You will find this out with the more patterns you knit.

Your preference, your control, is what works for you! That’s the beauty of knitting; finding your own way. A little bit like life.

Keep in mind the word “loose” at all times, when casting on. It really does help. And you do want that foundation row to be pliable enough to work with.

When you start to knit, hold the needles lightly, and don’t let the stitches become too cramped or tight. If you are new to knitting, this will probably happen. Just unravel, and start again.

Knitting should flow easily. Oh yes, there are those chunky, bulky yarns that are difficult to work with, so they will require greater strength from you as you progress, but that is normal to that particular yarn.

Nothing should be so tight as to be impossible to work off the needle. If that happens, just go back and try again. And again. And, maybe, even again.

As you progress, remember to control your yarn and stitches with your right index finger. Or you may use several fingers for control. This is relevant to keeping all stitches on the needle. Especially as you learn to include stitches beyond “knit and purl”, such as “yo” or “k2tog” or increasing. You don’t want to start dropping stitches or losing them from row to row.

You know the deal; you cast on 43 stitches and by the sixth row you have maybe 39, so where did the other four stitches go?

Remember, there is no one method that is 100% correct; if something works for you, then stick with that.

Be mindful when making stitches; keep a steady hand on your needles, but don’t grip them so tightly that you can’t knit a stitch.

Relax! It’s only yarn.

Knitting should become confortable to you, and in the beginning, it won’t feel that way. That’s normal, too. Only with lots of practice will you begin to form your own unique approach to knitting!

When you attain that, knitting will be so easy to do, and ideas will pop into your head all the time, ideas that you can transfer to your knitting needles for creations like no other!

For you will have found a gift, a gift which you can bring to the world! You see, in the yarn we knit is the invisible thread which weaves us all… one to another.

Copyright 2006 Alice Seidel

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