Knitting is an all time favourite craft as it fulfills a basic need for warm clothes.

It is simply the interlocking of lines of loops (yarns mainly of wool) made by two needles- an art that can be easily and quickly mastered. If you use your imagination, you can make sweaters, booties, rugs, shawls etc in an endless variety of patterns and designs with a combination of Knit, Purl and other stitches. The earliest known samples of knitting date from 7th century Arabia. Materials
Knitting needles

are made of plastic, aluminium and wood. They come in a wide range of sizes, types and lengths . Single pointed straight needles are used when you work back and forth in rows, Double pointed needles are used in sets of four for working tubular knitting such as socks and mittens. Circular needles are usually used for knitting skirts or other tubular garments when you work in rounds. Small needles are used for thin yarn and larger needles for heavy yarn. Yarns are available in a variety of materials like wool (light, medium and heavy), cotton , synthetic, jute and so on. They differ as to twist, size, texture and weight. Gauge Gauge means the number of stitches and rows per inch. Gauge will be specified in the directions given for a particular design. It is important to maintain the gauge specified in the design to get the correct size of the article you are making. To check the Gauge, make a practice swatch 3 or 4 inches square patch of the stitch given. Stitch using the specified needle and yarn. Then place the patch flat on the table and with a ruler measure the number of stitches and rows per inch. For eg. Gauge= 4 stitches per inch. If your stitch number doesn't correspond to the Gauge given for the design, try out different size needles i.e a larger needle if you have more stitches per inch or a smaller needle for less stitches per inch until the Gauge specified is obtained. How to Knit | To Bind Off | How to Increase | How to Decrease | To Make a Yarn Over

Knit Stitch (k st) is made by putting the needle through the back of the stitch from right to left.

How to Knit : Cast on 20 stitches for practice. Hold needle with cast on stitches in the left hand. Hold second needle and yarn from skein in right hand. The yarn from skein should be in back of the needles. Insert right needle into front of first stitch under the left needle Wind yarn from your right hand under and over point of needle. Draw right needle and yarn through stitch. Slip the stitch just made off left needle. One knit stitch made. 'Slip' in knitting means move (a stitch) to the other needle without stitching it. Repeat in each stitch across until all the stitches have been knitted off left needle. Push work along left needle so the stitch to be worked is near tip. At the end of row, turn work so needle with stitches is in the left hand. Continue working rows of knit stitch in this manner until you are familiar with this stitch. When you knit each stitch in each row it is called Garter stitch. Top To Bind Off : When you have finished a swatch, you must learn to 'bind off' to hold it together. It is necessary to bind off in knitting to prevent the stitches from raveling. It should be done rather loosely. Slip the first stitch off the left needle onto the right needle without knitting it. Knit the next stitch. Insert the left needle through the front of the first stitch on the right needle and slip it over the second stitch, bringing the right needle and second stitch through the first stitch. Then slip the first stitch off left needle. One stitch is left on the right needle. Knit next stitch and slip preceding one over it. Continue across until you come to the last stitch. Cut yarn about 5 inches from needle. Draw loose end through last stitch and pull to tighten. Thread end into a needle and work end back through edge. Cut off close to work.

Top How to Increase (inc): To increase on a knit row, knit the stitch in the usual manner but do not slip the stitch off the left needle. Knit again in the same stitch by inserting the needle into the back of the stitch. Now slip the stitches off the needle. Top How to Decrease (dec): To decrease on a knit row, knit two stitches together by inserting the right needle through two stitches. Top To make a Yarn Over (yo): Yarn over increases a stitch and is used in lace patterns since it produces a hole in the work. On a knit row, bring yarn under tip of right needle, up and over needle, then work next stitch.

Knitting Working on and Finishing Knitting

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Ribbing | How to Slip a Stitch | How to Attach Yarn | How to Pick Up Stitches | Duplicate Stitch | To Change Colour in Knitting | Fair Isle Knitting | Finishing Knitting

Ribbing Ribbing is a combination of knit and purl stitches. Knit one, purl one or knit two, purl two are the most common. Because of its elasticity it is usually used for neckbands, waistbands and wrists.

How to Slip a Stitch (sl): With yarn in back of work and holding needle as if to purl (Purl Stitch is made by putting the needle through the front of the stitch from right to left), slip stitch from left needle to right without working it. Top How to Attach Yarn : When your skein of yarn runs out or when you have to change colours, you attach a new skein. If possible join the new yarn at the beginning of a row. Simply tie the new yarn and fasten ends securely. To attach new yarn in the middle of a row, thread the new yarn in a needle and weave it back through the old yarn for several stitches. Leave short end of yarn on back of work and cut off when project is finished. Top How to Pick Up Stitches : Directions often say pick up stitches along an edge of a piece that is already knitted. Usually neckbands and front edges are worked with picked up stitches. With right side of work facing you, attach yarn to work where picking up is to start. Work with yarn and only one needle. Insert point of needle through knitting a short distance from the edge, wrap yarn around needle as if to knit and draw loop through piece. Continue in this manner across edge, spacing stitches evenly.

To Make Design on top of Knitting :Duplicate Stitch Duplicate stitch is used to work a design on top of knitting. Thread a large-eyed needle with contrasting colour yarn. Draw yarn from wrong to right side through center of lower point of the knit stitch. Insert needle at top right-hand side of same stitch. Then holding needle horizontally, draw through to top left side of stitch. Insert again into base of same stitch. Keep work loose so it completely covers the knit stitch. Top

To Change Colour in Knitting : When colour appears in a definite line or block, you attach a colour as it appears in the design. When changing colours, simply twist yarn by bringing new colour under yarn you are working with. This prevents holes in the work.

Top

To use two colours in the same row : Fair Isle Knitting This term is used for a pattern where two colours are used in the same row of knitting and a colour changes every few stitches. It is usually used in stockinette stitch and you carry the yarn not being used on the wrong side of work throughout the whole pattern. The colour yarn used most is held in right hand and the second colour is held in the left hand. If yarn is carried more than three stitches, catch the carried yarn so you won't have long loops on the back. Catch yarn as in the picture. Insert right needle in usual manner but before picking up yarn to work this stitch, slip right hand needle under the carried yarn, work stitch in usual manner, dropping carried yarn as stitch is completed. Work next stitch in usual manner. Repeat from across. Top

Finish Knitting Work all loose ends into a solid part of the knitting to fasten it securely. Thread end into a needle and weave it through work. Cut off close to work. If yarn end is not long enough to thread into a needle use a crochet hook to work the end in and out of the knitting.

Casting On
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Method 1 | Method 2

'Cast on' in Knitting means - to make the first row of loops on the needle. This is the first step in Knitting. There are two methods of casting on. You can choose the one which looks the best for the item you are making. Casting on should be even - not too loose or too tight. Practice casting on until you are familiar. Method 1 : Step 1 : Use only one knitting needle. Make a slip knot on needle as shown in figure, leaving a long end of the yarn (allow about 1 inch for each stitch). Step 2 : Pull both ends of yarn in opposite directions to tighten the loop on the needle. Step 3 : Hold the needle in the right hand. Or As in the step 4 Step 4 : Move the loop near the point of needle. Step 5 : Loop yarn from skein over fingers. Loop the free end of yarn around the left thumb. Step 6 : Insert needle in loop. Wind yarn in right hand over needle. Step 7 : Draw yarn through loop on thumb. Step 8 : Slip loop off thumb and pull the free end of yarn to tighten the stitch on the needle. One stitch is cast on. Top Method 2 : Use two knitting needles. Steps 1 and 2 is as same as in method 1. Step 3 : Hold the first needle in the left hand. Hold second needle in right hand with yarn in working position. Insert point of right needle in loop on left needle. With index finger of right hand, bring yarn over the point of right needle. Draw yarn through loop.