With a little help . . .

Hints, tips and techniques to get you started—including a quick run-down of basic stitches, working with colour and charts, and completing your project.

MATERIALS AND ACCESSORIES

Yarns

It can be quite daunting for a new knitter to decide which yarns to use for a project. The choice available these days is quite stunning and ranges from naturals to synthetics, alpaca, metallic, cashmere, silk, blends of wool and acrylic, to name but a few. They come in different thicknesses or weight: fine yarns such as 2- and 3-ply, for instance, are normally used for baby garments and shawls. Probably the most widely used yarns are 4-ply and double knitting weight, then we come to Aran and chunky weight yarns that knit up quickly and produce heavyweight garments. All the projects in this book have specified yarns but you can substitute these for different yarns as long as you check your tension before beginning the work and you keep to the same ply or weight recommended in the pattern. If you do decide to change yarns then it is possible that you will achieve a different look to your finished garment than that of the design.

Accessories

Before embarking on your first garment you need to acquire a few basic tools. There are many brands of knitting needles available these days, and the price range is varied. It is wise to invest in some good-quality needles since these will give you many years of service. A tape measure, stitch holders, row markers, cable needle, a good sharp pair of needlework scissors and a range of sewing up needles are recommended too. A knitting bag is also a very handy thing in which to store your work in progress; not only does it keep your work clean while you are knitting, you can store the patterns and yarns you are using all in one place ready to begin work.

Let’s get knitting

The following pages outline the basic methods of casting on and off, knit and purl stitiches, increasing and decreasing, as well as working in colour and from charts.

CASTING ON AND OFF

There are several methods for casting on and casting off (in the US, binding off). Some knitting patterns will stipulate a particular method, depending on the effect required within the pattern—it is common to cast off in pattern, for instance. Make sure that your cast on and cast off stitches remain elastic by either working them reasonably loosely or using a larger size needle than stated if you think you work very tightly. Most patterns will tell you which side of the knitting to finish your work on but as a general rule most casting off is done with the right side of the work facing.

Casting on—two-needle method

This method involves creating a row of loops cast on to a needle. The second needle is used to build a series of interjoining loops in a row. Hold the needle with the stitches in your left hand and the needle to make the stitches in your right hand. (If you are left-handed, do the reverse.) To start, make a slip knot about 10 cm (4 in) from the end of your yarn, slip it over the needle in your left hand. Then insert the right-hand needle through the front loop as if you were making a knit stitch (now follow steps 1–4).

1 Pass the yarn under and over the point of the right-hand needle (again as if you were making a knit stitch).

2 Using the right-hand needle, draw the yarn through the slip knot to form a new stitch.

3 Transfer new stitch to left-hand needle, insert right-hand needle through front of new stitch and repeat 1.

4 Continue in this way until you have cast on the required number of stitches specified in your pattern.

Casting on—one-needle or thumb method

1 Making sure that you have unwound sufficient yarn from the main ball to allow you to cast on the stated number of stitches, make a slip knot and place it on the needle.

2 Wind the yarn clockwise around your thumb and hold firmly. Insert the point of the needle through the loop on your thumb.

3 Wind the yarn in your left hand around the back of the point of the needle and in between the needle and your thumb. Pull the point of the needle under the yarn to form a stitch.

4 Slip the stitch on to the needle close to the slip knot. Continue in this way until you have the required number of stitches specified in your pattern.

Casting off

The technique of casting off is used to provide the finished edge to the end of your work. It is also used when you shape pieces of work or make buttonholes. It is usual to cast off on the right side of your work; however, follow the instructions since you may have to cast off in pattern. Don’t pull stitches too tightly when casting off, since this may result in a puckered edge, or make it difficult when sewing up the seams of the garment.

1 Work the first two stitches in pattern. With the yarn at the back of the work, insert the point of the needle through the first stitch.

2 Using the left-hand needle, lift the first stitch over the second stitch and then off the needle.

3 Work the next stitch in pattern. Once again using the left-hand needle, lift the first stitch over the second stitch and off the needle.

4 Continue to do this all the way along the row until left with a single stitch. Slip this off the needle and pull the end of the yarn through it firmly to secure it.

KNIT AND PURL STITCHES

To create any fabric when beginning to knit there are two fundamental stitches that need to be learned and mastered. The knit stitch is the first stitch normally learned when beginning to knit; this forms a ridged fabric known as garter stitch and can be widely used for many projects. The second stitch needed is a purl stitch, which when teamed with the knit stitch creates what we call stocking stitch; this results in a fabric that is smooth on the right side and ridged on the wrong side. Once you have mastered these two stitches, the sky is the limit. They can be used to work many beautiful patterns and decorative stitches and are the basis for all knitting. But just to make things more interesting, there are several different methods of achieving these basic stitches.

Knit stitch—English/American method

1 Hold the needle with cast-on stitches in your left hand, wind the yarn around the little finger of your right hand, then under the two middle fingers and over the top of your forefinger.

2 Keeping the yarn at the back of the work, hold the second needle in your right hand and insert it into the front of the first stitch.

3 With your right forefinger, bring the yarn forward, under and over the point of the right-hand needle.

4 Pull the yarn through the loop and push the resulting stitch towards the point of the left-hand needle.

5 Slip it on to the right-hand needle.

Knit stitch—Continental method

1 Hold needle with cast-on stitches in your right hand, wind the yarn over your left forefinger and lay it across the palm of your hand, then take up slack between your two last fingers.

2 Place work in left hand, extend left forefinger, pulling yarn behind the needle. Use left thumb and middle finger to push first stitch towards point and insert right-hand needle.

3 Twist right needle and place point under the working yarn to pull the loop onto the right-hand needle.

4 It may help to hold loop with right forefinger while you pull it down through the stitch. Pull new stitch on right-hand needle.

Purl stitch—English/American method

1 Holding needle with cast-on stitches in your left hand, wind yarn around your little finger, under your middle fingers and over the forefinger of right hand.

2 With yarn in the front of the work, pick up the needle in your right hand and insert the point into the front of the first stitch on left-hand needle.

3 With your right forefinger, wind yarn around the point of the right-hand needle and then under it.

4 Pull loop on right needle through stitch and push new stitch towards point of left needle; slip stitch to right needle.

Purl stitch—Continental method

1 Take the yarn over your left forefinger, lay it across your palm and take up the slack between your last two finders. Then hold the work in your left hand.

2 Push out left forefinger slightly, pulling working yarn in front of needle. Using your left thumb and forefinger, push the first stitch towards the point of left-hand needle.

3 Insert right needle into front of stitch. Use left forefinger to wind yarn around right-hand needle.

4 Push down and back with right needle to pull loop through stitch and slip on to right-hand needle.

INCREASING AND DECREASING

When working on some projects it is necessary to shape the pieces as you work. In order to do this you will need to lose or gain stitches on the rows as you knit. This is done by either increasing the number of stitches (done by knitting twice into the same stitch), or decreasing (achieved by knitting two stitches together). There are quite a few ways of doing this but most patterns will state clearly which method is recommended.

Increasing—bar method

1 Knit a stitch in the usual way but do not take it off the left-hand needle.

2 Insert the point of the right-hand needle into the back of the same stitch (part of which remains on the left-hand needle) . . .

3 and knit again. Take the stitch from the left needle to the right in the usual way.

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