What to Know Before Learning to Knit
Why I Knit
I’m sure there are scientific reasons for knitting and articles on how it’s good for your brain. I started knitting as a mental health exercise - a meditative process that quiets minds - recommended by my partner, but also shows up in one of my all-time favorite shows, Madam Secretary, and by Tom Daley who spoke at the Tableau Conference 2021 about how he uses knitting and mindfulness as part of his training. I kept knitting because I found it fascinating. I didn’t quite understand how it worked, or why it worked, but it seemed to. I was creating something relatively practical while watching TV or listening to a book. It added a layer of productivity to an otherwise passive time. I soon started traveling with my knitting projects - passing time on planes, in airports, and on long car rides. I think in that way it eased some anxiety around this need to be working more or harder on something.
What I noticed as I started more and more complex patterns, was that it made me practice something mentally that I could easily see as being a metaphor for a lot of things going on in real adult life. These life-lesson-reminders are another reason I keep knitting.
It’s impossible to see a pattern with just one or two rows. Sometimes it takes multiple times through a repeat to see it all come together. Don’t get discouraged; trust the process.
Mistakes happen. I can’t throw away hours and hours of work. Or worse - money in the form of yarn. Some mistakes can be fixed mid-knit. Some can be fixed after. Some can’t be fixed at all. But it’s not worth not continuing. Worst case, though, is not to throw away the work, but rather to unweave it, re-roll it into a ball, and start over, next time around learning from the mistake.
Just try it. If I don’t like it, just like if I make a big enough mistake, I can unweave and start over. The only way I know what stitch and yarn combination will work, I test and try a few options, and give it a feel.
Minimum Tools Needed
Device to watch YouTube Videos on
Scissors; any old pair will do
Tapestry Needle (needle with big eyelet for sewing yarn; Amazon link; you can get these at most craft stores as well)
Yarn & Needles
Yarn
Reading Labels
This guide here (by Nimble Needles) is a great guide on how to read yarn labels. I’d like to simplify things further for a beginner and your first few projects.
What it’s made of - this is important for washability and skin irritations. I typically find myself working with and veering towards 100% acrylic for most of my projects. I find these yarns to be the softest and I haven’t had any trouble working with them.
Weight of Yarn - this is a numeric system where the bulkiness of the yarn is codified. I use this to pick substitutions of yarn in a lot of patterns that dictate what brand / color of yarn to use. If I can’t find (or don’t like) that brand / color, I’ll sub out for a same-weight yarn I do like.
What gauge needle to work with - you’ll need to know what size needle to work with. Thinner yarn needs smaller needles. If you go too small, the knit might feel too tight (i.e. not soft and flexible). If you go too large, you’ll end up with loose knits, and possibly gaps. Note, some patterns will have you working with two strands of yarn, doubling the bulkiness a bit. Follow the pattern’s recommendation on gauge.
What I Use
I choose my yarn, quite simply. As a beginner I stuck with soft yarns, medium weight, with little flair. Soft, because I make primarily blankets and scarves, and softness is a high priority here. Medium weight because it’s not so big and bulky it’s difficult to work with, but not so small it would take ages to make anything of substantial size. Little flair, to me, means it has a nice tight / straight weave to it (like in the picture above)*. Flair causes complexities when working with the needles. Any sort of weird bends, flecks of color, etc, I’ve had trouble with. Often my yarn ends up tangled or unraveling, and as a beginner, I prefer to minimize frustrations. Flair, to me, does NOT include gradient colors. I love working with yarns that change colors automatically (like these Yarnspirations cakes).
*One exception - I’ve found the fuzzy yarn of Caron Latte Cakes (special edition) by Yarnspirations not so difficult to work with. And the projects are a blast once they’re done.
Below are links to some of my favorite yarns. You can pick these up at most Michaels or Jo Ann Fabrics.
Needles
There are two types of needles. Below is my decision tree for deciding which needles to use. Additionally, links below to sets of needles I personally own. I have found that my local craft stores have a limited inventory of needles so my recommendation would be to plan accordingly.
I almost always am using my Circular Needles (cabled). One thing to note - the length of the cable is not as important, but if you have too long of a cable, it can be annoying (not impossible) if you’re working with thinner projects (i.e. scarf projects you plan to take on the road).
Links & Recommendations
For a straight needle, really anything that is the right gauge would work. I have these. The Anodized Aluminum feels slippery sometimes and does make a clinky noise as you work. I’ve never used plastic or bamboo straight needles.
For circular needles, I started with Knitter’s Pride. They’re plastic, so they have a nice feel (not too slippery, not too grippy) and are quiet. Overall, nice for if I’m on a plane knitting and don’t want to disturb people around me.
For later - if you decide you love to knit - a circular needle kit for mix and matching needle and cable sizes.
Fundamental Terms
Summary / Quick Start for any Knitting Project
Here are the 4 steps to any knitting project. Definitions of bold / underlined terms are below and include How-To’s on YouTube.
Cast on a certain number of stitches
Knit and / or Purl a row of stitches based on desired pattern. At end of row, flip over the project and continue to Knit and / or Purl. For a simple pattern, do all Knit stitches (Garter Stitch).
Once desired size is reached, Bind / Cast Off
Weave in ends
Working Yarn
The strand of yarn coming from the ball or skein of yarn you’re working with.
Casting On
This is a term used to describe the process of creating brand new stitches. Every project starts with “casting on” some number of stitches. There are various ways of “casting on”, most common being the “long tail cast on”. This video was the one I found most useful.
Notes:
Better to have too long of a tail than too short. You’ll be weaving / trimming as the very last step of your project.
It’s important to have the working yarn coming from behind the needle. When you watch the video, note this.
Knit v. Purl
These are the two main types of stitches, and typically some combination of these stitches are what make up the different knitting patterns out there. Understanding the difference between these two stitches will prevent many mistakes.
A Knit stitch will have a flat V on the side you’re looking at. A Purl stitch will have a bump-over.
They are opposites of one another. If you’re looking at a Knit stitch (characterized by a flat V of yarn), then on the other side of your project, is a Purl stitch. If you’re looking at a bump-over of yarn, then on the other sized of your project is a flat V.
The working yarn is placed differently depending on the stitch. Knit stitches have the working yarn in the back while Purls have the working yarn in the front of the right needle. When watching videos and learning your stitches, be sure to pay attention to this. If the working yarn is misplaced, you’ll end up with what is called a “Yarn Over” (in common mistakes below) which will lead to an extra stitch being created and a gap / hole in the final project.
For visual aids on how to actually create these stitches, I recommend
A practice swatch. Practice stitching a row of Knits, then a row of Purls. and see if you can start to tell the difference as you work. Also practice a purposeful Yarn Over so you can see what it looks like.
Binding / Casting Off
The term used for completing a project. Here’s a How-to on this as well.
Weaving in “Ends”
Remember that “long tail cast on”? It likely left you with some rogue yarn. Also, at the end of Binding Off, you’ll likely have a longer piece of yarn. Instead of creating knots, which can be rough on a soft project, knitters weave in the ends for securing the project. Here’s a How-To on a basic stitch to give you an idea of how to weave in the end pieces of the yarn. This is where the large sewing needle will come in.
Ravelry
Ravelry is a common social media site for knitters. I put it here because you’ll see blogs / patterns mention it as if it’s a common knowledge site. It has a vast range of patterns, some free, some paid. It’s also where you can see other people’s projects and works in progress! You can find me as knotburchmurph.
Reading Patterns (*for later, likely)
Here’s a great guide (thank you Nimble Needle) on reading patterns overall. In order to be successful with patterns, I found the ability to identify the previous row’s stitches (i.e. Knit v. Purl), is imperative in keeping track of where you are in the pattern. This is especially true for wider projects like blankets or oversized scarves. Practicing the above YouTube videos on a swatch of knitting to get comfortable with that will make any pattern you’re using much easier to work with.
There are two types of repeats usually in a pattern.
Within a Row: characterized with “*” around a series of stitches. You repeat this pattern within the row until you reach the end
Within a Pattern: if you’re working with a complex pattern, you might have 10-30 rows of varying stitch combinations that make up a “repeat”. Typically, you then repeat those rows a few times to complete an entire project with multiple repeats of the pattern. This can be hard to keep track of. I use a note keeping app to keep track of which row and which repeat I’m on to help me if I walk away from a project for any amount of time
Common Issues
Great news! Both of these can be fixed! One of the hardest things for me when I first started was figuring out what I was doing wrong with my knit looked off. Knowing these two very common mistakes will save you some of my mind boggling trouble (it’s hard to Google…) and we’ll add a layer of comfort knowing you can fix the issue, even at the end of the project. What will help you fix it is knowing what to Google when the time comes.
Dropped / Slipped Stitch
This happens when a stitch falls off a needle at some point. You’ll end up with a tell tale ladder of yarn and a bit of a hole in your project.
Prevent this from happening by keeping track of your stitches carefully as you work your way down your rows.
If you’re mid-project, and you find a dropped stitch, you can use a pin (they sell special ones, or use what you have at home) to mark it and prevent it from continuing to slip down your project.
If you find it post-project, same thing as mid-project. Mark it with a pin and try to prevent it from continuing down the project.
When you’re ready to fix it, Google “dropped stitch” in combination with whichever type pattern you used (i.e. “Garter stitch”) and there will likely be a YouTube video of someone walking you through how to fix it.
Accidental Yarn-Over
You’ll know this happened if:
a hole appears in your project, but not with a “ladder” of yarn. Just a hole.
you have more stitches than when you started / your project is widening as you work
An accidental yarn-over is when you have your working yarn on the wrong side of your working (right) needle. For Knit stitches, the working yarn is to be behind the right needle. For Purl stitches, the working yarn is in front. If the working yarn is on the opposite side of the needle, you’ll end up with two stitches instead of one on your right needle. Here’s a great video showing how to purposefully make a yarn-over (some patterns call for this!). If you find you’ve accidentally done this, there are a few ways to fix them. If you caught it early (i.e. on the same row, or the next row), use this video. If it’s after you’ve gone too far, there are ways to weave the hole created. If you Google “accidental yarn-over” and the stitch, you’ll find help on YouTube.
Swatch as a Visual Aid
Description:
A long-tail Cast On will leave extra yarn to be woven in at the end of the project.
Purl stitches create bumps, or “pearls”. On the other side of the work will be knit stitches.
Knit stitches look like flat V’s. On the other side of the work will be purl stitches.
Patterns call for combinations of rows, stacking Knit and Purl stitches to give different patterns of flat V’s and “pearls”. The middle pattern here is a 1x1 ribbed where we alternate Knit, Purl, Knit, Purl and always Knit where the previous row had a Knit, and Purl where the previous row had a Purl, giving us a nice stacked stripe of Knits and Purls. The top pattern is the Garter Stitch, which is when you always knit, giving us one row of all flat V’s, and the next row of “pearls” (because it’s the back side of a row of Knits).
These are common mistakes. The yellow stitch marker is holding a dropped stitch. If you look closely you can see the tell-tale “ladder”, or string of yarn loosely coming across it. Another sign is a rogue loop of stitch accompanied with a hole. The other arrow is pointing to a small hole, with no loose stitch. This was an accidental Yarn Over.
A Beginner’s Scarf - The Garter Stitch
Let’s pull it all together, in order, for a fundamental project.
Materials
(from Minimum Tools Needed)
Large, Yarn Sewing Needle
US 15 Needles (circular or straight; doesn’t matter)
3 skeins of a Medium (4) weight yarn of your choice (I recommend mixing colors for fun!)
Scissors
Note: Work with all 3 colors at the same time. This will give you a “marble” type look.
Cast on somewhere between 30 and 40 stitches. This will depend on how thick and wide you’d like your scarf. The more you cast on, the wider your project.
Using the knit stitch, knit entire rows (flipping the project when you reach the end of a row) until you’ve reached the desired length. Note, for Knit stitches, you’re creating flat V stitches, and your working yarn will be behind your right-hand needle. The back of your row will have bump-over Purl stitches. This alternation gives you a bumpy, flexible, and soft stitch, called the Garter Stitch.
An example of one of my three-toned Garter Stitch scarves! This one is using three skeins of Soft and Shiny by Loops & Threads (can find this at most craft stores) and US 15 Straight Needles (also by Loops & Threads).
Versioning
v. 1 2022-08-15 Initial version. No affiliate links.
