CASTING ON

Slip Knot—simply looped over the needle. They must be cast on with two threads, so that the edge of a piece will be firm and straight with plenty of stretch. It takes practice to get these stitches into the needle evenly.

To cast on use only one needle. On your yarn form the ball, measure off a length approximately one inch for each stitch to be cast on. For example, if you are going to cast on twenty stitches for your knitting pattern, measure to a point twenty inches from the end of the yarn. At this point won the yarn make a slip knot (by making a loop and pulling a second lip through the first loop). Place the loop of the knot on the one needle, having the short end of yarn coming from the Left Hand and the ball yarn coming from the Right Hand. Lay the short thread over the thumb and around the thumb of the Left Hand. With the needle in the Right Hand, slide the needle in alongside of the thumb, then with the ball yarn wrap the yarn around the needle from underneath to over the top. With the Left thumb, flip the loop over the end of the needle and tighten up on the short yarn. Continue for as many stitches as you wish to cast on.

Practice casting on until you are certain you are doing it correctly, working constantly to get the stitches even. The more you cast on the straighter and more even your stitches will become. Don't make the mistake of tightening the stitches too much, or it will be difficult for you to knit the first row of your knitting pattern. After you have cast on you do not use the short end of yarn again. If it is too long and is in your way, cut it off, leaving about a four-inch end.

Cast on twenty-four stitches for your practice piece or swatch.

LEARNING TO KNIT

Before you begin to knit, examine these stitches on the needle that you have just cast on. Take off one stitch and look at it. It is just a loop joined to the next stitch, which is another loop. In knitting you are going to take the loose yarn and pull a loop through the second stitch, and so on to the end of the row. So you see, knitting is nothing more than loops pulled through the loops on the needle. We could do this by taking a crochet hook, pulling through a loop and putting it on a knitting needle.  By knitting and using the needles to help you pull the loop through, you can do it faster and more evenly. The needles keep all the loops together and all the same size.

Directions for the Knit Stitch

Hold the needles so that the cost-on stitches are in the Left Hand and the empty needle is in the Right Hand. Insert the empty needle into the left side of the first stitch on the Left Hand needle on the side of the stitch facing you, this you will find in your knitting pattern. Needles must be crossed and the empty needle lying under the full needle. Hold the ball yarn in your Right Hand, wrap it around the empty needle from behind, from underneath to over the top of the needle. Then draw the loop through the first stitch on the Left Hand needle; then drop the old stitch off of the Left Hand needle.

NOTE: In the stitch, the yarn must be on the back side of the work. A knit stitch is a smooth stitch.