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Knitting - Basic Knit Stitch

Knitting - Basic Knit Stitch
Total views : 10135    21 . 10 . 2009

Learn Knitting and make sweaters, booties, rugs, shawls etc in an endless variety of patterns and designs.

 

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 DecreaseTo Make a Yarn Over
 

Knit stitchKnit 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.

Garter stitchRepeat 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. 

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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.

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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.

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How to Decrease (dec): 

To decrease on a knit row, knit two stitches together by inserting the right needle through two stitches. 

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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.

 

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