Basic Knitting Techniques

Counting stitches and rows in knitting is key to knowing where you are, what you’ve done, and how to get back on track if you get lost, which happens to the best of us. Here I show you the easiest and most efficient way to keep track in knitting.

Making stripes in knitting is as easy as starting to knit with the new yarn. I show you how, plus tips like how to twist the yarn up the sides of your work so you don’t have to cut it, and how to make stripes on ribbing without an ugly purl-bump row.

Are you the kind of knitter who thinks you “should” knit a gauge swatch — and hardly ever does? You may be suffering from swatch perfectionism – when you believe swatches have to be perfect. Here’s how to overcome perfectionism and make a perfectly good swatch – FAST.

A slipped stitch makes a smooth edge on knitting. It can also make lovely stitch patterns come to life. A “slip 1” is as easy as moving a stitch from your left to right needles without knitting. Always do it purlwise unless otherwise instructed.

Counting rows on Garter stitch is a little more complicated than the “2 rows for every ridge” rule-of-thumb. Here I show you how to be sure of your rows, and also when to switch colors to make perfect-looking stripes on Garter stitch.

Picking up stitches is called for anytime you want to start knitting from an edge that has no live stitches. That’s right, you can create stitches on either a finished or a raw edge with the “pick up and knit” technique. Here’s how.

“Yarnover” means to put a loop of yarn around the right-hand needle. Here’s how to do yarnovers before and after both knit and purl stitches. This is a good refresher for those just learning to knit.

“Work even” or “work all stitches as they appear” means to knit all knit stitches and purl all purl stitches. To do so, you much be able to recognize a knit or purl stitch when you see it. Here’s how to remember which is which.