Reviewing the Very Basics

If you haven’t worked through my free Learn-to-Knit video course, please navigate to the class and bookmark it. In it, I teach some foundations that are worth reviewing.

They are (links go to the corresponding video in the Learn-to-Knit online class):

• A beginner cast-on
• Tensioning your yarn
• The knit stitch
• Switching to a new ball of yarn
• Binding off
• Weaving in ends
• and, Reading a simple pattern

Please review these videos if it’s been a little while since you’ve knitted, or if you’ve learned to knit from a friend who didn’t show you how to do all of the above.

The skill that we are going to be building on the most is pattern reading. In the Learn-to-Knit e-book, we covered some basic abbreviations that we’ll be coming back to, again and again.

They are:

• CO = “cast on”
• K or k = “knit”
• st or sts = “stitch” or “stitches”
• BO = “bind off”

We also reviewed the standard layout for how a knitting pattern is written, with the materials and yarn needed, the patten and finishing instructions, and any special notes.

I go completely in-depth on reading a knitting pattern in my Become a Knitting Superstar course, but here as we learn different stitches and techniques, I’ll introduce you to their abbreviations and we’ll practice reading the pattern together for each project.

Remember, knitting patterns are the written language of knitting, and the better you “speak” knitting, the more you can enjoy its delights. Just follow along with me – by the time you’re done with this course, you’re going to be fluent!