The 4 Keys to Basic Knitting

BASIC KNITTING: THE KNIT STITCH

The first basic knitting stitch you need to know is actually called the 'knit' stitch. With your yarn on the left-hand needle, you insert the point of the right-hand needle into the 'bottom' of the first stitch. Bring the working yarn up the back and in between the two needles, then slip the right-hand needle down and to the left - pulling it 'off' the left-hand needle.

There's a series of how to knit diagrams here showing you how it's done!

BASIC KNITTING: THE PURL STITCH

The only other basic knitting stitch is the 'purl' stitch, and it's the opposite (well, sort of ) of the knit stitch.

Here's how the purl stitch is done.

See how easy that is? Now that you know those two stitches, there will be no stopping you!

Oh, wait, we have to get you STARTED first! There's only two more basic knitting things you need to know -- honest.

CASTING ON AND BINDING OFF

First, you need to 'cast on' your stitches, which means tying a slip knot with your yarn onto the first needle, and then 'looping' the yarn stitches on.

Here's a great illustration of casting on. See how easy that is?

Once your stitches are 'cast on' to the left-hand needle, you can use any pattern, any yarn, and those two stitches -- knit and purl -- to make ANYTHING you want!

The final basic knitting thing you need to know is what to do with it when you're done . That's called 'casting off' or 'binding off,' and it's the final thing you do with every single basic knitting project.

To learn the 'binding off' technique, click here again, and follow those VERY easy directions.

You've got it - you've learned all the basic knitting techniques you need to know!