Table of Contents
Introduction
What
you Need
The
Stitches
Types
of Beginner Knitting Projects
Advanced Knitting
Introduction
Knitting is a truly unique and old fashioned
hobby that is easy to learn and yet it can take
years of practice and study to master all of the
techniques. This hobby allows for you to be able
to create just about anything out of a few
knitting needles and plenty of yarn to do the
job. The best thing about getting started is
that you will not have to spend much money at
all and it is something that all ages can learn.
The word is derived
from knot, thought to originate from the Dutch
verb knutten, which is similar to the Old
English cnyttan, to knot.
One of the earliest known
examples of knitting was finely decorated cotton
socks found in Egypt in the end of the first
millennium AD. The first knitting trade guild
was started in Paris in 1527. With the
invention of the knitting machine, however,
knitting "by hand" became a useful but
non-essential craft. Similar to quilting,
spinning, and needlepoint, knitting became a
social activity.
Hand-knitting has gone into and
out of fashion many times in the last two
centuries, and at the turn of the 21st century
it is enjoying a revival. According to the
industry group Craft Yarn Council of America,
the number of women knitters in the United
States age 25–35 increased 150% in the two years
between 2002 and 2004. The latest reincarnation
is less about the make do and mend of the 1940’s
and 50’s and more about making a statement about
individuality as well as developing an innate
sense of community. Additionally, many
contemporary knitters have an interest in
blogging about their knitting, patterns, and
techniques, or joining a virtual community
focused on knitting, such as Ravelry.
Knitting
developed as a way to create stretchable
garments. Knitted garments have the ability to
stretch as much as 500% which means that they
are great for things like socks and hosiery.
What you Need
In order to knit you really only
need two things, a set of knitting needles and
yarn. This will cost no more than $20 depending
on how much yarn you decide to buy. What to buy
can also depend on what you want to make. Some
skeins of yarn will offer knitting patterns
right on the packaging but it is highly
recommended that you buy a beginner knitting
book. This will help you learn and visualize the
different steps and techniques that will get you
knitting like a pro in no time.
Some suggestions for great
beginner knitting books are
The yarn used can be just about
any type you can buy but for a beginning knitter
it is a good idea to buy a strong yarn that is
not fuzzy or thin. The ideal yarn will be
resilient and therefore not very elastic under
tension and it will also be easy to see. The
fuzzy yarns usually have a very thin strand with
lots of fluffy and soft strings attached. These
can be very hard to see when knitted and they
can also be very stretchy which makes it hard to
do tight stitches. It is very possible to use
this type of string and they make great projects
but it is best to start off with a yarn that
allows you to see your stitches and is easy to
work with.
Knitting Needles
The following is information on
the three main types of knitting needles and
what they may be used for. The first type is the
most common used and usually the type that most
beginners will learn to knit on.
There are three
basic types of knitting needles (also called
"knitting pins"). The first and most common type
consists of two slender, straight sticks tapered
to a point at one end, and with a knob at the
other end to prevent stitches from slipping off.
Such needles are usually 10-16 inches long but,
due to the compressibility of knitted fabrics,
may be used to knit pieces significantly wider.
The most important property of needles is their
diameter, which ranges from below 2 mm to 25 mm
(roughly 1 inch). The diameter affects the size
of stitches, which affects the gauge of the
knitting and the elasticity of the fabric. Thus,
a simple way to change gauge is to use different
needles, which is the basis of uneven knitting.
Although knitting needle diameter is often
measured in millimeters, there are several
different size systems, particularly those
specific to the United States, the United
Kingdom and Japan; a conversion table is given
at knitting needle. Such knitting needles may be
made out of any materials, but the most common
materials are metals, wood, bamboo, and plastic.
Different materials have different frictions and
grip the yarn differently; slick needles such as
metallic needles are useful for swift knitting,
whereas rougher needles such as bamboo are less
prone to dropping stitches. The knitting of new
stitches occurs only at the tapered ends, and
needles with lighted tips have been sold to
allow knitters to knit in the dark.
The second type
of knitting needles are straight, double-pointed
knitting needles (also called "dpns").
Double-pointed needles are tapered at both ends,
which allows them to be knit from either end.
Dpns are typically used for circular knitting,
especially smaller tube-shaped pieces such as
sleeves, collars, and socks; usually one needle
is active while the others hold the remaining
active stitches. Dpns are somewhat shorter
(typically 7 inches) and are usually sold in
sets of four or five.
Cable needles
are a special case of dpns, although they
usually are not straight, but dimpled in the
middle. Cable needles are typically very short
(a few inches), and are used to hold stitches
temporarily while others are being knitted.
Cable patterns are made by permuting the order
of stitches; although one or two stitches may be
held by hand or knit out of order, cables of
three or more generally require a cable needle.
The third needle
type consists of circular needles, which are
long, flexible double-pointed needles. The two
tapered ends (typically 5 inches (130 mm) long)
are rigid and straight, allowing for easy
knitting; however, the two ends are connected by
a flexible strand (usually nylon) that allows
the two ends to be brought together. Circular
needles are typically 24-60 inches long, and are
usually used singly or in pairs; again, the
width of the knitted piece may be significantly
longer than the length of the circular needle.
Special kits are available that allow circular
needles of various lengths and diameters to be
made as needed; rigid ends of various diameters
may be screwed into strands of various lengths.
The ability to work from either end of one
needle is convenient in several types of
knitting, such as slip-stitch versions of double
knitting. Circular needles may be used for flat
or circular knitting.
The Stitches
When you first learn how to
knit, the easiest thing that people start with
is a scarf or a small blanket. These items use
simple and repetitive stitches that are easy to
learn. They can also be made with only one color
so you do not have to worry about changing and
adding new types of strings. But before you can
learn the different stitches there are a few
basics you need to know about the knitting
process and stitches themselves.
If they
[stitches] are not secured, the loops of a
knitted course will come undone when their yarn
is pulled; this is known as ripping out,
unravelling knitting, or humorously, frogging.
To secure a stitch, at least one new loop is
passed through it. Although the new stitch is
itself unsecured ("active" or "live"), it
secures the stitch(es) suspended from it. A
sequence of stitches in which each stitch is
suspended from the next is called a wale. To
secure the initial stitches of a knitted fabric,
a method for casting on is used; to secure the
final stitches in a wale, one uses a method of
binding off. During knitting, the active
stitches are secured mechanically, either from
individual hooks (in knitting machines) or from
a knitting needle or frame in hand-knitting.
These projects will also mainly
only use two types of stitches which are
referred to as knit or purl stitches. These
stitches have two different visual effects. In
the simplest knitted fabrics, all of the
stitches are knit or purl; these fabrics are
denoted as stockinette and reverse stockinette,
respectively. Vertical stripes (ribbing) are
possible by having alternating wales of knit and
purl stitches; for example, a common choice is
2x2 ribbing, in which two wales of knit stitches
are followed by two wales of purl stitches, etc.
Horizontal striping (welting) is also possible,
by alternating rows of knit and purl stitches;
the simplest of these is garter stitch,
so-called because its great elasticity made it
well-suited for garters. Checkerboard patterns (basketweave)
are also possible, the smallest of which is
known as seed stitch: the stitches alternate
between knit and purl in every wale and along
every row.
Typically, a
new stitch is passed through a single unsecured
("active") loop, thus lengthening that wale by
one stitch. However, this need not be so; the
new loop may be passed through an already
secured stitch lower down on the fabric, or even
between secured stitches (a dip stitch).
Depending on the distance between where the loop
is drawn through the fabric and where it is
knitted, dip stitches can produce a subtle
stippling or long lines across the surface of
the fabric, e.g., the lower leaves of a flower.
The new loop may also be passed between two
stitches in the present row, thus clustering the
intervening stitches; this approach is often
used to produce a smocking effect in the fabric.
The new loop may also be passed through two or
more previous stitches, producing a decrease and
merging wales together. The merged stitches need
not be from the same row; for example, a tuck
can be formed by knitting stitches together from
two different rows, producing a raised
horizontal welt on the fabric.
Types of
Beginner Knitting Projects
The average project for the
typical beginning knitter are scarves. The
reason for this is that they are short which
means that they do not require long knitting
needles and they are easy to start and end. They
are also very useful during those winter months
and it allows to create something very personal
and that you can easily show off.
Knitted scarves can be as warm
or light as you would like them to be. It all
depends on how tight you do the stitches and the
type of yarn that you use. If you use a thick
wool yarn that is very taunt and you do very
tight stitches, you will have a thick warm
scarf. But if you choose to use a stetchy thin
yarn (such as the fuzzy and furry types) and use
loose stitches you can have a very lightweight
and unique looking scarf.
Other good beginner projects are
blankets, the reason for this is that a beginner
can make a blanket simply by making rows of
knitted stitches (much like a scarf) and then
later attaching them together. This is also a
great way to make something that uses multiple
colors without having to worry about dropping
and picking up colors. Though if you choose to
learn how to drop and pick up colors that is
another easy way to create a striped blanket.
Once you get the basics down
then you can start learning other stitches and
move on to making clothes, purses and even
things like warm hats. While you may find it
much harder to find knitting patterns than to
find crocheting patterns, knitting is a great
stepping stone to learning how to crochet.
Learning to crochet involves many more stitches
and can involve a much bigger learning curve.
Advanced
Knitting
Once you have completely learned
all of the basics you can then move on to truly
unique styles of knitting such as cable knitting
and lace knitting. These types of knitting
create unique and elegant creations that will be
certain to impress just about anyone.
Cable knitting allows you to
create raised “cable” designs in your knitting
pattern. This is a technique that is often used
to create Celtic knots and other designs in
sweaters and blankets. This is a very tricky
technique to completely master but it is well
worth the effort because your knitting projects
will become truly impressive.
Lace knitting creates a design
that looks just like it sounds. It creates
beautiful patterns that have the looks and
design of lace. This is a knitting style that is
normally done with a thin yarn and is often used
to make beautiful and elegant doilies and table
covers.
Knitting can be a great way to relieve stress
and a fun way to relax. It is also a hobby that
can be cheap and easy to start and if you become
truly interested in knitting you may even be
able to sell your creations.
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