Lesson: Learn to Knit

Garter stitch is the easiest stitch in knitting. In this lesson, you’ll learn everything you need to know to make a garter stitch scarf and hat.

Holding the Yarn and Needles

There are many ways to hold the yarn and needles in knitting, but the Continental method is the one I prefer. It works well for both right- and left-handed knitters.

Hold the working yarn (the yarn attached to the ball) in your left hand. To control the tension, wrap the yarn around your index finger several times. Drop a wrap from your finger whenever you need more yarn to complete a stitch.

Casting On
The backwards-loop cast on is the easiest way to get stitches onto the needles for new knitters.

1. Make a loop with your thumb.
2. Insert the needle into the loop, remove your thumb, and pull the loop gently so it tightens around the needle.

For practice, cast on about 24 stitches.

The Knit Stitch
Now that you have stitches on a needle, you can begin knitting.

1. Hold the needle with the stitches in your left hand and the empty needle in your right hand. With the working yarn in back of the left needle, insert the right needle under the left needle and into the first stitch from front to back.

2. Move the tip of the right needle behind the working yarn from right to left, then bring it to the front again to catch the yarn.

3. Pull the yarn through the loop on the left needle.

4. Drop the old stitch from the left needle.
5. You now have one new stitch on the right needle. Repeat until all of the stitches are on the right needle.
6. Turn to start a new row. Put the full needle in your left hand and the empty needle in your right. Make sure to bring the working yarn under the needle to the back as you start each new row. If you bring the yarn over the needle to the back, you may accidentally add an extra stitch.

For practice, knit until your swatch is about 4 inches long.

Binding Off

When you’re finished knitting, you need to bind off the last row of stitches.

The decrease bind off is worked two stitches at a time, with each stitch being put back on the left needle after it is knit. Make sure to work the bind off row loosely. Use larger needles if necessary.

1. Knit two stitches together: insert the needle through two loops on the left hand needle at once, and work them together as one stitch.

2. Move the new stitch on the right needle back onto the left needle.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until there is only one loop left on the needle.

Cut the working yarn from the ball, leaving a few inches for weaving in. Take the last loop off of the needle, and pull the end of the yarn through the loop. Tug gently to tighten.

Congratulations! With what youv’e learend. you can make the Garter Stitch Scarf and Origami Hat.