The Knitting Studio

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Five things, and then you can knit

A slip knot, a cast-on, the knit stitch, the purl stitch and a bind-off. Learn these in order and by the end of the page you will have made a real piece of fabric. Everything else on this site is variation on top.

How to read the diagrams on this page

Every panel uses the same colour code, so once you have read one you can read all of them.

left needle — holds the stitches right needle — makes the stitches working yarn existing stitch the new stitch where things move

0 · Holding the yarn and the needles

Read first

There is no single correct grip, and every experienced knitter's hands look slightly wrong to every other experienced knitter. Only two things matter: the yarn must run through your fingers with a little friction so it feeds evenly, and your hands must not clench.

The two working positions

  1. Yarn in the right hand (English). You throw the yarn around the needle with your right hand. Slower, but very easy to see what you are doing — which is why most beginner videos teach it.
  2. Yarn in the left hand (Continental). You hold the yarn taut in the left hand and pick it with the needle tip. Fewer hand movements, faster once learned, kinder to wrists.

Neither is better and both make identical fabric. Try each for ten minutes and keep whichever annoys you less — full comparison on the Styles page.

Tension: the thing nobody explains

"Tension" just means how tightly the yarn is held as it feeds. Run the yarn over your index finger and under the next two, or wrap it once around your little finger. The goal is that the yarn resists slightly when you pull.

The test

After making a stitch you should be able to slide it along the needle without forcing it. If you have to shove, you are knitting too tightly — loosen your grip or go up a needle size. Tight knitting is the single most common reason beginners find knitting physically unpleasant.

English vs Continental Style Knitting

Both grips demonstrated side by side, so you can choose one before you build habits.

Open on YouTube ↗

1 · The slip knot

2 minutes

Every cast-on starts with one adjustable loop. That is all a slip knot is: a knot that tightens when you pull one end and releases when you pull the other.

1 the tail lies on top Cross make a circle, tail on top 2 Reach pull the ball end through 3 Mount slide the loop onto a needle 4 snug, but still slides Tighten pull the tail, not the ball end
A slip knot is one loop that tightens on one strand and loosens on the other.
  1. Cross the yarn over itself about 15 cm from the end, making a small circle with the tail lying on top.
  2. Reach through the circle, grab the strand that leads to the ball and pull a new loop through. Do not pull the end all the way through — you want a loop, not a knot.
  3. Slide the loop onto a needle and pull the tail gently to snug it up.
  4. Check it slides. Snug, not tight: it should still travel along the needle.
Which strand tightens it?

Pull the tail and the loop shrinks. Pull the ball end and the whole knot slides off. If yours does the opposite you have made it mirror-image — it still works perfectly well.

2 · Casting on

Long-tail method

Casting on creates the first row of stitches. There are dozens of methods; the long-tail cast-on is the one to learn first because it is fast, elastic enough for most things and gives a tidy edge. It uses two strands at once: the tail makes the loops, the ball end makes the row of knitting sitting on top of them.

How long a tail?

Roughly 2.5 cm (1 inch) per stitch in worsted-weight yarn, plus 15 cm spare. For 40 stitches that is about a metre. If you would rather not estimate: wrap the yarn around the needle once per stitch, then add a bit.

1 THUMBINDEXslip knot on the needle Set up tail on the thumb, ball on the index 2 THUMBINDEX Up under the near thumb strand 3 THUMBINDEX Over catch the index strand 4 THUMBINDEX Back down through the thumb loop 5 3 stitches cast on Drop release the thumb, snug it up
The long-tail cast-on. Both strands come off a slip knot on the needle: tail over the thumb, ball end over the index finger, making a V under the needle.
  1. Set up the slingshot. Slip knot on the needle. Tail over your thumb, ball end over your index finger, both held against the palm by your other fingers.
  2. Needle up through the thumb loop — in from underneath, on the side nearest you.
  3. Over the top of the index strand and catch it with the needle tip.
  4. Bring it back down through the thumb loop, carrying the caught strand with it.
  5. Let the thumb loop drop and pull gently on the tail to seat the new stitch. Reload the slingshot and repeat.
Cast on loosely — and mean it

A too-tight cast-on edge is the most common beginner complaint and it cannot be fixed afterwards. If your edge pulls in, cast on over two needles held together, or over a needle two sizes larger, then slide one out and knit the first row normally.

Other cast-ons worth knowing later

Cast-onStretchBest forNotes
Long-tailModerateAlmost everythingFast, tidy, elastic enough for hems. The default.
Knitted-onLowAbsolute beginnersUses only the knit stitch you already know; no tail to estimate.
CableLow, firmButtonbands, firm edgesLike the knitted-on, but you go between stitches. Sturdy and decorative.
German twistedHighSock and mitten cuffsA long-tail with an extra twist. Stretchy and hard-wearing.
TubularHigh1×1 ribbingGives an invisible rolled edge on ribbing. Fiddly; save it for later.
Provisionaln/aLive stitches laterWaste yarn you pull out afterwards, leaving stitches you can knit from.

How to Cast On Knitting for Total Beginners

Slow, close-up, and repeats the motion enough times to actually learn it.

Open on YouTube ↗

Knitting Help — Long Tail Cast-On

A second angle on the same technique. Watching two teachers do it once is worth more than watching one twice.

Open on YouTube ↗

3 · The knit stitch

The one that matters

Four movements, and knitters really do chant them: in, over, through, off. The needle holding your stitches is in your left hand, the empty needle in your right, and the working yarn stays behind the work.

1 working yarn stays behind Ready yarn behind, 3 sts to work 2 IN left to right, behind 3 OVER wrap anticlockwise 4 THROUGH draw the loop toward you 5 old stitch drops OFF one stitch has moved
One knit stitch. The old stitch leaves the left needle and a new one arrives on the right. Repeat to the end of the row, swap the needles between your hands, and go again.
  1. In. With the working yarn behind, push the right needle into the first stitch on the left needle from left to right — the tip passes behind the left needle.
  2. Over. Bring the working yarn anticlockwise around the right needle tip so it sits between the two needles.
  3. Through. Slide the right needle tip back out through the old stitch, carrying the wrapped yarn with it. A new loop is now on the right needle.
  4. Off. Let the old stitch slip off the left needle. One stitch has moved from left to right — that is a knit stitch.

When the left needle is empty the row is done. Swap the needles between your hands and start again.

Garter stitch — what you get when you knit every row. Ridged, squishy, identical on both sides, and it does not curl. Your first scarf.
The accidental increase

If your rectangle keeps getting wider, you are almost certainly knitting into the same stitch twice, or the working yarn has drifted to the front and is making an extra loop over the needle. Count your stitches at the end of every row until it stops happening.

Garter Stitch for Beginners (worked slowly)

A full row worked at learning speed rather than demonstration speed.

Open on YouTube ↗

The Knit Stitch & Garter Stitch

Clear overhead camera, which makes "where does the needle actually go" obvious.

Open on YouTube ↗

4 · The purl stitch

The knit stitch, reversed

Same four movements, mirrored. The working yarn comes to the front of the work, the right needle enters from right to left and stays in front of the left needle, and you push the new loop away from you instead of pulling it toward you.

1 working yarn comes to the front Ready yarn in front, 3 sts to work 2 IN right to left, in front 3 OVER wrap anticlockwise 4 THROUGH push the loop away from you 5 old stitch drops OFF one stitch has moved
A purl stitch. Compare it with the knit diagram above: the only real differences are which side the yarn is on, and which side of the left needle the right needle tip passes.
  1. Yarn to the front, passing between the two needle tips — never over the top of a needle, which would make an accidental extra stitch.
  2. In. Right needle into the first stitch from right to left, entering the front of the loop; the tip sits in front of the left needle.
  3. Over. Wrap the working yarn anticlockwise around the right needle tip.
  4. Through. Push the right needle back and down through the old stitch, carrying the wrap with it.
  5. Off. Slide the old stitch off the left needle.
Stockinette — knit one row, purl the next. Smooth on the front, bumpy on the back, and it curls at the edges. Add a garter or seed border to stop it.
Purl feels worse at first. It gets better.

Nearly everyone finds purling slower and more awkward for the first few hundred stitches, and nearly everyone stops noticing after that. Purl a whole swatch rather than alternating — repetition is what fixes it.

Knitting Help — Purl Stitch

Compact and precise, from a teacher who explains the why as well as the how.

Open on YouTube ↗

Slow Motion Purl Stitch

Literally in slow motion. If the wrap direction is confusing you, watch this one.

Open on YouTube ↗

5 · Binding off

Also called casting off

Live stitches unravel the moment they leave the needle, so the last thing you do is chain them together. The basic bind-off uses only stitches you already know.

1 two stitches on the right needle Knit two work two stitches as normal 2 Lift left needle into the first stitch 3 Over and off pass it over the second 4 one stitch left — knit one more Repeat a chain forms along the edge
The basic bind-off produces a firm chain along the edge — the same chain you can see at the top of any shop-bought jumper.
  1. Knit two stitches normally, so there are two on the right needle.
  2. Lift the first over the second. Put the left needle tip into the first stitch you knitted (the one further from the tip) and lift it over the second stitch and off. One stitch remains on the right needle.
  3. Knit one more so you again have two, and lift the first over. Repeat all the way across.
  4. Cut the yarn leaving 15 cm, pull the tail through the very last loop, and tug.
Bind off loosely — and mean it

A tight bind-off makes hat brims that will not go over a head and sock cuffs that cut off circulation. Use a needle one or two sizes larger in your right hand, and for ribbed edges use a stretchy bind-off such as Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off.

How to Bind Off Knitting for Total Beginners

The standard bind-off end to end, including cutting and securing the tail.

Open on YouTube ↗

10 Bind-Offs, from Easy to Super Stretchy

Worth bookmarking. Whenever an edge needs to stretch, the answer is in here.

Later Open on YouTube ↗

6 · Weaving in the ends

5 minutes

Two loose tails are all that stand between you and a finished object. Thread a tail onto a blunt darning needle and run it through the inside of the fabric — not along a straight line, which slips out, but in a zigzag that changes direction at least once.

  1. Work on the wrong side. Follow the path of the purl bumps for four or five stitches so the tail disappears into the fabric's own structure.
  2. Change direction and go back two or three stitches the other way. The change of angle is what locks it.
  3. Stretch the fabric gently in both directions, then trim close. Never trim before stretching — the tail needs slack or it will pucker.

When it goes wrong (it will)

What you seeWhat happenedWhat to do
The piece keeps getting wider Accidental yarn-overs — usually the working yarn sitting over the needle instead of under it — or knitting into the gap between stitches Count stitches at the end of every row. Check the yarn is behind for knits, in front for purls, and always passes between the tips
The piece keeps getting narrower Two stitches worked together by accident, or the first stitch slipping off unnoticed Give the first stitch of each row a small tug before working it, and count
A ladder running down the fabric A dropped stitch Catch it with a crochet hook and pull each rung of the ladder through in turn — see fixing mistakes
Stitches will not slide; the needle feels stuck Knitting too tightly Loosen your grip on the working yarn or go up a needle size. This is a habit, not a talent problem
A loose loop at the start of every row Normal edge slack Pull the working yarn firmly on the second stitch of the row, not the first. Or slip the first stitch of every row purlwise for a neat chain edge
Some stitches look twisted and tight The stitch was mounted backwards and you worked into the back leg Check the right leg of each loop is in front before you work into it
Stockinette rolls up like a scroll Nothing. That is what stockinette does Add four to six stitches of garter or seed at each edge and a few rows top and bottom, or block it firmly

Your first project: a garter stitch scarf

You now know enough. Here is the entire pattern.

Yarn 2 balls worsted-weight wool  ·  Needles 5 mm (US 8)
Cast on 30 sts, using the long-tail cast-on
Every row Knit to end
Continue until the scarf is as long as you are tall, or the yarn runs out
Bind off loosely, weave in both ends, wear it

When that is finished, swap in seed stitch for a scarf that looks considerably more expensive than it was, or 2×2 rib for one that hugs the neck. Then go and read the stitch library.