How to Begin the First Stitch in Knitting

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By rkayne
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Begin the First Stitch in Knitting

You see it all the time, someone takes two sticks and some string and *POOF* SOMETHING seemingly out of little more than nothing. A sock, a sweater, a scarf. How can you do it? How do you start? Here is a way to start Knitting!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Two knitting needles
Yarn

Step 1

Before you can knit, you will need to do what's called "casting on" and even before that you need to tie a knot in your yarn. This is the first step in any knitting project!
Step 2

First Wrap

To create a slip knot pull out about 12" of yarn from the skein. Using your first two fingers, wrap yarn around once.
Step 3

With yarn still wrapped around the fingers, spread the fingers out slowly, grab yarn and pull loop in between the first loop you made with your fingers.
Step 4

Pull gently, but not too hard. You've just made the slipknot!
Step 5

Finished slip knot

Put one needle through loop created by the slip knot, and tighten down. Not too tight, you'll be putting your other needle through it for your first stitch!
Step 6

These steps are for creating a "knitted cast-on". There are many different cast-on methods, but this is one of the easiest. Also once you've learned this cast-on, it's the same steps that you would take for the knitted stitch!

Take second needle and put the tip into the loop on first needle, front to back.

Both needles will be going through the same loop.
Step 7

Take a hold of the yarn coming from the loop, the end that is still attached to the skein of yarn, in your right hand.
Step 8

Loop this yarn around the second needle (should be in your right hand) counter clock-wise, bring it through the middle of the two needle tips.
Step 9

Using the second needle, pull the yarn through the loop. You should now have a loop on both needles.
Step 10

Using the second needle pull the loop out a little bit.
Step 11

With the second needle, put the new loop back onto the first needle.
Step 12

Tighten stitch down.

Do steps 6-12 however many more times to get required number of stitches necessary to start your project.

Once cast-on is complete, to start knitting, do steps 6-9, leaving the newly created loop on the second needle and pulling the original loop off the first one.

Comments

dlcass said

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on 12/12/2008 I've tried and tried to learn this, but have finally given up. Thanks for very good instructions, I may even get out my dusty needles and try again...maybe!