Tutorial on How to Knit the Garter Stitch
Because the garter stitch is the easiest to learn, it's generally the first stitch a new knitter encounters and is one that every knitter needs to know. Knitters can identify the garter stitch from the bumpy pattern that knitting every row creates. A knitter using the garter stitch creates a stretchy fabric with which she can make anything from facecloths to sweaters and afghans.
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Instructions
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1
Cast on the number of stitches the pattern requires. Use the cast-on method that your pattern says or the cast-on method that you first learned. Most beginners start with the long-tail cast-on.
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2
Hold the needle with the cast-on stitches in your left hand and the needle without any stitches in your right hand. Insert the needle in your right hand through the first loop on the needle in your left hand from front to back so the needles form an "X."
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3
Bring the yarn to the front using your right hand and wrap it clockwise -- using your index or middle finger -- around the knitting needle in your right hand.
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4
Pull the freshly looped yarn through the cast-on loop, using the needle in your right hand, ending the motion with the needle in your right hand on top. Keep a slight tension on the loose yarn so that you do not lose your stitch.
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5
Pull the needle in your right hand to the right until the old stitch falls off the needle in your left hand so that you have one stitch on the needle in your right hand and the remaining cast-on stitches on the needle in your left hand.
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6
Repeat Steps 2 through 5 until you have knit all the stitches from the needle in your left hand and the needle in your right hand holds all the stitches. Turn your work so that the needle in your right hand is now in your left hand, and begin knitting again. Continue to knit every row according to the pattern until the pattern instructs you to cast off.
Casting Off
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7
Knit two stitches from the needle in your left hand onto the needle in your right hand. Using the needle in your left hand, lift the stitch farthest to the right over the stitch on the left and let it fall off the needle.
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8
Knit another stitch from the needle in your left hand so that you have two stitches on the needle in your right hand. Using the needle in your left hand, lift the stitch farthest to the right over the stitch on the left and let it fall off the needle.
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9
Repeat Step 2 until you have cast off all the stitches and have just one stitch left on the needle in your right hand. Snip the yarn, leaving a long tail, and pull it through the loop of the remaining stitch.
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10
Weave in the ends using a yarn or tapestry needle.
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References
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