Knitting is a technique for creating fabric from interlocking loops of yarn. Using two needles, loops are pulled through one another to form rows of stitches. If a loop is dropped, the stitches below it in the same column can unravel, but the stitches in the same row remain secure.


The oldest surviving knitted pieces are patterned socks from 11th-century Egypt, but their complexity suggests that the craft is far older than the archaeological record reveals. Although the first knitting machine was invented in 1589, large-scale factory production didn’t take off until the 19th century—and once it did, hand knitting shifted from necessity to pastime.

Materials and Tools:

  • Knitting needles come in three main types and many different sizes and materials.
  • Straight needles come in pairs with points at one end and a knob at the other.
  • Circular needles have two short needle tips connected by a flexible cable.
  • Double-pointed needles come in sets of four or five needles, are shorter than straight needles, and have points on both ends.
  • Stitch markers are small circles that slip onto a needle to “bookmark” pattern sections or delineate a set amount of stitches. 
  • The yarn you choose (size and fiber content) determines whether your project will be washable, delicate, or sturdy, shiny or matte, or … Use this table from the Craft Yarn Council to compare standard yarn weights and match your needles to your yarn.

Terminology:

  • Bind off or cast off: Your last row of stitches and the method for removing your work from your needles. 
  • Blocking is the process of wetting and pinning your knitted item to set its shape.
  • Cast on: Your first row of stitches and the foundation for your project. 
  • Frogging is removing stitches from your needles and unraveling them by pulling on the yarn. (When you unravel, you "rip it, rip it, rip it," which resembles the sound a frog makes.)
  • Garter stitch is the pattern you get when you knit every row. It produces a reversible fabric with a horizontal, ribbed, bumpy texture that lies flat without curling. 
  • Gauge is the number of stitches and rows in a given square area, typically four inches. Yarn, needle size, and tension all affect gauge. 
  • Increase/Decrease: Various methods of adding or subtracting stitches to shape your knitting. 
  • Knit stitch: The most basic individual stitch. 
  • Purl stitch: Another basic stitch that is made backwards and opposite from the knit stitch.
  • Right side/wrong side: The right side is the "pretty" side meant to be seen in the finished project, while the wrong side is the "back" or hidden side.
  • A row/round is a single horizontal pass of stitches created when you work across all the stitches on your needle (row) or a single pass around the entire circumference of the stitches when you are using circular needles (round).
  • Stockinette stitch is a stitch pattern where you alternately knit and purl rows (or knit every row when knitting in the round).
  • A swatch is a small sample of knitted fabric created with the intended yarn and needles to determine gauge before starting a project.
  • Weaving in ends is securely hiding individual yarn tails by using a blunt needle to thread them through stitches on the back of your project.
  • Yarn over: A type of increase made by wrapping the yarn around the right-hand needle before making a stitch.

Process:

  1. Cast on:
  2. Measure 1” of yarn for each stitch you’ll be casting on.
  3. Make a slip knot about 4” from the free end of the yarn, insert a needle into the slip knot, and tighten the slip knot. This is your first stitch.
  4. Cast on additional stitches using this easy method.
  5. Knit (with straight needles):
  6. Holding the needle with your cast-on stitches in your left hand, insert the point of your right needle into the first stitch, from right to left.
  7. Bring your yarn under and over the point of the right needle and pull the yarn back through the stitch.
  8. Slip the loop off the left needle and onto the right needle.
  9. Repeat a-c until all of your stitches are on the right needle.
  10. When your row is complete, switch the needle holding the stitches to your left hand and repeat a-c till your project is the desired length.
  11. Cast off:
  12. Knit the first two stitches of the last row.
  13. Use the left needle to lift the first stitch over the second stitch and then release it so only one stitch is left on the right needle.
  14. Knit another stitch, lift the original stitch on the right needle over the new stitch, and release it to cast/bind off another stitch.
  15. Repeat c until there is only one stitch remaining. Cut your yarn, leaving a 4” tail, and feed the yarn end through the last stitch to secure it and finish your cast-off row.
  16. Finish your project by weaving in yarn tails and blocking your project.

Variations:

  • Colorwork techniques are various methods of incorporating multiple yarn colors in a project to create visual designs, patterns, and effects.
  • Duplicate stitch: Using a tapestry needle and yarn to trace over completed knit stitches.
  • Mosaic knitting: Creating geometric patterns by slipping stitches from the row below without working them.
  • Fair Isle/stranded knitting: Multiple colors are used to create intricate patterns, with unused colors carried across the back. 
  • Intarsia: Each color is worked as a block, with a different strand of yarn used for each time a color appears in the project. 
  • Double Knitting creates uses two colors to create a dense, reversible, two-layered fabric with a color-reversed image on each side.
  • Entrelac creates a woven-like, textured fabric by building a base of triangles, then picking up stitches along their edges to knit squares and other triangles in alternating directions, resulting in blocks set on a diagonal.
  • Brioche produces thick, reversible, cushiony fabric where a row of slipped stitches and yarn overs is followed by row knitting these paired stitches together. 
  • Lace knitting creates decorative, openwork fabric by intentionally incorporating yarn overs which create holes, and paired decreases to produce delicate, airy patterns. 

FAQ's:

  • How does knitting needle sizing work? Knitting needles are measured in millimeters (metric) and US sizes (arbitrary numbers). Both sizes are generally noted on needle packaging, but rely on the millimeter size, since US sizes can vary by manufacturer. Click here for a comparison of US and millimeter needle sizing.
  • How do I choose whether to use straight needles, circular needles, or double-pointed needles? 
  • Straight needles are best for flat projects. Since all of your stitches need to fit on one needle, they are best for smaller projects like scarves, washcloths, and items that you knit in pieces.
  • Circular needles are best for projects that are worked in the round (sweaters, hats, and socks) and for flat projects that are large and don’t fit on straight needles.
  • Double-pointed needles are best for small items worked in the round, like socks, mittens, gloves, and small toys.
  • What types of packages does yarn come in? There are four common ways of packaging yarn:
  • Balls are compact, round packages.
  • Cakes have flat tops and bottoms and rounded sides and are often used to show off color gradients. You can start from either end - the end visible on the outside or the end hidden in the center of the cake.
  • Skeins are long, tube-shaped packages made to be center-pulled, so you use the yarn from the center of the skein first.
  • Hanks are loops of yarn, fastened into a continuous circle with ties. Dyed or painted yarn often comes in this form, which must be wound into a ball or cake before use.
  • What is a dye lot? Yarn is dyed in batches called lots. If you need more than one ball or skein of yarn, it is best to make sure that the dye lots listed on the yarn packages match.
  • What are the main styles of knitting? The two main styles of knitting differ primarily in where the working yarn is held. The “correct” way is what works best for you, since the finished stitch always looks the same.
  • American or throwing: The working yarn is carried in the right hand. To make a stitch, the right hand is lifted off its needle to wrap (throw) the yarn at the back from right to left.
  • European or Continental: The working yarn is carried in the left hand and is scooped up off the left index finger from right to left.
  • How do I choose a first project? Try one of the beginning projects listed above or find your own. Look for patterns that:
  • Use a maximum of three techniques.
  • Use size 6 to size 10 knitting needles.
  • Tell you what size and how much yarn to buy.
  • Use beginner-friendly acrylic or superwash wool yarn that comes in a skein. 
  • Are small in size so that you’ll finish in a reasonable amount of time. 
  • How do I fix a mistake? Unpick stitches back to the error and re-knit. Click here for a video tutorial.
  • How do I block my knitting? Wet your project, lay it on a flat surface, gently reshape it to your desired dimensions, and pin it into place. Allow your item to dry completely before unpinning.
  • What is the difference between knitting and crochet? The primary difference is the tools. Knitting uses two knitting needles, while crochet uses one hook. Knit pieces tend to be stretchier with more drape, while crochet pieces are stiffer and hold their form better.