The First Knit Stitch! The Mystery is Revealed

The knit stitch is one of the building blocks you will need to knit any project.  For our newbie starter project of a square, you will knit the first row, and continue the second row with another stitch called a purl.  For now, we will be starting with the knit stitch.

You should have a row of 20 cast-on stitches to begin with.  Remember, we are just making a simple square for now, and it will make a great coaster for you when we are finished.

Here is a great picture of the 20 cast-on stitches.  This is a great start!



Now, you are going to take your other needle, and flip the needle with the stitches so that it points to the right.  Be sure to always leave your yarn to the back of the work.  This is important for knit stitch, and will be in the front for purl.

So, take the second naked needle, and push it through the first stitch on the needle with all of the cast-on stitching.  You will be pushing this through the back of the stitch, and keeping the yarn ball in the back.  Then, you will take the legs of the yarn, attached to the ball mind you, and bring it around the naked needle.

Do this motion in a counterclockwise, back to front motion.  This is called throwing your yarn, and you are almost there!

Now, take a breath, and take the right needle, the naked one, and be sure to push your needle, with the new thrown yarn, through and under the bump of yarn on the left needle, from back to front.

Now, you have this new knot on your right needle.  Pull it a bit tighter, and let that bump on the left needle, sort of drop.

Continue, until you have knitted all 20 of the stitches, keeping your yarn ball in the back of your work.  If you are having the darnest of times getting this going, don't worry, this is natural, that first stitch is so tricky!

Be sure to check out more about purl on the next page....