Knitting

The path

1. 1
   Level 1Free

   Knit and Purl

   A ribbed scarf

   14 Steps, about 34 minutes each. Total beginners. If you've done Crochet 1, the yarn will feel familiar; the needles are new.

   1. Chapter 1: Knit stitch to finished square. Cast on, the knit stitch, fixing mistakes, binding off, and a finished garter square.
   2. Chapter 2: Purl, rib and start the scarf. The purl stitch, reading your knitting, 2x2 ribbing, and a scarf well underway with a new ball joined.
   3. Chapter 3: Finish and wear it. Rib mistakes fixed, the scarf knitted to length on your own, bound off, blocked and worn.

   1. 1
      Cast on and knit your first row

      20 stitches cast on and one row knitted.

      Casting on puts the first row of loops onto your needle, and every piece of knitting starts with it. The long-tail cast on is the most popular method, because it's quick, neat and stretchy.

      You measure out a long tail of yarn, make a slip knot on the needle, then use both the tail and the working yarn, the strand from the ball, to form each new stitch.

      The detail beginners miss is the tail length. Too short, and you run out before the last stitches; too long wastes yarn. About an inch per stitch, plus 6 inches, works for medium-weight yarn.

      The knit stitch: insert the right needle into the front of the first stitch on the left needle, from left to right. Wrap the yarn around the right needle counterclockwise. Pull the new loop through. Slide the old stitch off the left needle.

      Here's an example. 26 inches of tail pulled out for 20 stitches. Slip knot on the needle. 20 stitches cast on, counted twice. One row knitted, slowly, saying "in, wrap, through, off" for each stitch.

      Right is 20 stitches cast on and one row knitted. Your hands will feel clumsy; that's normal. Keep your grip loose so stitches slide easily.

      Sheep & Stitch, 7:18Purl Soho
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   2. 2
      Knit rows of garter stitch

      About 2 inches of knitting with 20 stitches on every row.

      Studio Knit, 6:33Yarnspirations
   3. 3
      Find and fix mistakes

      You can spot a dropped stitch, pick it back up, and undo stitches one at a time.

      NimbleNeedles - Two, 6:22Lion Brand Yarn

   See all 14 Steps

   1. 4
      Bind off

      Your practice square bound off, with a neat, stretchy top edge.

      Sheep & Stitch, 5:13Yarnspirations
   2. 5
      Finish your first square

      A finished garter-stitch square with no loose ends.

      VeryPink Knits, 3:12Studio Knit
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   3. 6
      Learn the purl stitch

      A new swatch with rows of purl stitches that look smooth and even.

      Sheep & Stitch, 8:07Purl Soho
   4. 7
      Knit, purl and read your work

      Two inches of stockinette, and you can tell knit stitches from purl stitches by looking.

      The Blue Mouse Knits, 6:12Sheep and Stitch
   5. 8
      Learn 2x2 ribbing

      A swatch of 2x2 rib that pulls in and stretches like a cuff.

      Sheep & Stitch, 7:39
   6. 9
      Start your scarf

      Your scarf cast on and the first 4 inches of 2x2 rib knitted.

      VeryPink Knits, 4:05Purl Soho
   7. 10
      Join a new ball of yarn

      Your second skein joined at the start of a row, and the scarf past 15 inches.

      Sheep & Stitch, 6:24Sheep and Stitch
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   8. 11
      Fix a rib mistake

      You can drop down a column to fix a wrong stitch, and the scarf is past 22 inches.

      GoodKnitKisses, 5:22Interweave
   9. 12
      Knit on, on your own

      Your scarf at about 36 inches, from your own knowledge, no video.
   10. 13
       Bind off in pattern

       The scarf bound off in rib so the end stretches like the start.

       NimbleNeedles - Two, 2:04Tin Can Knits
   11. 14
       Weave in, block and wear it

       A finished scarf with no tails, blocked to even columns, on your neck.

       Interweave Craft, 1:23Tin Can Knits
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2. Level 2Unlocks after Level 1

   In the Round

   A hat on circular needles

3. Level 3Unlocks after Level 2

   Sweater Era

   A top-down sweater

Where it ends: a sweater you made yourself

Free lessons in Knit and Purl come from Sheep & Stitch, Purl Soho, Studio Knit, Yarnspirations, NimbleNeedles - Two, Lion Brand Yarn, VeryPink Knits, The Blue Mouse Knits, Sheep and Stitch, GoodKnitKisses, Interweave, Tin Can Knits, Interweave Craft, AllFreeKnitting. We link to their work and never copy it.