DIY Sunday - How to Knit, Part 2

Last week, I posted the first lesson on beginning to knit. Click here to see that lesson, and to read why knitting is awesome.

If you followed the instructions on that video, made by the wonderful knitTV, you know how to cast on. Casting on produces a row of stitches on your knitting needle. That's nice, but what do you do with them? Well, in knitting, there are only TWO STITCHES you need to know! The first is called knit stitch, and the second is purl stitch. All knitting is a variation on these two stitches.

Today's lesson is on the knit stitch (sometimes called garter stitch) because in two weeks you're going to be able to use the knit stitch to make a scarf.

In knitting patterns, they will say something like: k25. This means, do the knit stitch 25 times. Easy-peasy.

OK, so let's get going. You will need:

The needles and yarn you started with last week (or whenever). One needle should have a row of cast on stitches. If it doesn't - say, you ripped them all out in frustration - go back to the first lesson and cast on 10 stitches.

Okay. Here's our friendly knitting instructor, teaching us how to knit stitch:

Anti-clockwise!

When you get to the end of the row, turn the needle around and knit all the stitches again. Keep practicing and you will soon have a really skinny piece of fabric knit in the garter stitch.

Next week: How to bind off. In two weeks: Put it all together and make a scarf.