Knit Stitch
Once you’ve cast on, it’s time to knit! A brief overview: there are only two stitches in knitting, the knit stitch and the purl stitch. Both are methods of pulling loops through loops to create a fabric, and both are worked in rows from right to left on your needle.
In general, there are two basic methods of knitting, English and Continental. The difference is that English knitters hold the working yarn in their right hand and Continental knitters hold it in their left. Here you’ll learn the English method. If you’re left handed, don’t fear. Righties and lefties are all the same when it comes to knitting! Let’s get started…
When you start a new row always hold the needle with the stitches on it in your left hand, with the working yarn at the right end of the needle. The needle that will make the stitches is in your right hand.
Insert the right needle through the first stitch on the left needle with an away-from-you motion.
Use your right hand to bring the working yarn up around the back of the right needle, wrapping it counter clockwise around the tip of the right needle.
Pull the loop that is on the right needle through the stitch on the left needle in a toward-you motion.
And with a new stitch on the right needle, allow the stitch to fall off the left needle.
To knit the next stitch, make sure the working yarn is coming from the side of the needle that is away from you (i.e. from behind the work) and repeat the above steps. Insert the right needle into the first stitch on the left needle.
Wrap the yarn counter clockwise around the right needle.
Pull the loop on the right needle through the stitch on the left needle.
Remove the stitch from the left needle, and observe a new stitch on the right needle!
Continue to knit in this manner across the whole row of stitches.
When you’ve knit all of the stitches from the left needle, place it in your left hand with the working yarn at the right end of the needle.
Start the new row with the usual knit stitch, inserting the right needle into the first stitch of the left needle. Keep in mind that the first stitch on the needle is always a bit loose. That’s okay, just don’t mistake it for two stitches!
Working every stitch of every row in knit stitch results in a stitch pattern called “garter stitch.” It is the easiest stitch to learn, but it is also one of our favorites! It looks the same on both sides, lies very flat, and has a lovely, lofty texture, making it an ideal stitch for scarves, blankets, collars, and button bands.
I knit the Continental method. Your tutorials use the English method. I’m ordering silk of rite Terrace Wrap (dutch knit stitch) – will my Continental method yield the same pattern?
Hi Iris,
Thanks for the question. Whether you knit Continental or English style the wrap will come out the same. Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions!
Adam
Would you please illustrate how to slip the first stitch on the needle knit wise wyif and then knit the next stitch. It should be so simple but it’s so unusual to start a row like that and I just can’t get it right.
Thank you.
Hello Dianne,
Thank you for reaching out! All that means is that with your working yarn in the front of your knitting you will slip your stitch as if to knit. Once you have done this you will place your working yarn to the back of your knitting and knit.
I hope this gives you a bit of insight!
Happy knitting,
Marilla
Hi please could you explain when doing big garter block stripes. How do I introduce the new colour but keep that ugly line all on the same side ? I’m not sure I can do that mid row as think the ugly line will mess it up n maybe I just always have to introduce the new colour st the beginning of each row? Do u know what I mean. Hard to describe. Thanks for any help. I’m making a blanket n want those purl bump bits all on one side if I can
Hi Zoe,
Thanks for reaching out! Even in garter stitch there is a right and wrong side of the fabric, the best way to make all of the color transitions consistent is to introduce the new color on the “right side” of the fabric! This way all of the transition purl bumps will appear on the “wrong side”.
I hope this clarifies things!
Warmly,
Gianna
is there a way to correct the last stitch from my last stitch when I was doing my first row of the knit stitch??
or do I have to start the long tail thumb method of 16 stitches all over again…..this is for my first scarf
Hi Candy,
Thanks for reaching out! You could drop down and fix the one stitch but if you are only on the first row it may be easier to unravel and start your cast on over again!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
In an ad on Facebook you had a pattern for baby socks you said tha pattern was in he book last minute gifs. So I bought that book. But the sock pattern is not in it
Hi Patsy,
Thanks for writing in! What baby sock pattern are you looking for?
Warmly,
Gianna
Hi there!
I always thought we had to have 1 side with purl and the other side in knit stitch in order to get the knit stitch appearance. How did this work?
Hi Tali,
Thanks for writing in! This tutorial shows you how to work the knit stitch in general (not a specific stitch pattern) so in this case, we are showing knitting on both sides which results in Garter Stitch (a stitch pattern!) What you are thinking of is another stitch pattern, called Stockinette Stitch, in that case, you knit on one side (the right side) and purl on the other (the wrong side.)
I hope this clears things up!
Gianna
Can you post your list of knitting abbreviations and their explanations, please. Presently, can’t understand meaning of, m1L and m1R.
Thank you.
Ruth
Hi Ruth,
Thanks for writing in! Absolutely, here’s our List of Knitting Abbreviations + Terms. If we’ve made a video tutorial for a specific term, we’ve included that next to the term as well! M1L and M1R are both ways of increasing 1 stitch, with the M1L leaning towards the left and the M1R towards the right. For this single-stitch increase technique, we have a video tutorial here (https://www.purlsoho.com/create/make-one-right-m1r-make-one-left-m1l/).
I hope this was helpful! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Cat
Thank you for your videos. I used to visit your store [as a non-knitter] for Liberty fabric; I am so happy to have been guided to your online resources as I begin my knitting journey.
My question is about going from one row to the next. I have heard some knitters say to drop the last stitch on the row before transitioning to the next row. Would you recommend this in any circumstance?
Hi Christine,
Thanks for writing in! I am so glad to hear that you are enjoying our online resources! I would not recommend dropping the last stitch when moving from row to row!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Hi
I noticed that as I knit along, the first stitch on the right side keeps getting looser and looser until it has an unsightly loop. Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks so much for your help! Your tutorials are very comprehensive! I’m going through them one by one to fix any bad habits I may have picked up!
Hi Sharon,
I’m sorry to hear that you’re encountering this issue! Are you seeing this happen on just the cast-on row? Or does it happen throughout the knitting project?
All the best,
Lili