Basic Stitches
Part 1

It is essential to know two important stitches - knit and purl - as they provide the basis of most knitted fabrics. The knit stitch is the easiest to learn. Once you have mastered this, move on to the purl stitch which is slightly more complicated, but you need a combination of both of these stitches to make most of the basic fabrics.

How to Knit

1. Hold the needle with the cast on stitches in the left hand. With the yarn at the back of the work insert the right-hand needle from left to right through the front of the first stitch on the left-hand needle.

2. Wind the yarn from left to right over the point of the right-hand needle.

3. Draw the yarn back through the stitch, thus forming a loop on the right-hand needle.

4. Slip the original stitch off the left-hand needle.

To knit a row, repeat steps 1 to 4 until all the stitches been transferred from the left needle to the right needle. Turn the work and transfer the needle with the stitches on to the left hand to work the next row.

How to Purl

 1. With the yarn at the front of the work insert the right-hand needle from right to left through the front of the first stitch on the left-hand needle.

2. Wind the yarn from right to left over the point of the right-hand needle.

3. Draw a loop through onto the right-hand needle.

4. Slip the original stitch off the left-hand needle.

To purl a row, repeat steps 1 to 4 until all the stitches are transferred to the right-hand needle, then turn the work and transfer the needles to work the next row.

Slipped Stitches

It is often necessary to slip a stitch from one needle to the other without actually working it. This can be used in shaping or within a stitch pattern, and is very easy to work.

To slip a stitch knitwise (sl 1 knitwise)

Insert the right-hand needle into the front of the next stitch on the left-hand needle from left to right, then slip the<