Introduction
As knitters, we’ve heard many reasons for why people want to learn to knit: “My grandma used to do it, and I’ve always wanted to learn”; “I just retired and need something to do with my spare time”; “I have lots of little kids in my family, and I want to be able to knit things for them”; or “It’s always looked like fun, so I thought it was time to try it out!” Whatever your reason, one thing is certain: When you’re a knitter, you’re part of a true community of people who are passionate about what they do. Knitters have a passion for the process of knitting, a passion for the fiber they knit with, and a passion for the final product.
Knitters like to share this excitement with other knitters. Knitting has become the new social gathering activity for people young and old. Groups of knitters get together in cities and small towns to have drinks, watch a ball game, or even cruise to Alaska. You can even partake in World Wide Knit in Public Day! But knitters also share their thrill for knitting with the world. In some cities, you often see the work of local “yarn bombers” who have decorated property fences, lamp posts, and tree trunks with knitted fabric. These random acts of knitting are meant to improve the concrete paradise and share the beauty of this fiber art.
Needless to say, you can hardly go anywhere in the world without encountering someone knitting. It’s the thing to do! Now is a great time to learn to knit. With the wonderful communities available online and at local yarn stores, the amazing number of lovely and imaginative yarns from which to choose, and so many styl ish and sophisticated patterns to work with, the sky’s the limit for your knitting
Getting Started with Knitting
Knitting is a relatively simple process requiring minimal tools — two needles and a ball of yarn. Its basic structure of interlocking loops couldn’t be less complicated. Yet the possibilities for design and pattern innovation are end less. Knitting has more than cozy socks and colorful sweaters to offer; it’s also an excellent way to mitigate some of the stresses and frustrations of day-to-day life
This chapter introduces you to knitting — what it is and what it takes, why it’s so darn good for you, and how to best go about picking up knitting from a book. With the info you find in this chapter and the skills you gather in the others, you’ll be able to explore with confidence the myriad things you can do with two needles and a ball of yarn
Knitting’s been around for hundreds of years, and for a large portion of that time, it was a utilitarian endeavor. But chances are you’re not taking up knitting because you need to restock your sock drawer or whip up much-needed sweaters and scarves to keep out the winter chill. So why knit
Knitting up good karma
Ask knitters why they knit, and you’ll get a variety of answers. But the one you’ll hear from nearly all knitters, regardless of the other reasons they may give, is “It’s relaxing.”
The repetitive movements of needles and yarn truly knit up the raveled sleeve of care. Have you ever noticed a knitter’s face while he or she is working away on the needles? Did you see the expression of relaxed alertness? The rhythmic move ments of knitting, together with the mental focus needed for building fabric stitch by stitch, make for a kind of meditation. It’s real. Ask anyone who knits
And if you carry your knitting along wherever you go, you always bring a little well-being with you. In an increasingly global and anonymous world, a knitting project at hand reminds you of the comforts and familiarity of things small, local, and individual
Inspiring a feeling of accomplishment
A skein of yarn can be anything, but it’s nothing — despite how beautiful the color or how soft the feel — until someone gives it shape and purpose. So when you knit, you use your skill, your imagination, your patience, and your perseverance to create something from nothing.
Turning skeins of yarn, stitch by stitch, into hats, afghans, socks, bags, sweaters, cardigans, and more gives you a feeling of competence and accomplishment that few other hobbies can offer. And it’s a sense that grows with each row, with each wearing, with each “Oooh, it’s so beautiful (or warm, or soft)” comment that you hear.
Keeping your mind and hands occupied
If you knit a little while waiting for your computer to load screens, red lights to turn green, and commercials to end, you’ll never have to worry about wasting time again.
Knitting is portable, too, so you can work on your project wherever you find your self. You can knit in the living room while you’re watching TV or in the kitchen while waiting for the pasta to cook. You can knit while waiting to catch a plane or while sitting on a park bench watching your children play. You can take your knit ting with you, whether it’s a challenging project that requires quiet concentration or something simple that you can tote along and pull out at the odd moment for a quick row or two
Studies have shown that hobbies like knitting can even be good for your waistline; it’s really hard to snack while watching TV if your hands are busy.
Creating a one-of-a-kind piece
Knitting is a process of combining yarn, needles, pattern, and color. Even if all you do is follow a sweater pattern by using the exact yarn and needles it calls for, each stitch is of your own making, and no two sweaters from the same pattern worked by different knitters are ever exactly the same.
After your first project or two, there’s a good chance that you’ll be venturing with pleasure into the wonderland of new combinations of yarn, pattern stitch, color, and embellishment. You’ll be wondering how you’ll ever find the time to make all the ideas in your head a reality
Creativity is less about being born with a friendly muse and more about putting time and effort into developing know-how. Granted, moments of inspiration can wake you up at 4:00 in the morning, but rarely do they happen unless you first lay the groundwork. Work all day on finding the right color combination for a project, and the solution will come at an unlikely moment. By learning, practicing, and mastering your art and craft, you become creative
What Knitters Need
You can go into the craft section of any discount store and get yarn and needles, but of all those available, which is the best for the thing you want to make? Step into a specialty yarn shop, and the selection is even more vast. And what exactly are the minimum skills and knowledge needed to knit? Without this basic info, any knitting pattern you pick up is sure to overwhelm you before you begin.
Before you pack it in, read this section, which serves as a very basic overview of the key knitting necessities. By the end, you’ll have discovered that you really, truly don’t need much in order to knit. Needles. Yarn. A little know-how. And some time. With those few things, you can knit up all sorts of neat and exciting things.
The tools
In the 1600s, men’s waistcoats were knit (by men) in fine silk thread on steel needles no thicker than wire. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the women of the Shetland Isles turned out several sweaters a year, knit on fine needles while they walked and between chores. Today, you can use the same width of needles the knitting forebears used, or you can knit with yarn as thick as rope on needles that measure an inch or more around.
The knitting supplies that you absolutely can’t do without are knitting needles and yarn. That’s it. The trick is to get the right yarn and the right needles for the project you want to create. Here are the two main things to know
Yarns come in different weights, textures, and colors. Although the color may be the first thing to catch your eye, the things you really have to pay attention to are the yarn’s weight (essentially its thickness) and its texture. These are the two key factors affecting how the knitted fabric feels.
Needles come in different sizes, are made from different materials, and fall into two main categories: straight and circular. Although you may think the most important thing about needles is whether they’re straight or circular, the other characteristics are more important. Needle size has a huge impact on the look and feel of the knitted piece. The material the needle is made from has a big impact on how the needle feels in your hand. Most knitters have a favorite needle material, and some are better than others for beginners or for different types of knit work.
In addition to yarn and knitting needles, a variety of other knitting tools are indis pensable to knitters. Head to Chapter 2 for a rundown of all the knitting supplies you’ll need or want
In order to practice knitting, you need a ball of medium-weight yarn and a pair of size US 8 (5 mm) or 9 (51⁄2 mm) needles. You don’t have to buy the best-quality yarn, but if possible, choose wool, the knitter’s best friend. Wool is elastic, making it easy to get your needles in and out of the stitches. Cotton doesn’t “give” enough to make it a good choice for your first forays into knitting, and 100-percent acryl ics can give you sweaty palms. Whatever yarn you choose, pick a light or bright color yarn, which makes it easier to see the stitches.
An understanding of the basics
To perform the most basic knitting, you just need to know how to do the following things, all of which we explain in Part 2:
» Cast on: When you cast on, you create a series of loops on one needle as a starting row
» Knit: A knit stitch is the most basic stitch in knitting; a purl stitch is its very close cousin. With these two stitches you can create a variety of patterns. Knowing only how to knit and purl, you can have a lot of fun knitting up square or rectangular pieces: hot pads, table mats, afghans, bags, and so on. To move beyond pieces with this basic shape, you need to know how to add (increase) or remove (decrease) stitches. Increasing and decreasing in a deliberate way creates pieces with more sophisticated shaping (think gar ments, socks, gloves, and so on) and lacework.
Bind off: When you’re done knitting, you have to remove the stitches from the needles in such a way that your hard work doesn’t unravel. Sometimes (like when you want to create buttonholes or a neck opening in a sweater) you may bind off in the middle of a row
» Fix mistakes: Knitters of all stripes mess up periodically. The most common mistake, for novice and expert alike, is inadvertently dropping or adding stitches.
With a bit of practice casting on, knitting, purling, and binding off, you’ll soon be amazed at your nimble fingers and ready to move on to more challenging tech niques such as creating stripes, cables, and lacework and working with multiple colors of yarn. You can find those in Part 3. And when you’re ready to move on to garments, head to Part 4.
There’s one more important thing to know as a knitter: how to figure gauge. Gauge is the one-word shorthand for “how big this thing will be when it’s done.” Although you can knit anything without determining gauge, you won’t know what size you’ll end up with until all is said and done. This uncertainty isn’t usually a problem for pieces for which size doesn’t matter (such as scarves and bags), but gauge is important when you want to make clothing. Chapter 3 tells you what you need to know about measuring gauge
An understanding of knitterese
To make it through the instructions in this book and in any knitting pattern you pick up, you need to know what we call “knitterese” — a language full of abbre viations, asterisks, parentheses, and strange ways of spelling out (or rather, not spelling out) instructions. To the untrained eye, these abbreviations look like gib berish: inc, k1, ssk, RH, WS, psso, and m1. Believe us — everyone who has knitted from a pattern has spent more time than they want to remember staring in ear nest at the page, hoping that the sheer intensity of the gaze will unlock the mean ing of the odd “instructions.”
Some patterns may convey instructions in chart form, like the one in Figure 1-1, which shows a chart for a Guernsey knit-purl pattern (you can find this pattern in Appendix A). Before you drop this book and clutch your eyes, keep in mind that charts like this one typically simplify what otherwise would be fairly complicated written instructions
Teaching Yourself to Knit from a Book
Everyone learns a new skill in a different way. If you’re not confident that you can teach yourself to knit from a book, you can do the following things to make the process easier and to help ensure success
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