The World According to Me

Knitting may seem like one of those things your grandmother did; that women don’t do anymore. But take a look at whose knitting these days and you may be surprised. Young people are taking up the hobby/skill, just take a look around a college campus. Knitting is a great way of keeping occupied in those situations where you are forced to wait. And it can also be a way to save the world. There are many community projects that involve knitting. Caps for newborns, blankets for the homeless etc.

A key to remember about knitting is that you will make mistakes. But that’s okay you can always either fix it or unravel and try again.

Some other things to keep in mind:

If you run across something that doesn’t make sense, try it. Many things in knitting are much easier to do than explain, so give it a shot and all may become clear.

Loosen up. Knitting too tightly means that you will have trouble moving your stitches on the needle, making knitting really difficult. This should be a relaxing activity so relax!

Start with a practice piece, in an easy to use yarn and soon you can be knitting the project of your dreams.

To start you need to learn to cast on. This just means starting a row of foundation stitches onto the needle. There are many ways to do this. I like to use the one needle method.

Measure a length of yarn that allows one inch for every stitch you want to make. (10 – 15 is good for a practice piece). Make a slip knot and place it on one needle. Hold that needle in your right hand. The yarn from the ball (or skein) should be to your right. In your left hand take the free yarn end and make a yarn loop. Put the needle through the loop. With the right hand pick up the yarn from the skein and bring it back to front around the needle. Bring the needle through the loop toward you and pull gently on the beginning yarn end to make a snug, but easily moved loop on the needle. You should now have a total of two stitches on your needle. Repeat the steps for each stitch you want to cast on.

Still confused? I found this video on Revver that explains casting on. Take a look and then give it a shot.

revver(187660)