Learn How To Knit – Free Resource Guide

Here’s a collection of step-by-step resources available online (for free!) that will teach you how to knit.

Once You Learn The Basics, You'll Be Knitting Up A Storm

All resources are for beginners and I’ve also included a selection of free patterns towards the bottom of this article for you to practice. If you already know how to knit, you might enjoy them too!

Step One – Cast On

To begin, you first need to learn how to cast on. This is what you do to get the yarn on one needle so you can start a project.

Online Teaching Resource:

Video: How To Cast On: There are a few different ways to cast on, I myself like the Long Tail cast on. It looks a little complicated at first, but once you get it–it’s super easy. At first you’ll leave yourself too short a tail a time or two, but you quickly learn to avoid that in the future .

Step Two: Learn The Stitches

Next you need to know how to do the two basic stitches: Knit and Purl.

Online Resources:

How To Video: There are two different methods you can learn to knit, the Continental method (left hand) or the English method (right hand). See which one you prefer, it isn’t dependent on whether you are right handed or left handed. I myself knit with the English method. Some say the Continental is a lot quicker way of knitting. These videos will also show you how to hold the yarn for knitting.
The Knit Stitch: Here is a written tutorial with some pictures to help you along (English Method).

Good To Know: The Garter Stitch is simply row upon row made up of knit stitches.

How To Purl Stitch – Video: Again there are different methods to doing the purl stitch. If you found you preferred the Continental Method for the Knit stitch, keep consistent in all your knitting and do the Continental Method for Purl stitch.
How To Purl Stitch – Video – English Method: Here’s another video that may help you get a better idea in case the one above left you with any questions.
How To Purl Stitch – Picture Tutorial: Here’s a good picture tutorial that shows how to make a purl stitch.

Good To Know: The Stocking Stitch is alternating rows of knit and purl. The first row will be all knit stitches, the next row will be all purl stitches, the next knit stitches, and on.

Step Three – Useful Things

You learned how to cast on, how to knit, how to purl, and next you’ll want to know how to increase and decrease the stitches (it’s very easy!) and how to change colors of yarn.

Online Resources:

Step Four – Finishing

Once you’ve knitted your piece, it’s time to cast off (or bind off) so the work doesn’t unravel. You’ll also want to weave in your ends (the yarn string at the beginning and end of the project) so there’s no loose yarn bits dangling.

Online Resources:

Casting Off / Binding Off – Video
Knitting Instructions: How to “Bind Off” – Picture Tutorial
Basic Techniques – How To Cast Off
Demo of a small project: Watch the “Demo of a small project” video, it has some coverage of weaving in ends. This page also has a bunch of troubleshooting tips.
Weaving in Ends – Tutorial: You simply take a large needle and sew/weave the yarn string into the knitted piece to hide it. When you get more advanced as a knitter, you can look at tackling How to weave in ends while knitting.

Getting Started With Patterns

Now that you know the basics, practice with easy beginner patterns—but first you’ll need to learn how to read a pattern:

Free Beginner Patterns

Dishcloths make perfect projects for beginners, whip up a bunch!

Waffle Dishcloth Pattern: This pattern is lovely and one of my favorites.
Three Cherries Dishcloth
Free Designer Dishtowel Patterns *Three patterns, I love the “Blue” pattern.
Grid Pattern Dishcloth (pdf)

You’ll find more dishcloth patterns on this page. I have a nice assortment of beginner patterns on this page as well: Knitting For Beginners: {Free Patterns & Projects}.

Learning To Fix Mistakes & Finding Help

Picture of Knitting Project - Tipnut.com If you already know how to crochet, you know how easy it is to rip out and find your way to the place where you made an error. Knitting–it’s not as easy. It takes a bit of experience and some knowledge of how the stitches should look to be able to spot where the error is and how to “unknit” or pull back to the spot.

I suggest practicing and taking some time to examine the stitches. Start with things like dishcloths so it’s not a big deal if they’re flawed a bit at first. You’ll know when something looks wrong or when there’s a bit of a hole, be patient and examine it so you can understand why it happened and maybe figure out how to fix it. When you first start knitting, it helps to look at mistakes as “learning opportunities” because you really do get more comfortable with finding and fixing things once you’ve messed up a few times.

When you’ve finished a row, pull out a stitch or two and see if you can figure out how to work it back on the needle. This will take practice, but over time it won’t be as intimidating. Here are a couple illustrations (along with instructions) that can help:

Dropped Stitches

Picking Up Dropped Stitches

If you drop a stitch it must be picked up and placed on the needle. Use a crochet hook. Catch the loose stitch and work it up on the horizontal thread of each successive row until you reach the row on which you are working. Fig. 27 shows how it is done on the smooth surface of Stockinette stitch and Fig. 28 illustrates the procedure on the purl side. For Garter stitch you alternate these two movements.

How To Put Stitches On The Needle After Ripping

Putting Stitches On The Needle After Ripping

Occasionally you will have to unravel your work to make a correction, or you may wish to place your dropped stitch back on the needle. It is important that you replace your stitches correctly as in Fig. 29 and 30 or the fabric will look twisted.

Source: Learn How Book (1948) The Canadian Spool Cotton Company

How To Change Sizes In Patterns:
*First published September 3, 2007 and moved to this page for better organization

To Change Sizes

Picture of Illustration - Tipnut.com This is done very simply by knowing your measurements. Then knit a swatch to make sure your tension is same as in directions. Then multiply the number of stitches per inch by the number of inches you wish any part of the garment increased in size and add the required number of stitches.

Watch your work as you proceed and be sure you decrease or increase to give your garment the correct size and shaping for the different parts.

Watch your shoulder width, depth of armhole and shape of neckline.

Source & Picture: Vintage Beehive Knitting Pattern Magazine, Issue Unknown

Also if you need help, why not join a knitting forum where experts and beginners alike help each other (like the knittingparadise.com forum). You can also take your knitting to your local yarn shop, they usually have experienced knitters on staff that would be happy to help you fix a mistake (if they’re not busy)–it does help if you are a customer of theirs. Ask them too if they know of any knitting groups that meet in your area. You should know at least the basics and be comfortable as a beginner before joining one (depending on the group), but they’re fantastic to learn new techniques and mentor each other.

Stitches To Try

Once you have the knit and purl down pat, why not try a few different stitches? The internet is a great resource for how-to videos, here are a few you might like to try:

Bamboo Stitches: Pattern right side: *yo, K2, slip yo over 2K*, repeat *-*; wrong side is purl all sts.
Seed Stitch Tutorial: Nice quality video with good audio too.
Double Moss Stitch: Video isn’t very clear but the audio instructions are good.
Raspberry Stitch How-To: The raspberry stitch calls for purl 3 together and knit 1, purl 1, knit 1 into the same stitch. This video demonstrates these two stitches.

And Now You’re Knitting…

Once you’ve figured out the basics and are comfortable with beginner projects, holding your yarn and needles and reading patterns, you’ll be able to move onto things like socks and sweaters and all kinds of great things…nearly everything you want to know or learn can be found online for free! Knitting is a wonderful (and productive) hobby to enjoy, have fun!