There can be only one

There is really only one stitch in knitting: the knit stitch. The other stitch is the purl stitch -- but that's just the knit stitch backwards. So really, once you figure this out, you can knit anything. The knit stitch is not hard -- you just need to get used to the feel of it in your hands.

So at this point, you've cast on your stitches. Now you want to knit stitch.

You will always work from left to right. So the needle with all the stitches on it is in your left hand and your empty needle is in your right hand. By knitting, you will move the stitches from the left needle to the right needle. So when you finish your row, the needle in your left hand will be empty and the needle in your right hand will be full. When you get to that point, start over. So the needle with all the stitches goes into your left hand and the empty needle starts on the right again.

OK, ready? Organize your stitches so all the loops are on the top and all the knots are on the bottom. Here is how to make a knit stitch.

When you finish your row, organize your stitches again (they tend to twist around the needle as you knit the first three rows) and count to make sure you have ended up with the right amount of stitches. If you have too many or too few, see the "Common Mistakes" section on how mistakes happen and how to correcting them.

Mountains Out of Mohair

Everyone Makes Mistakes. Stop Freaking Out.

Q: I finished my row, counted my stitches and I am missing one. What happened?

A: You probably dropped it. Don't worry. Just cast on another one. No big deal. Everyone does this in the beginning.

Q: I finished my row, counted my stitches and I have too many. What happened?

A: Either you wrapped the yarn around the needle more than once (don't do that) or, more likely, you stuck your needle in funny. Watch what you are doing and only go through the FRONT LOOP. Not the back. Not the knot. Only the front loop. On your next row, knit two stitches together until you have the right number of stitches.

Q: My stitches are wrapping around the needle! What do I do?

A: They do that for the first two rows or so. When you finish your row, tidy them up -- making sure that all knots are below the needle. No big deal.

Q: My stitches are so tight, I'm having to fight to get my needle in!

A: OK, that's not really in question format but, fine. STOP YANKING ON YOUR YARN WHEN YOU KNIT. I know, it seems like you should tighten after every stitch to "tidy up." Don't do it. Fight the urge. Don't yank your needles apart like you are sewing. Hold your needles like a tee-pee, like a capital letter "A" (without the bar between them). See how that looks? Keep it that way. When you get the urge to pull them apart from each other, DON'T!!!!!!! Everyone does this in the beginning. You'll learn not to.

Q: I keep making mistakes!

A: Again, not exactly a question. But, OK. Here's the deal. Everyone makes mistakes in knitting. Everyone. In fact, you are supposed to knit a mistake into your work for good luck.

In the beginning, don't stop and talk to people in the middle of a stitch. You will forget what you are doing. Complete your stitch before you say a word. This helps more than you can imagine.

Still stuck? Stop by your local yarn store or send me an email. Alaskamy at hotmail dot com.

The ties that bind

Hooray! You've reached the end. Now it's time to bind off. There is an excellent video demonstration here.

On the Fringe

OK, remember how to put on a luggage tag? This is the same basic principle.

First, you need to measure and cut your fringe. Get a paperback novel. Wrap the yarn around it from the spine and across -- as if you were wrapping the book shut. Wrap until the book is covered. Then slide a pair of scissors under the yarn and above the spine. Cut. You'll have a bunch of pieces of yarn all the same size -- which should be twice the width of the book.

Each tassel will need three pieces of yarn so divide the yarn in piles of three. Each end of your scarf will need the same number of tassels so divide the piles in two (so if you have 14 piles of 3, each end of the scarf will have 7 tassels).

OK, ready to add your fringe? Get your crochet hook and look here.

Cold fusion

There are several ways to add new yarn into your work. When I finish up my first skein and ned to join the second into my work, I like to use the Russian Join method. This works particularly well for chunky yarn.

First Project

The Knit Stitch Scarf That I Plan to Give as a Gift But Will Secretly Covet and if He Doesn't Wear It, I'm Taking It Back

You will use the knit stitch to make this scarf. You will want 14 stitches on your needle (so one slip knot and thirteen stitches cast on.)

You will always work from left to right. So the needle with all the stitches on it is in your left hand and your empty needle is in your right hand. By knitting, you will move the stitches from the left needle to the right needle. So when you finish your row, the needle in your left hand will be empty and the needle in your right hand will be full. When you get to that point, start over. So the needle with all the stitches goes into your left hand and the empty needle starts on the right again.

OK, ready? Organize your stitches so all the loops are on the top and all the knots are on the bottom. Here is how to make a knit stitch.

When you finish your row, organize your stitches again (they tend to twist around the needle as you knit the first three rows) and count to make sure you have ended up with the right amount of stitches. If you have too many or too few, see the "Common Mistakes" section on how mistakes happen and how to correcting them.

When you have four feet left of yarn, you will need to add your next ball. See the section "Cold Fusion" for instructions.

When you have about four or five feet left, you will want to bind off. See "Ties that Bind" for instructions on binding off. Then, using the remaining yarn, you will want to add fringe.

How long should your scarf be? As long as you want it. Generally I make mine fall right above my knee, without fringe -- but it's entirely up to you (and how much yarn you have).

Let's Get It On: Casting

Casting on is the most difficult part of knitting. That being said, it's not hard, just clumsy at first. Don't give up -- you might have to do it several times to get it right.

First you need to make a slip knot. Here's a good demonstration.

Next you need to cast on the right amount of stitches for your project. (That just means, putting stitches on your needle). Your slip knot counts as one stitch, so if you need fifteen stitches total, make one slip knot, then cast on fourteen stitches.

There is an excellent video demonstration here.

Yarn Stores, A Study in Self Control

Here's the thing. Yarn is pretty. It is. Yarn can be Brad Pitt in Thelma and Louise -- but more easily hidden in your purse. Or kittens. Bunnies.* Fat-free cheese.

But here's the other thing yarn can be: EXPENSIVE. Need-to-hide-the-receipt-from-my-spouse expensive. I'll-take-a-sack-lunch-for-the-next-two-months expensive. I-hate-this-eighty-dollar-scarf expensive.

What I'm saying is, pace yourself. Don't buy a horde of expensive yarn if you don't know what you're going to do with it. You'll resent it. There's nothing wrong with having a stash -- in fact, absolutely everyone who knits has a you-ge stash hiding in their home. But as a beginning knitter, figure out what you want to make before you buy. Otherwise you'll decide this is an expensive hobby and you might give up.

Don't do that.

I like the store Loops precisely because whatever yarn is there, they can show you a pattern for it. The store is project-based so you don't have to feel lost. (Dallas/Plano-area friends, should check out The Woolie Ewe, a local yarn store on the SW corner of Custer and 15th Street). Don't get me wrong, they have some drop-kick-me-Jesus-expensive yarn too ($80 a skein buffalo yarn anyone? How about $100-something a skein crystal-studded yarn?) But it's a great store with some beautiful and affordable stuff. Their staff and customers are very helpful too.

Also, the first time I went there, they gave me free wine and cheese. Booze, cheese and yarn? Did I die and go to Heaven? Is Nathan Fillian going to walk in and give me back massages?



"Hello, dear. More Gouda and Riesling? How about I work on those tense shoulders?"








OK, so all that being said, you don't want to just buy cheap yarn and spend a lot of time knitting stuff that looks, well, like cheap handmade crap. So splurge every once in a while but reign it in before it goes too far. Moderation, people. Moderation.


*Also easily hidden in your purse but will cause a SWAT team to jump out at you if you attempt to stuff one in your purse on government property. See: My Life, circa 1998, Ft. Sam Army Base, San Antonio, TX.

A full scholarship

Congratulations! You have all been granted a full scholarship to the Knotty Lady School of Knitting.

The Syllabus is as follows:
1. Yarn Stores, A Study in Self Control (Includes What Yarn and Needles Are Right for My Lifestyle?)
2. Let's Get It On: Casting
3. First Project: The Knit Stitch Scarf That I Plan to Give as a Gift But Will Secretly Covet and if He Doesn't Wear It, I'm Taking It Back
4. Mountains Out of Mohair: Everyone Makes Mistakes. Stop Freaking Out.
5. On the Fringe

You will need:
1. One pair knitting needles, US size 13 -- preferably inexpensive bamboo
2. Two skeins* of "chunky yarn" (Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick is a good inexpensive choice for beginners)
3. One yarn needle
4. One fat crochet hook (size is irrelevant. Just get something in the middle of the options at your local craft store)
5. Patience
6. Perseverance

In our first class, I'll tell you about several knitting links, newsletters, catalogs and blogs I love. Here's a few of them:

• Loops Scoop - monthly email from Loops, a yarn store in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Excellent ideas, pictures and info. Check on the Facebook page for Webby Wednesday and Facebook Friday specials. Disclosure: I am friends with the owner and all of the employees -- but I became friends with them because of Loops.
• Knit Picks - get the catalog and check out those Harmony needles! Their circular needle set is a bargain. Also, Knit Picks has some very inexpensive, natural-fiber yarns. And they make some very cute kits.
• Knitty - an online knitting magazine with eclectic (and free) patterns.
• Ravelry - Facebook for knitters. Any pattern you are looking for is there, as is a niche group for any interest you have (Barry Manalow knitting patterns anyone? How about Doctor Who?)
• Woolie Ewe - get on their email list to get info about local sales.
• Lion Brand - a good resource for ideas from the catalog, yarn-size conversions and patterns. Note: check out the pictures, because some of their patterns will look homely-made, as opposed to homemade, no matter what your expertise.
• KnittingHelp.com - if you get stuck, or want to learn something new but all your knitting experts are tied up (yuk, yuk) this website is a tremendous help. You can find a video for just about any knitting procedure you want to learn.

There are so many other good knitting resources, but these are my go-to favorites. Now pick up your needles and get to it!

Well...

The Knotty Lady knit her first piece in 1997 -- a great green blob that grew and grew into useless blobbyness for YEARS -- until she walked into a knitting store five years later and asked for help. Now she teaches others to conquer their fear of needles -- and laugh at her corny jokes.

The Knotty Lady
Ask the Knotty Lady all of your knitting questions. She is an expert at making up answers that seem credible.