Knitting Basics

Step 1: Make a slip knot on the shaft of one needle. This counts as your first stitch.

Step 2: Place this needle in left hand. Hold other needle in right hand to control the yarn. Insert point of right needle, from front to back, into the slip knot and under the left needle.

Step 3: Hold left needle still in left hand, and move left fingers over to brace right needle.

Step 4: With right index finger, pick up the yarn from the ball.

Step 5: Release right hand's grip on the needle, and use index finger to bring yarn under and over the point of right needle.

Step 6: Return right fingers to right needle, and draw yarn through stitch with point of right needle.

Step 7: Slide point of left needle into back of new stitch, then remove right needle.

Step 8: Pull ball yarn gently to make the stitch fit snuggly on needle. You have now made one stitch (called casting on), and there are two stitches on left needle (slip knot is counted as a stitch).

Step 9: Insert point of right needle, from front to back, into stitch just made, and under left needle. Repeat Steps 5 through 9, 26 more times, until you have 28 stitches on the left needle. This completes the cast-on row, which is the way all knitting is begun.