There are only two basic stitches in knitting: knit and purl All knitted fabrics are made using combinations, or variations, of these stitches. To begin, you need to learn how to hold your needles and yarn. Most garments are knitted with two needles to create tubular knitting with four needles!. If you are eight handed, hold The needle with the existing stitches in your left hand and the working needle and yarn in your right hand. Most people thread the yarn through the right hand, with the ball end of the yarn around the little finger, under the third and fourth fingers, and over the forefinger, which controls the movement of the yarn.

Continental knitting A different method of holding the yam, known as Continental knitting, is preferred by some. With practice, it can make knitting quicker. In it, the left hand controls the yam and the eight hand controls the needle. The hands are held over the top of the work, and the left needle is held between the thumb and second finger, leaving the left hand index finger free to work the yarn, which is looped around the finger’ .

How to work the knit stitch

1 Keeping the yam at the back of the work, insert the tip of the right needle into the front of the first stitch on the left needle. Grab the working yam with the tip of the eight needle and pull it through to the front. 2 Allow the stitch on the left needle to slip off, leaving a new stitch on the right needle. Continue in this way to the end of the row. Then turn to start the next row.

How to work the purl stitch 3 Keeping the working yam at the front of the work, insert the right needle f.-om right to left through the front of the first stitch on the left needle.

4 Take the yarn over and around the needle, then pull it through to the back of the work, controlling the work as shown. Slip the old stitch off the left needle, leaving a new stitch on the right needle. Continue in this way