If you want to get on, get knitting. When Kate Nash recently announced her intention to pick up the needles, she was following a line of celebrity knitters that includes Helen Mirren, Julia Roberts, Kate Moss and, allegedly, Brad Pitt. So what’s the appeal? Well, not only is it great therapy and excellent exercise for flexible fingers but it’s also a cost-effective way to kit the family out for the winter (no more cast-offs, kids!).
So here’s our step-by-step guide to get you knitting. It’s really not difficult.
Before you start
First you’ll need (surprise, surprise!) some wool and some needles.
The best yarn (that’s knitting-speak for wool) for a beginner is worsted weight. That’s a medium yarn, not too fine and not too chunky. Choose a lighter colour so you can see what you’re doing.
Medium-sized needles (size 8) are good for starters. You may also prefer wood or bamboo ones, they’re not as slippery as metal or plastic.
Cast on and off you go
- Make a slip knot around one needle. That is your first stitch.
- Hold that needle in your left hand and, with the other in your right, slip its point into the knot and under the left needle.
- Move your left fingers until you are holding both needles together with your left hand.
- Pick up the yarn from the ball using your right index finger.
- Use this finger to bring the yarn under and then over the point of the right needle.
- Now take the right needle with your right fingers and use its point to draw the yarn through your first stitch.
- Insert the point of your left needle into back of new stitch and slide your right needle out.
- Pull the yarn very gently so that the stitch is snug. You now have two stitches on your left needle.
- Now keep on repeating the process until you have a row of 30 stitches on your left needle. That’s your ‘cast-on row’.
Click here to download these instructions in PDF format.
Adding rows
Now it’s time to move on to your first ‘knit row’.
Slip your needle though the last stitch just as you have been doing so far but, this time, rather than sliding your right needle out at the end of the stitch, slip the loop off the left needle so that the new stitch is completely on your right needle.
Repeat this for each of the stitches still on your left needle. When you have finished, your first knit row is complete on your right needle.
Now switch hands, then slip the loop from what is now your left needle onto what is now your right needle and carry on as before.
Continue, switching needles at the end of each row, until you reach the length you want.
And finally...
It’s time to cast off (or ‘bind off’ as it’s sometimes called). The trick is to get your knitting off your needles without the whole thing unravelling.
When your last row is complete, knit the first two stitches of the next one. Then slip your left needle into the right hand of these two switches on your right needle and lift it up so you can pull the other switch through it with your right needle.
Slip this stitch completely off the needle, knit another stitch and repeat the above process, making sure not to pull the stitches too tight, until only one stitch is left.
Now cut the yarn, leaving about 3 inches. Thread this on to a wool needle, pass it up through the last stitch and then weave it into a few more stitches until it’s secure.
Then, sit back and admire your handiwork.