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Beginner’s guide
A starting guide on how to knit
Knitting is in fashion again, but have you ever wondered how to
knit your own creations? Lidia Stanton shows us beginners
how to knit using the basic knitting stitch (if you are lefthanded, try to hold the needles the other way around).
How to cast on and start your knit
Starting your knit is about creating the loops that will form the
shape and width of your knit. For now, let’s start with knitting a basic
square (do not panic, you can unravel the knit and re-use the yarn).
Recipe for a square knit
. An aran yarn
. Knitting needles
. 10 (w) x 10 (l) stitches
. A little bit of patience
For this knit, guide Sirdar
Snuggly aran yarn (aqua
colour) was used with 6mm
needles. Depending on what
yarn you buy, you may have
to use different sized needles
(please check the label for this
information).
To start off, get three arms’
length of yarn and double
it over so that you have one
thread that ends and the
other which is from the yarn
ball. Then hold both needles
together, as shown, in your
right hand and then thread
around your left hand. Put the
short end around your thumb
and the thread that leads
to the yarn ball around your
pointing finger. Then create a
loop around the two needles,
twisting it anticlockwise
underneath.
Keeping the yarn where it
is, place the two needles
underneath the thread closest
to you (on your thumb) and
create a loop around the
needles. Then, place the
needles over, then under, the
pointing finger loop (on the
left-hand side). Drop the loop
around the thumb and pull
both threads gently (but not
the loop you have just dropped,
as that will only unravel the
knitting stitch). Keep practising
this procedure, without
creating the twist knot. You
only need this to begin with,
not for every stitch.
After doing 10 of the stitches
you can take one of the
needles out (doesn’t matter
which one) and you should
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