Introduction

​​A guide for absolute beginners.

Knitting Needles

All about the knitting needles available to buy, and what you will need as a beginner.

Knitting Yarns

A roundup of the different yarn materials and dye patterns you could see.

Getting Started

First steps; reading yarn labels & making slip knots.

Knitted Cast On

Casting on is all about getting stitches onto your needles - and this is the method beginners usually learn first.

Long Tail Cast On

A very popular method and my personal favourite.

Old Norwegian Cast On

A very similar method to the long tail cast on, but creates a stretchier edge.

How to Bind Off

Learn how to remove the stitches from the needles at the end of a project.

What is Knitting?

Learn how knit and purl stitches are formed.

Knit Stitch & Garter Stitch

The knit stitch is of course vital to knitting, and garter stitch is a pattern made entirely of knit stitches.

Purl Stitch & Stockinette Stitch

The purl stitch is one of the basic building blocks of knitting, and stockinette stitch is the most recognisable pattern in knitting.

Weaving in Yarn Tails

A simple diagram to show how you can hide the yarn tails in the back of your knitting.

Change to a New Ball of Yarn

How to change to a new ball of yarn when you run out or when you want to change colour.

How to Knit Yarn Overs

Learn the most common yarn over methods for placing in between knits, purls, or knit and purl stitches.

Knit the Knits & Purl the Purls

Learn to recognise knit and purl stitches just as you're about to work them.

How to Slip Stitches

A super simple technique that involves passing a stitch between your needles without working it.

I-Cord

Learn how to knit I-cord, which is basically knitted rope.

kfb & kfbf

Increase by one or two stitches with these 'knit front and back' methods.

pfb & pfbf

Increase by one or two stitches with these 'purl front and back' methods.

Make One (M1)

Increase one by making a new stitch where there wasn't one before.

Make One Purl (M1p)

How to do the purl version of the 'make one' increase technique.

k2tog & k3tog

Decrease the stitch number by knitting 2 or 3 stitches together.

p2tog & p3tog

Decrease the stitch number by purling 2 or 3 stitches together.

ssk & sssk

How to use slip and knit stitches to decrease by one or two stitches.

ssp & sssp

How to use slip and purl stitches to decrease by one or two stitches.

skpo & sk2po

A single decrease & a double decrease created by slipping, knitting and passing stitches over.

s2kpo

A centred double decrease created with slip & knit stitches.

k2tog tbl & p2tog tbl

Knit or purl 2 stitches together 'through the back loops'.

Ribbing

Knit columns of knit and purl stitches to create a very commonly-used stretchy fabric.

Seed Stitch

A lovely bumpy pattern made by alternating only knit and purl stitches.

Moss Stitch

A chunkier version of the seed stitch, this pattern is reversible and very popular.

Double Basket Rib

A basketweave layout made up of blocks of ribbing.

Basketweave

A classic basketweave effect with blocks of garter stitch and stockinette stitch.

Chevron Garter Stitch

Create raised patterns - like zigzags - in garter stitch, on a background of stockinette stitch.

Herringbone

A clever chevron pattern which creates a chunky knitted fabric.

Fisherman's Rib

A very cosy knit that looks like a looser brioche stitch.

Half Fisherman's Rib

Similar to the Fisherman's Rib, except every other row is just a plain knit row.

Slip Stitch Rib

Slip stitches are very simple and show as elongated stitches in your knitting.

Brioche Stitch

A lovely squishy stitch and one of my favourites.

2-Colour Brioche

How to knit brioche stitch but with vertical stripes of alternating colours.

Bobbles

Learn how to knit bobbles of different sizes.

Diamond Shapes

Find patterns for 3 different diamond or leaf shapes.

Spring Coil Stitch

How to knit little 3D 'springs' of yarn on the front of your work.

German Slip Stitch Selvedges

Create neat side edges on your knitting with knits, purls and slip stitches.

Twisted Chain Slip Stitch Selvedges

Create nice even edges by slipping the first stitch and knitting the last stitch in every row.

I-Cord Cast On

How to start off your knitting with a chunky I-cord edge.

I-Cord Edging

How to add chunky side edges to your knitting project.

Double & Triple Selvedges

Patterns for adding a neat 2-stitch or 3-stitch wide selvedge.

My Mashup Pattern

This is a pattern for very neat selvedges that I made by smushing together 2 other selvedge patterns.

I-Cord Bind Off

See how to complete your project with a chunky bound off edge.

Tassels

How to make and add tassels to your knitting - 2 different ways.

Learn Continental Knitting

The English method of knitting is what I normally use, but on this page you can learn more about how the Continental method works.

Continental vs. English Knitting

A quick comparison of the 2 most popular knitting methods.

Metal Scales

Learn to attach metal scales to your knitting for a fun

Simple Eyelets

This is the first stop for beginners to lace knitting; how to make a simple eyelet.

Eyelet Stripe Lace

Learn to knit vertical columns of eyelet stitches.

Chevron Lace

A pretty zigzag pattern of eyelets.

Triple Chevron Lace

A delicate zigzag pattern with a trio of eyelet lines.

Tulip Lace

This popular and traditional pattern is also called quatrefoil or diamond lace.

Knitting Stripes

Part I

Learn how to change yarn and alternate between 2 different colours.

Knitting Stripes

Part II

Take a closer look at the different ways you can carry yarn up the side of your work.

Knitting Stripes

Part III

Watch how I knit with 3 different colours now, and still carry the yarns up the side.

Fair Isle for Beginners

How to get started creating lovely Fair Isle patterns.

Converting

Fair Isle Charts

A guide to converting Fair Isle charts from circular to flat charts, and vice versa.

Lifelines

This is a prevention method for knitting mistakes, so that when do a boo-boo, you can then easily fix it!