Knit stitch and purl stitch are the two basic knitting stitches. Either one worked continuously in row forms Garter stitch pattern and worked alternately forms Stocking stitch pattern.

Knit stitch (K)

1 With the yarn at the back, insert your right-hand needle from front to back into the first stitch on your left hand needle.

2 Bring your working yarn under and over the point of your right hand needle.3 Draw a loop through and slide the first stitch off your left hand needle while the new stitch is retained on your right hand needle. Continue in this way to the end of the row.4 To knit the next row, turn the work around so that the back is facing you and the worked stitches are held on the needle in your left hand. Proceed to make stitches as above, with the initially empty needle held in your right hand.

Purl stitch (P)

1 With the yarn at the front, insert your right hand needle from back to front into the first stitch on your left hand needle.

2 Bring your working yarn over and around the point of your right hand needle.3 Draw a loop through and slide the first stitch off your left hand needle while the new stitch is retained on your right hand needle. Continue in this way to the end of the row. 4 To purl the next row, turn the work around so that the back is facing you and the worked stitches are held on the needle in your left hand. Proceed to make stitches as above, with the initially empty needle held in your right hand.

Dropped Stitches

Occasionally, a stitch may fall off your needle, in which case correct it by following one of the techniques described below. Dropped stitches are often the result of leaving work in the middle of a row.

Picking up a dropped knit stitch

1 Pick up both the stitch and strand on your right hand needle, inserting the needle from front to back.

2 Insert your left hand needle through the stitch only, from back to front. With your right hand needle only, pull the strand through the stitch to make the extra stitch. (Drop the stitch from your left hand needle).3 Transfer the re-formed stitch back to your left hand needle, so that it untwists and faces the correct way. It is now ready for knitting again.

Picking up a dropped purl stitch

Increase

When shaping garments it is usually necessary to add additional stitches. If they are made "invisibly", there will be no hole or gap left in the fabric. The three "invisible" methods shown below all use part of an existing stitch to create a new one. Make two stitches from one, Increase 1 "Inc 1", for shaping your side edges and use the Raised increase "M1" and Lifted increase "Up 1" for shaping within the body of the garment. The visible

increase variously written as yarn around needle "yrn", yarn forward "yfwd" and yarn over needle "yo", is used for decorative stitch patterns.

Increase 1 (Inc 1)

In a knit rowKnit into the front of the stitch in the usual way. Without discarding the stitch on your left hand needle, knit into the back of it, making two stitches.

In a purl rowPurl into the front of the stitch in the usual way. Without discarding the stitch on your left hand needle, purl into the back of it, making two stitches. Using invisible increaseThis frilled cuff was made by picking up stitches from white stripes and doubling every stitch on the needle.

Lifted increase (Up 1)

In a knit row

1 Insert your right hand needle from front to back into the top of the stitch below the next one to be knitted. Knit the stitch in the usual way.2 Then, knit the next stitch on your left hand needle.

In a purl row

1 Insert your right hand needle from back to front into the top of the stitch below the next one to be purled. Purl the stitch in the usual way.2 Then, purl the next stitch on your left hand needle.

Raised increase (M1)

In a knit row

1 Insert your left hand needle from front to back under the running thread between your left and right hand needles.2 Then, knit into the back of the raised running thread.

In a purl row

1 Insert your left hand needle from front to back under the running thread between your left and right hand needles.2 Then, purl into the back of the raised running thread

Visible Increase

This visible increase is usually used when making fancy patterns as in bobble stitches. Any number of stitches may be increased by the yarn-over method. Depending on the number of increases required in the pattern (and the position,), take your yarn forward, around or over your needle one, two, three, four or more times. On the subsequent row knit the stitches in pattern order.

Patterns are usually written with: "yfwd" when the increase occurs between two knit stitches; as "yrn" when the increase occurs between two purl stitches or between a knit and a purl as "yo" when the increase occurs between a purl and a knit; however, "yo" is also used to represent all three situations.

In a knit row

1 Bring your yarn forward to the front and loop it over your right hand needle.

2 Knit the next stitch. 3 On the subsequent row purl (or knit) the yarn over loop in the usual way.

In a purl row

1 Take your yarn back around your right hand needle and then under to the front.

2 Purl the next stitch.3 On the subsequent row, knit (or purl) the yarn over loop in the usual way.

Using a visible increase

This technique can be seen clearly as a hole after the loop has been knitted into the following row.

Deacrease

Knitting two stitches together

In a knit row (K2tog)

Insert your right hand needle through the front of the first two stitches on your left hand needle. Knit them together as a single stitch.

In a purl row (P2tog)

Insert your right hand needle through the front of the first two stitches on your left hand needle. Purl them together as a single stitch.

Slip stitch decreases

Fancy openwork patterns such as Ric Rac depend on slip stitch decreases.

In a knit row

1 Insert your right hand needle "knitwise" and lift off the first stitch from your left hand needle

2 Leave the stitch on the needle and knit the next stitch on your left hand needle in the usual way.

3 Using the point of your left hand needle bring the slipped stitch off your right hand needle over the knitted stitch.

In a purl row

1 Insert your right hand needle "purlwise" and lift off the first stitch from your left hand needle.

2 Leave the stitch on the needle and purl into the next stitch on your left hand needle in the usual way.

3 Using the point of your left hand needle bring the slipped stitch off your right hand needle, over the purled stitch

Cables

Using a cable needle

In the illustration of a six stitch cable, the first three stitches are slipped onto a cable needle and held at the back of the work. The next three stitches are knitted from the left hand needle followed by knitting the three stitches from the cable needle. This produces a cable twisting from left to right.

Six Stitch Cable

A straightforward cable twist on a central panel of 10 sts is worked as follows:

Rows 1 and 3: K2, p6, k2.Row 2: P2, k6, p2.Row 4: P2, sl next 3 sts on cn and hold at back (or front), k3, then k3 from cn, p2.Rows 5 and 7: As rows 1 and 3.Rows 6 and 8: As row 2.Repeat rows 1-8.

Double Cable

A cable pattern with a central panel of 12 sts is worked as follows:

Rows 1, 3, 5 and 7: K2, p8, k2.Row 2: P2, sl next 2 sts to cn and hold at front, k2, then k2 from cn, sl next 2 sts to cn and hold at back, k2, then k2 from cn, p2.Rows 4, 6 and 8: P2, k8, p2.Repeat rows 1-8.

Abrevieri

The following are commonly used abbreviations:

alt alternatesl slipbeg beginningst(s) stitch(es)cm centimetresstst stocking stitch (1 row knit, 1 row purl)dec decreasessk slip, slip, knitfin(ing) finish(ing)tog togetherinc increasetbl through back of loopsk knityb yarn backkb1 knit into back of next stitchyf yarn forwardp purlyfrn yarn forward and round needlepb1 purl into back of next stitch

yo yarn overpsso pass slipped stitch overyon yarn over needlerep repeatyrn yarn round needle