Learn to purl Continental Style with the working yarn held in the left hand. Many knitters find this method of knitting much quicker than the style of holding the working yarn in the right hand.
Purl (Continental Style)
Tag: basic techniques
Knit (Continental Style)
Learn to knit in the Continental Style with the working yarn held in the left hand. Many knitters find this method much quicker than the style where the working yarn is held in the right hand.
Knit Below
Often referred to as the knit one below, this stitch is executed by knitting into a stitch one or more rows below the stitch on the left hand needle. The knit below stitch will safely unravel a stitch to create texture and is the foundation of brioche knitting.
Wrap and Turn (W&T)
A wrap and turn is used in short row shaping and this simple technique can be a source of confusion for many knitters. Take the mystery out of the W&T with this video that demonstrates the wrap and turn on the knit and purl side of your work.
Picking Up Wraps
Easily pick up your wraps in short row knitting after watching this video. Get a close up view picking up wraps on both the knit and purl sides. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the simplicity of this technique.
Join New Yarn
Unless you will be knitting only one-color and one-skein projects, you will eventually need to add a new skein of yarn. I like to add the new yarn at the beginning of a new row and tying it into a little bow to secure. Watch this video to see how easy it is to move onto two-color and multi-skein projects!
Charts
Charts are a simple way to convey knitting directions while providing the knitter a visual representation of the finished design. Charts are read from bottom to top moving right to left on right side rows and left to right on wrong side rows. It is important to note that a chart shows the stitches as they appear from the right side of the fabric. In a flat knitting chart, the symbols will stand for one stitch on the right side row and another on the wrong side row. A flat knitting chart will have the row numbers on both the left hand and right hand side of the chart. In circular knitting (in the round), all row numbers are on the right hand side of the chart. An added bonus to using charts in circular knitting is that the symbols don’t need to be reversed since the work is never turned.
Confused? Let me walk you through chart reading step by step in this video. Reading both flat and circular knitting charts are demonstrated.
Slip Stitch
SLIP STITCH RULE: Unless otherwise stated, a stitch is slipped as if to purl with yarn in back. This action allows the slipped stitch to sit untwisted on the right hand needle with the working yarn hidden on the wrong side. Sometimes a designer will spell this rule out for you in their pattern. If there are no specific directions on how to slip a stitch, follow the above rule. Of course there are many other ways to slip a stitch – as if to knit, with yarn if front, etc. – and these are the “otherwise stated” exceptions. The following video demonstrates the basic slip stitch and several variations.