Yarn and Knitting: The Basics 

Let's walk through what it takes to become a knitter, one step at a time. We'll learn about abbreviations and how to read a pattern. We'll explore how to pick the right needles and yarn for any given project. And we'll see over-the-shoulder videos of knitting in action, from simple to advanced stitches.

Please note that this post has some links that lead to knitting tools and accessories that you might find helpful. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).

Let's Start at the Beginning...

There are several things you’ve got to puzzle out, but with a little help you’ll be well on your way to knitting up a storm.

Let’s figure out what tools you need, how to read a pattern, get a heads-up about the terms and abbreviations you’re going to come across, and learn the basics to get you started.

First things first. If you're antsy and want to jump ahead to watch how to knit, Row House Yarn has KnitSchool, which are a series of free, easily-digestible videos filmed from the view of the knitter.

But, because yarn can be a fussy material to work with, your first knitted piece will probably not match what you visualized. So, how about starting out small to get the hang of what it feels like to deal with making good stitches? Remember - slow and steady wins the race! 

How about knitting a small scarf, baby blanket, doll blanket, dog blanket, or potholder? Okay, let’s get started…

Needles come in sizes based on thickness and length. For any particular project, you’ll want needles that aren’t too long (making them unnecessarily unwieldly) and aren’t too short (forcing you to work with bunched up stitches). You’ll find the sweet spot for size as you get used to knitting.

Personally, I love metal needles. I love the clacking sound they make, and I like that the yarn can be eased up and down the needles a little bit because of the slippery nature of the metal. But some people really dislike that metal needle clacking sound.

Bamboo and wooden needles are really helpful because yarn sticks to them a little bit.

Straight needles usually come in lengths of 7”, 10”, 12”, and 14”.

Circular needles are great for big projects (like blankets) and projects in the round (like hats, infinity scarves, and some sweaters). They come in several sizes, with different lengths of wire or nylon cord extending between the needles. Common circular needles have wire lengths of 16”, 20”, 24”, and 32”.

Double pointed needles (DPNs) are used for projects that require binding off of stitches, like mittens or socks – projects that need to be knit in the round but which are too small for circular needles. DPNs come in many different sizes, in sets of 4 or 5 needles.

When knitting with DPNs, you’ll need to be proactive in preventing stitches from slipping off the ends. You can remedy this by putting a needle point cover over one or both ends of the needles to keep the stitches from slipping off.

The size needle you’ll be using for any project is going to be determined by the yarn you’re using for that project. As a general rule of thumb, the thicker the yarn you’re using, the thicker your knitting needles are going to be. Most patterns suggest a needle size, and most packaged yarns suggest a needle size.

When you start your project, you’ll want to make sure your gauge (which means the tension you’ve knitted – or, the number of stitches per inch) matches the pattern.

How on earth do you do that, you ask?

Hang in there…a really useful link about knitting gauge is coming up.

But, just so you know, you’ll want to knit a practice square for your project. If your number of stitches is off – if your stitches are too tight or too loose – you’ll need to change your needle size for that project. If your practice square is too tight, you’ll want to use the next bigger size needles. If it’s too loose, you’ll want the next smaller size needles.

In general, you’ll know what needle size to use based on the pattern you’re using or the size suggested for the yarn you’re using, stated on the yarn package.

A heads-up: American and European needles are sized differently. American needles are numbered between 0 and 50, UK/Canadian needles are numbered 14 to 000, and European needles are in millimeters, from 2.0mm to 25.00 mm.

Medium-sized needles are 6, 7, or 8. Any of these sizes would be good for a beginner project, using them with medium-weight yarn, and a medium length.

Here's a needle size conversion chart:

Patterns will tell you how much yarn you’re going to need. So, there are 2 factors – you’re going to have to do a little arithmetic to make sure you’re going to have enough of the yarn you want. And, if you’re making something that’s one color, you’re going to want all your yarn to be from the same dye lot.

If you run out of yarn and go back to buy more, there’s no guarantee that you’ll find the same color that’s also from the same dye lot. So, it’s best to be sure and do the arithmetic to figure out how many skeins you’ll need before you begin, and purchase them all at once.

Otherwise, there’s a chance that if you purchase yarn at two different times you might not be able to get them from the same dye lot, meaning that you might have to get some yarn that's from another dye lot, and you might be able to see two different shades of a color in your finished item.

The Gauge listed on the package lets you know the manufacturer’s recommendation for the size knitting needle or crochet hook to use based on the yarn’s thickness, with the number of stitches you'll get per inch.

You might want to hang on to the yarn care/launder guide for each project, or make a note of it in a project notebook. It’ll be helpful to you when you need to clean your item. And, it’ll be valuable information to include if you’re giving away or selling your hand-crafted item.

Needles and Yarn Weight

The size knitting needles you use for any project will depend on the yarn you’d like to use. The finer the yarn, the smaller the needle circumference. Fine yarns require smaller stitches – otherwise, you’d have huge gaping holes between stitches. Unless the pattern calls for a design of loosely-knitted fabric, your ultimate knitted piece should form a solid knitted fabric, which is achieved by getting the needles and yarn well matched.

Here's a handy chart from the Craft Yarn Council (part of a download available on their site):

Cracking the Codes

You’ll need to learn the abbreviations and terms used in patterns. It will take time to get to the point where you’re able to decode a pattern with ease and confidence. Whenever starting a project, you should read the pattern from start to finish before picking up the needles – maybe even more than once.

How about printing out a Knitting Abbreviation Master List from the Craft Yarn Council and keeping it handy when you’re first tackling this new crafting language?

And keep in mind that each pattern or pattern book may have special definitions – apart from these standard ones below.  Just keep your eyes out for these in your pattern.

You’re going to inevitably pause in your knitting, so have a plan for keeping track of where you left off in the pattern – you’ll thank yourself for that! 

Decoding the Abbreviations and Terms

Here’s an example of the type of instructions you’ll see in a pattern:

CO 12 sts.

CO means cast on; sts means stitches. So, you’ll first make a slip knot on one needle, then cast on 11 more stitches on the same needle (in knitting, the slip knot always counts as a stitch). You’ll have 12 stitches in total.

Please note: In crochet instructions, the slip knot never counts as a stitch.

Row 1 (RS): Knit.
Row 2 (WS): Purl.

On Row 1, which is the right side of the piece (RS), you’ll knit all 12 stitches on the needle. Then for Row 2, the wrong side (WS) of the piece, you’ll purl each stitch.

Then you might see instructions like:

Rep Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 4” from the beginning, ending with a WS row.

That means that you’ll keep repeating the pattern already started – knitting Row 1 (a knit row) and Row 2 (a purl row), in a sequence until the piece measures 4” from the cast-on row.

To measure, place your piece on a flat surface and do not stretch it out. Place the end of a ruler or tape measure against the needle, and measure down to your initial cast-on row. If your work doesn’t measure what is specified, just keep repeating the rows. Since the pattern says to end with a wrong-side row, that means that the last row you work should be a purl (WS) row.

When you repeat working a knit row and then a purl row for a number of rows, you’re creating a knit pattern called stockinette stitch, abbreviated St st. When a pattern instructs you to work in St st, it means that you’ll alternate knitting a knit row with a purl row.

If you were to follow instructions that say:

CO 12 sts.

Row 1: Knit.

Rep Row 1 until piece measures 4” from the beginning.

Then you’ll have created a garter stitch. There’s very little difference between the right side and the wrong side when you simply knit every row, without any purling, and the item is basically reversible.

Decoding the Symbols

Asterisks, Parentheses, and Brackets

Symbols are used as shortcuts in knitting patterns. If a pattern calls for a series of steps to be repeated several times across a row, then a shortcut for writing out these steps over and over again for each row, an asterisks (*) is used to indicate the repeats.

For example:

CO 18 sts.

Row 1: *K2, P2; rep from * across, end K2.

These instructions are asking you to knit the first two stitches, then purl the next two stitches; then you will knit 2, then purl 2, again, and repeat the steps following the asterisk all across the row until the last two stitches, which you will knit.

Row 2: *P2, K2; rep from * across, end P2.

Here you’ll be purling the sts you knitted on the preceding row, and knitting the sts you purled on the preceding row. Sometimes patterns will simply say: knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches.

Brackets [ ] or parentheses ( ) function like asterisks – except that you’re repeating a series of specified stitches for a certain number of times. The number immediately following the brackets instructs you how many times to do the step. For example:

* K5, (p1, k1) twice, p1; repeat from * to end of row…  means that, you knit 5, then you purl 1 and knit 1 two times, followed by another purl 1, and then you repeat this entire sequence across the entire row.

A Helpful Stitch Chart Download from The Craft Yarn Council

Stitch charts in knit and crochet patterns are being used more and more as an addition to or in place of words to describe a pattern stitch. They’re visual shortcuts.

The Craft Yarn Council is working towards standardization, and the .pdf download available on their website lists what the Council considers to be the clearest and easiest to both render and read. Keep these symbols handy, but always refer to and defer to the pattern key for any symbol definitions.

Tools

When I venture into trying out a new craft, I’m really hesitant to go spend much money because I really don’t know whether I’ll take to it, and I don’t want to feel bad about purchasing *stuff* that’s just going to sit in my to-do pile.

But if you take to knitting, there are some really helpful tools and accessories that might seem like a good investment for your new passion. Add to your stash of knitting goodies as you become a dedicated knitting master! The links below are to Amazon, where you'll see several best-selling choices for each category:

• Yarn Storage Organizer
• Crafting Organizers and Storage Containers
• Circular Knitting Needles
• Interchangeable Circular Needle Set
• Blunt Tip Bent Needles
• Knitting Point Protectors
• Knitting Row Counter
• Knitting Stitch Markers
• Cable Needles for Knitting
• Tape Measure for Sewing
• Scissors
• Stitch and Row Gauge
• Tapestry Needle
• Stitch Holders
• Case for knitting needles
• Wool Needles
• Crochet Hook
• Knitting Pattern Books
• Best Selling Knitting Books
• Ball winder
• Double pointed needles 
• Blocking Pins for Knitting

Whew! Now you’re equipped with understanding the terms and what needles and yarn you’ll need to gather.

You understand the abbreviations and you know you can decode a knitting pattern.

Next, you’ll need to learn to start the actual stitching – and practice, practice, practice.

You’ll want to start small and give yourself lots of freedom to make mistakes, because that’s how you’re really going to learn. Remember, everyone has to rip out mistakes sometimes! It's part of what makes you a knitter.

You can refer to written instructions, videos, or both – whatever works best for you. 

Helpful video tutorials, from beginning to advanced:

Here are some quick links to Row House Yarn's tutorials:

Knitting Basics  

Working in the Round 

Increasing and Decreasing Stitches 

Basic Cabling 

Changing Colors 

Advanced Skills 

Using a Stitch Holder