Casting Off

Ok, so we are ready to cast off.......

Now that you know how to knit, casting off will be so simple! On your last row, knit the first 2 stitches. You will now have only two stitches on your right needle. Using the needle in your left hand, lift the first knitted stitch on the right needle over the second knitted stitch and pull it right off the needle. At this point you should have one stitch remaining on your right stitch. Next you will knit 1 more stitch from the left needle. Now, take the first stitch on the right needle and pull it over the second stitch on the same needle and off of the needle as we did the first time. This process is continued until there are no stitches left on your left needle. When there is one stitch left on your right needle and no more, then you cut the end of your yarn with about 3 inches to spare and pull it through the loop to knot. If at any point you become confused just remember that casting off is nothing more than knitting one stitch at a time and that you will never have more than two stitches on the right needle. Please post any concerns or questions that you have here! Please send pictures of any progress made! It would be a great encouragement to others who may be struggling. The picture below shows some stitches already cast off on the right side. This is the step showing the first stitch having been pulled over the second stitch using the left needle and being dropped off the needles. Remember........ Post your questions or comments! Happy knitting!

Men's Lib.....

Ok, I am getting put in my place by my dear Uncle Bill. He has been keeping up with my blogs and noticed that I keep saying, "Ladies" on my knitting blog. I got a cute email that reminded me that women are not the only ones that knit! I had to laugh out loud when I saw the title of the email "Men's Lib". My uncle learned to knit when he was thirteen and really hasn't done much since then to the best of my knowledge, but here is a picture of him working on a sweater! I have to tell you he is very good at it as well! My gramma said he is picking it right back up! Here is a closer look at his work!

So, Uncle Bull, this is for you! I do love that men are able to knit as well. He is quite the perfectionist so I am sure that his sweater will be no less! I can't wait to share the finished project with everyone! So, do any of our other knitters have anything to share???

First half of Carrie's progress....

I thought I would add the first half of Carrie's scarf. It is awesome to see the progress! I assure you that after this first scarf, you will have adjusted the tightness of your stitches in order ensure that they are even. Some people knit tighter than others. My daughter knits much tighter than I and my Grandma much more loosely than I. Just remember if you are having trouble with your stitches that your stitches should be able to slide with ease on your needles. So, know that not everyone's project will look the same. Carrie is using Caron Simply Soft yarn which is why there is a nice sheen to the project.

Progress from our first lesson.....

Alright ladies, here is the progress that Carrie has made on her scarf. Oh, this only half of it, by the way! Wow, she just took off! Great work Carrie!

The next project will be a scarf as well, however we will be adding a new stitch while still incorporating the knit stitch. These work really quickly once you get used to using the stitch over and over. Anyone else that is making progress, please email me pics and I would love to post your progress! This is a huge encouragement to the other ladies that are learning as well!

Some Tips for Your Knitting Experience.....

• Don't allow yourself to become frustrated. I have provided a ton of pictures, but have only done so to show you almost every movement of my hands in order to make the process more simple for you to understand. Start at the bottom of the blog and work your way up. You can enlarge any of the pictures to get a better view of what each step should look like.

• Try not to pull your stitches too tight, they should be able to slide on the needle with ease.

• Try to never stop in the middle of a row. If you do have to, remember that the side that has yarn hanging off of it belongs in your right hand.

• Dark yarns are harder to see your stitches and I would not recommend them for your first project.

• If you get stuck, post a comment and we can make sure you get the help you need!

• I hope that this is informative and if you have a better way to explain a step, feel free to post it.

• I can't wait to see your progress!!!!!

Ready for Row 3 and more.......

You are now ready to begin row three. At this point you should be getting used to the knit stitch. I should mention that when knitting every row, after several rows you have created what is referred to as a garter stitch.

End of Knit Row 2.....

This picture shows you what your project will look like after knitting each of the stitches across the second row.

YEAH!!! Beginning of Knit Row 2.......

Notice that the only thing that has changed here is that I have put the needle that was previously in my right hand in my left and am ready to start the next row.

Knit Row 1 Completed......

Now, you have all of your 15 stitches on the left needle. You should get used to counting your stitches at the end of every row in order to ensure that you haven't dropped any stitches or in some cases added any.

Knit row, second stitch......

You have now created the infamous "x" again and will continue on following the knit steps until you have knit each of the stitches on your left needle.

Step 13, Knit Row 1

Just as you did on the very first stitch on the knit row, you are going to go into the front of the next stitch on your left needle.

Step 12, Knit Row 1

You now have transferred one stitch from the left needle to the right and are ready to move onto the next stitch.

Step 11, Knit Row 1

You will now slide that stitch to the right, keeping your index finger on the tip of the left needle in order to ensure that stitches do not slip off your needle.

Step 10, Knit Row 1......

You will now pull that right needle forward slightly, keeping the "x" and rotate the right needle forward so that it is in front of the left needle. Enlarge the picture for a very clear picture of this step...

Step 8 of Knit Row 1......

Just as we did when casting on, use your left index finger to gently push the right needle downward until the tip is touching the left needle. You are still holding the yarn alongside the right needle as though they are one.

Next step of knit row.....

Now that you have gone around the back needle, pull the yarn down between the two needles and hold the yarn right along with the right needle as is shown in the picture. Be sure to enlarge this picture to see what this step should look like.

Continuing the wrapped yarn....

Another picture of the continuing wrap around the back needle.......

Knit Row 1 Step 4.....

Wrap the yarn in counter-clockwise direction around the back needle (right tip).

Step 3 of Knit Row 1.....

Your needles, still in the "x" position, should be supported with your left hand. If you need help learning how to balance the needles, make the picture larger and remember you can use your body to help support the ends of the needles until you get used to holding them with your left hand. Notice how my thumb is helping to steady the two needles. Use your right hand to hold the yarn in preparation for the next step.

Step 2 of Knit stitch

You now have an "X" again and should see only one strand of yarn on the back needle when in the "x" position.

Finally, Beginning to Knit......

With the needle holding the stitches in your left hand, still using your index finger to secure your hard work, insert the needle in your right hand in the front of the first stitch coming out behind the stitch.

All Cast On......

This shows you exactly what your fifteen stitches will look like. Now, jump for joy because you have completed your "CASTING ON"!!! Yeahhhhh!!!

IF THIS CASTING ON PROCESS IS TOO CONFUSING FOR YOU BE SURE TO POST SO HERE AND I CAN PROVIDE AN ALTERNATE CASTING ON PROCESS THAT IS MUCH SIMPLER, BUT I WANTED TO ATTEMPT TO TEACH YOU THE "CORRECT" WAY THAT MY GRANDMA MADE ME LEARN...... :) Right, Gramma!?! :)

Last step of Casting on.....

You should now have two stitches on your left needle. You have "cast on" two stitches. You will continue the casting on process until you have a total of fifteen stitches on your left needle.

Next step of Casting on....

Now that you have the left needle through the stitch on the right, pull back slightly with your right hand, which will in turn transfer the stitch from the right needle to the left. Enlarge the picture for more detail.

Casting on Step 7...

Now you will take the left needle, keeping your index finger on the stitch from slipping off, and go in through the front of the stitch on the right needle straight through to the back of the stitch.

Casting on Step 6...

As you are pulling away from the left needle you will move your right hand to the right side of the left needle rather than in front of it as we have had the needle.

Casting on step 5...

Notice, that you will use your left index finger to keep the original stitch on the left needle. While doing that pull back slightly with the right needle to create a small gap between the two needles.

Casting on continued...

You should now see a similar "x" as is shown below.

And now, step 4 of cast on.....

You will now pull that right needle forward slightly, keeping the "x" and rotate the right needle forward so that it is in front of the left needle. Enlarge the picture for a very clear picture of this step...

Casting on Step 3

Now you will hold the yarn with the needle in your right hand and use your left index finger to gently push the right needle back, bringing the tip of the right needle toward the left needle.

Next step of Casting on....

Now that you have created an "X" with your knitting needles (it is helpful to learn to use your left hand to support your "x" with the needles-you can enlarge the picture to see how I do this), take the yarn in your right hand and and go around the back needle in a counter-clockwise direction. Bring the yarn down through the two needles.

And now we Cast on.......

Now you are ready to start "casting on". This is the process of putting the desired number of stitches on the needle for your project. For this project, we are using 15 stitches. This will create a thin scarf that will wrap easily and will also give you a much more quick finish on the project.

For the first step, hold the needle with the knot on it in your left hand with the tip toward your index finger. With the other needle in your right hand, insert the tip into the stitch on the left needle. The right needle will go in the front and should end up behind the left needle. See the picture for better look. You are coming up from the bottom side of the stitch on the right side and coming out on the top left side.

See the picture above for a clear picture of what you should see during this step.

Tighten the slilp knot....

You will tighten the knot by pulling on the long end of the yarn. From this point forward, you will disregard the "tail" that has been created with the end of the yarn.

Slip knot onto needle....

Now that you have your knot, you will place it on one of your knitting needles as I have illustrated in the above picture.

The slip knot.....

The picture above shows the slip knot tightened. See the next post to begin casting on.

Next step of slip knot.....

By pulling straight up you should have created a knot in the yarn that is able to slide. Tighten this knot by holding the long piece of yarn and the end with your left hand while pulling up with your right as shown above.

Step #4 on slip knot.....

Now, keeping tension between the two hands, pinch the long piece of yarn (not the end) and pull it upward with your right index finger and thumb, through the loop that you have created with your fingers.

Third step of slip knot.....

Next, you will insert your thumb into the loop created with your right hand as shown above.

Second step of slip knot.....

Next, twist your index finger so that you have created an "X" with the yarn between your left and right hands. Illustration for this step above.

Begin with a slip knot....

Hello Ladies! The time is here to begin our knitting project! We will begin by making a slip knot to start. If any of this is too elementary for you, I apologize in advance! I am trying to be as clear cut and provide as many pictures as possible in order to make the learning process that much simpler.

Remember this will be worked from the bottom of the blog, up. To begin with the slip knot, hold the end of the yarn between your forefinger and your thumb. Then, with the right hand, put the yarn over your index finger. After you have done that, use your middle finger on the left hand to secure the yarn tightly over your right index finger. This is illustrated above.

Welcome to Knitting 101

Hello Ladies,

I thought that I would start a seperate blog for our knitting projects as I am sure there will be a great many pictures necessary to give full descriptions on the knitting process. I know that you will all succeed at knitting, and I look forward to seeing pictures of your progress and finsihed projects. For right now, we will just use this blog for discussion, but very soon, we will be making our first project! We will be learning the knit stitch and making a one skein scarf. Those of you in the Watertown, NY area are welcome to join us at my home and those of you too far away, feel free to join in the online classes!