Knitting Jargon

Knitting has a language all its own. Often more advanced knitters don't even realize how ridiculous their patterns look to non-knitters. We could probably say we're reading an astrophysicist's notes and the non-knitter would believe us. I am going to include the "translation" for the basic knitting jargon. If you're interested in learning more knitting language, I recommend Knitspeak by Andrea Berman Price and Patti Pierce Stone.

CO: Cast on
K: knit
P: purl
RS: right side
WS: wrong side
*: repeat from here
R: row

An example of a pattern would be:

2x2 rib
CO multiples of 4
R1: *k2, p2
CO in pattern

Translated it is: Cast on multiples of 4 (4, 8, 12, 16, etc). Row one: knit two, bring yarn to front, purl two, bring yarn back, repeat to the end of the row. Repeat until desired length and cast off in the pattern (knit 2, cast off, purl one, cast off, purl one, cast off, knit 1, etc).

Another way of saying the 2x2 rib:

CO multiples of 2
R1: *k2, p2
R2: knit the knits, purl the purls.

This is the same pattern, but you need to be able to read your knitting. The purl stitch has a bump on the right side and the knit stitch has the bump on the wrong side.

Happy knitting!

Yarn Selection

Picking a yarn can be more complicated than you think. My test is to touch each ball of yarn and to see if I like the feel of it in my hands. After all, you will be holding that yarn for hours, possibly months. If you don't like how the yarn feels, then your knitting experience with it will be awful. The second test I do is I put the yarn against my neck, especially if I'm working on a scarf or garment.

In addition to how the yarn feels, you want to consider the type of project you're working on. When I started knitting, I bought any yarn I liked, not thinking about the project. Now I have way too much yarn. I suggest that you only buy yarn for a specific project. It helps keep your knitting focused. If you're making a dish cloth or towel, you want the yarn to be absorbent, a cotton blend would be a good option. Here is a list of fibers:

• wool
• Angora: hair from a rabbit
• Merino: soft wool from sheep
• Peruvian Highland: a stronger wool, but can be soft
• Alpaca: from the Alpaca, which is like a llama. Soft and silky texture.
• Mohair: from the Angora goat; soft and warm
• Cashmere: from goats; very soft, fine, and strong
• Cotton: plant fiber; soft, not very elastic, absorbent 
• Linen: light-weight fiber, soft, wrinkles in garments
• Bamboo
• Acrylic: light, soft, warm, similar to wool in feel
• Nylon: very elastic; usually used in a mix
• Silk: from silk worms; soft, not slippery, strong, can shrink

Another thing to consider is yarn weight. The larger the yarn, the faster the project will knit, but it will also produce a thicker item.

Lace Weight: Difficult to categorize, but it's the lightest yarn you can find.

Fingering Weight: a good yarn to knit items for babies. There are about 6.75=8 stitches per inch.

Sport Weight: 5.75-6.5 stitches per inch. Great for socks; slightly lighter than DK weight

DK Weight: 5.25-6 stitches per inch

Worsted Weight: the most common yarn used; great for beginners and for many projects

Bulky Weight: 3-3.75 stitches per inch. It's about twice as thick as worsted weight.

Super Bulky Weight: 1.5-2.75 stitches per inch

New Techniques

Now that you know how to cast-on and knit, what would you like to learn? Here are some second-step ideas:

• purl stitch
• cast-off
• another cast-on method

Please leave a comment to let me know what you would like to learn next.

Happy knitting!

Music

Research has shown that knitting reduces stress. Once the stitches become routine, your mind may start to wander while you knit. What do you like to do when you knit? Do you listen to music? If so, what type? Do you watch TV or movies? Any suggestions?

Happy knitting!

New Charity Knitting Site

One of my students told me about this website. Apparently penguins are suffering from the oil spill. This is a quick and easy project to help out an animal that we all love.

http://www.girlslife.com/post/2011/10/21/Calling-all-knit-wits-Help-a-penguin-out.aspx

Happy knitting!

Knit for Charities

Knitting is a great hobby for many reasons: it takes away stress, it's productive, it helps you focus, etc. It's also great for your heart because there are many ways to give knitting to people and organizations who really need it and appreciate it. There are many charities looking for hand-made items.

--The Prayer Shawl Ministry: knit prayer shawls and donate them to your local hospice.
--Premature baby hats/blankets to donate to the hospital. Preemie Projects
--Linus Blanket: for kids who are very sick or traumatized. 

--afghans for Afghans: it's a way to donate blankets, sweaters, vests, mittens, socks, and scarves to Afghans who have been displaced from the war.
--KasCare: an organization that knits for orphans in Africa. They make blankets, hats, and garments.

Interweave Knits is a website with a huge list of charities to knit for: http://www.interweaveknits.com/community/charities.asp

Do you have a particular charity that you like to knit for? Please leave information about it as a comment.

Happy knitting!

Basic Cast On

Here is a tutorial for the basic cast on method. There are various ways to cast on, but this is a good method for beginners.

Happy knitting!

Cast off

This is a video tutorial for the basic cast off method for knitting.

Happy knitting!

Knit Stitch, Continental Method

Hi,

Here is my video tutorial of the knit stitch using the Continental, or German method of knitting. To see another tutorial, see a previous post, Knit Stitch, English Method, and there is a link with another helpful video.

Happy knitting!

Knit Stitch, English Style

Here is a video tutorial for the English way of doing the knit stitch:

If you would like an additional perspective, knittinghelp.com also has tutorials on both the English and Continental methods of knitting, found here: http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knit-stitch

Happy knitting!

Supplies

While experienced knitters will have straight, circular, and double-pointed needles of all sizes, and boxes of yarn, a beginner should start with:

• 2 balls of worsted weight yarn (Caron, Bernat, Lion Brand, from a local knitting shop)
• US size 10 (6mm) straight needles or 16"-24" circular needles (Clover is a great brand)
• to practice at least 1 hour a week outside of the club

Please leave a comment to share:

• your favorite yarn brand
• your favorite yarn shop
• the needles you prefer and why

Happy knitting!

Welcome!

Welcome to Stitch a Wish! In this club you will learn:

2nd Quarter:

1. basic information about knitting
2. to Cast on, basic method
3. knit stitch
4. make a dish cloth
5. purl stitch
6. make a scarf
7. cast off

3rd Quarter:

1. Cable cast on
2. Long-tail cast on
3. different yarns and needles
4. decreases
5. how to make a kerchief
6. hats
7. purl and knit in the same row

4th Quarter:

1. scaves/shawls
2. increases
3. patterned hats
4. Charity knitting
5. Projects of your choice

This club has you knit at your own pace. While you may not cover everything each quarter, those will be the techniques taught throughout the year. I will post tutorial videos on this blog. Feel free to write comments or questions and I can address them.

Happy knitting!