There are only TWO STITCHES in knitting......KNIT and PURL.
Once you have learnt these, you will be ready to make your first item.
Probably you will knit something simple in "GARTER STITCH" which is all knit stitches on every line... You will then be quite an expert at the knit stitch.
You can then progress to "STOCKING STITCH" when you knit all stitches on one line, followed by purling all stitches on the next line, and carry on knitting a line and purling a line.
Also, now you can do the knit and purl stitch..you can master RIBS.
Usually, a sweater has a RIB border when you start.
The most common rib is..Knit 1, Purl 1, Knit 1, Purl 1, and repeat along the line.
You can also do.. Knit 2, Purl 2, Knit 2, Purl 2, and repeat.
In fact, you can do any combination of knit and purl stitches for a rib.
On the return line, you will knit the stitches that were purled on the previous line.
Once you have learnt these, you will be ready to make your first item.
Probably you will knit something simple in "GARTER STITCH" which is all knit stitches on every line... You will then be quite an expert at the knit stitch.
You can then progress to "STOCKING STITCH" when you knit all stitches on one line, followed by purling all stitches on the next line, and carry on knitting a line and purling a line.
Also, now you can do the knit and purl stitch..you can master RIBS.
Usually, a sweater has a RIB border when you start.
The most common rib is..Knit 1, Purl 1, Knit 1, Purl 1, and repeat along the line.
You can also do.. Knit 2, Purl 2, Knit 2, Purl 2, and repeat.
In fact, you can do any combination of knit and purl stitches for a rib.
On the return line, you will knit the stitches that were purled on the previous line.
learn the knit stitch
learn the purl stitch
Check your tension
Before you start to knit a garment that is going to be worn.....you NEED to check your tension...otherwise you may end up with a very "baggy" garment or one that is much too tight!
OK.....You have chosen your pattern and bought the yarn....
Best plan is to buy the same yarn as the pattern, but that is not possible 9 times out of 10...or you are not too keen on that yarn. Anyway, get a yarn the same thickness as the pattern..otherwise you will have to do a lot of calculations to get the right amount of stitches.
Look on the yarn label...it usually tells you recommended needle size and tension guide.
OK.....You have chosen your pattern and bought the yarn....
Best plan is to buy the same yarn as the pattern, but that is not possible 9 times out of 10...or you are not too keen on that yarn. Anyway, get a yarn the same thickness as the pattern..otherwise you will have to do a lot of calculations to get the right amount of stitches.
Look on the yarn label...it usually tells you recommended needle size and tension guide.
This label tells you that using size 5mm needles will give you 16 stitches for 4" and 24 rows will be 4".
BUT not everyone knits at the same tension, so if half a dozen people make a tension square, they will probably not all measure the same.
For a TENSION swatch, I usually cast on about 30 stitches. (or the amount of stitches that should measure about 5") Continue in Stocking stitch (knit row, purl row, knit row, purl row, etc).
To do this properly, knit up to 4" and cast off.
Then the proper way is to wash this piece and dry, then measure.
But I do not always knit the full length.......
I start to measure the amount of stitches per inch after about 6 to 10 rows.
Also, you can then see if the yarn is making a nice texture.
Easiest way to measure is with a special knitters ruler.
If the swatch has too many stitches per inch, you need to adjust to larger needles, and if there is not enough stitches per inch, you need to adjust to smaller needles.
Of course, if you get the tension correct and the texture is good..that's fine...........but if the texture is too loose, I adjust needle size to get a nice texture, (which I think is most important)...then work out how many stitches are needed for the size you are knitting.....hoping this number will match with one of the pattern sizes. This can be a massive headache if you are doing a pattern other than stocking stitch, but can be done if you know the multiples of stitches for the pattern.
BUT the main emphasis is that you should NOT SKIP knitting a tension swatch for garments.
Only time when not necessary, is for items that do not have to be knit at a specific size.
BUT not everyone knits at the same tension, so if half a dozen people make a tension square, they will probably not all measure the same.
For a TENSION swatch, I usually cast on about 30 stitches. (or the amount of stitches that should measure about 5") Continue in Stocking stitch (knit row, purl row, knit row, purl row, etc).
To do this properly, knit up to 4" and cast off.
Then the proper way is to wash this piece and dry, then measure.
But I do not always knit the full length.......
I start to measure the amount of stitches per inch after about 6 to 10 rows.
Also, you can then see if the yarn is making a nice texture.
Easiest way to measure is with a special knitters ruler.
If the swatch has too many stitches per inch, you need to adjust to larger needles, and if there is not enough stitches per inch, you need to adjust to smaller needles.
Of course, if you get the tension correct and the texture is good..that's fine...........but if the texture is too loose, I adjust needle size to get a nice texture, (which I think is most important)...then work out how many stitches are needed for the size you are knitting.....hoping this number will match with one of the pattern sizes. This can be a massive headache if you are doing a pattern other than stocking stitch, but can be done if you know the multiples of stitches for the pattern.
BUT the main emphasis is that you should NOT SKIP knitting a tension swatch for garments.
Only time when not necessary, is for items that do not have to be knit at a specific size.