knitting Archives - Page 13 of 18

how to work the knit and garter stitch

by La Visch Designs — How to work the knit and garter stitch

In this post, I’m going to show you how the knit and garter stitch is worked. The knit stitch is the basis of most knitting stitches and therefore often the first one beginning knitters start with. When knitting a flat piece in the knit stitch only, you get a fabric in what’s called “garter stitch”. Usually, a piece knit in garter stitch will be shorter and wider than the same amount of stitches and rows worked in other types of stitches. Garter stitch has a wonderful texture, is very squishy and elastic and best of all: it lies flat when knitted back and forth! Truly a wonderful stitch to have in you knitter’s tool box

In this post, I’ll show you how to work both the basic knit stitch and the ins and outs of garter stitch when worked back and forth (flat). Working garter stitch in the round also involves purling and will, therefore, be addressed in a different post.

Working the knit and garter stitch back and forth step by step

1. I’m starting with a number of stitches already cast on. What you see here, is done with the knitted on cast on.

2. To start, take your second needle and insert the tip into the stitch with the needle under your main needle. Insert at an angle so your needles cross as pictured.

3. Hold the crossed needles together, take the yarn connected to your ball and wrap it around the bottom needle. Begin by going around, and then over. Depending on your knitting style this can be done with either your left or your right hand. The end result is however always the yarn wrapped around the needle as pictured.

4. Take the bottom needle and bring it back through the stitch pulling the yarn with it.

5. Now slide of the original stitch you inserted your needle in (step 2) and tighten the yarn a bit. In the above picture, you see the original stitch on the right of the second needle. You have now knit a knit a stitch!

6. Repeat steps 2-5 until you’ve worked all stitches on your main needle. The second needle which now has all the stitches on it looks something like this:

7. Now switch the knitting needles around: the needle containing all the stitches becomes the main needle and the empty one becomes the second needle. I know I could also call them the left-hand and right-hand needles, but this could become confusing for those holding their needles differently.

8. Make sure your yarn is behind the needle and again follow steps 2-5 until you’ve worked all stitches on your main needle. The second needle now again has all the stitches on it:

9. When switching needles again, you can now see the characteristic ridges of garter stitch starting to emerge:

10. When I’ve knitted a couple of more rows we have a small swatch of garter stitch fabric! And this is how to work the knit and garter stitch.

Tips & tricks

Garter stitch comes out in ridges and each ridge is 2 rows. To know how many rows you’ve knit you can just count the ridges and then double the number.
Garter stitch looks the same on both right side (RS) and wrong side (WS) rows. There is, however, a trick to determine what side you are: Did you see in the picture with step 1 above where the yarn tail from casting on was? With the first row, I knit (which is usually called the RS) the yarn tail was on the bottom left. This means that every time I have my knitting on the main needle and the yarn tail is on the bottom left, I’m about to knit a RS row. You can of course also use a stitch marker or safety pin to see easily which side is what.
In this tutorial, I showed you how to work garter stitch by working knit stitches on every row. By purling every row, however, you also get garter stitch!
If you want to work in multiple colors, you should know that in garter stitch, if you switch colors on a right side row, there will be a line across the wrong side where you can see the loops of stitches connecting. This can, of course, be a design feature. If you don’t want this line visible, make sure to start the new color with the RS facing.

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the knitted on cast-on

The knitted on cast-on is a very strong and reasonably stretchy cast on to start your knitting project with. It’s the cast on I use most often because it is just so easy to do. Personally, I wouldn’t use it for a knitting project that would be blocked heavily. For all other applications, though, it makes a very nice edge. Think for example of edges of garments, non-lace blankets etc.

This particular method is also great for the beginner knitter because it is basically the knit stitch that is used to cast on. In this post, I’ll show you how to do it!

The knitted on cast-on step by step

1. Take a length of yarn from your ball of yarn.

2. Make a slip knot….

3. ….and insert the needle into the upper loop and tighten the slip knot onto the needle. This is the first stitch. Make sure to leave enough on the tail of the yarn to weave in later.

It is also possible not to use a slip knot and just loop the yarn around the needle for your first stitch, thus avoiding the knit in the corner of your work. For the sake of this tutorial, however, I’m going with the slip knot version.

4. Take your second needle and insert the tip into the stitch with the needle under your main needle. Insert at an angle so your needles cross as pictured.

5. Hold the crossed needles together, take the yarn connected to your ball and wrap it around the bottom needle: go around, and then over. Depending on your knitting style this can be done with either your left or your right hand. The end result is however always the yarn wrapped around the needle as pictured.

6. Take the bottom needle and bring it back through the stitch pulling the yarn with it in a loop.

7. Now transfer the new loop from the bottom needle to the other needle and tighten the yarn. You have now cast on a stitch!

8. Repeat steps 4-7 until you have reached the desired amount of stitches on your needle.

And that is all there is to it! The knitted on cast-on looks like this after a few more stitches have been cast on.

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zeezicht

Zeezicht: a semi-circle Pi shawl, filled with sea and beach lace patterns. Inspired by the colors in the lovely Eternity Ranch sock yarn used, this design is truly eye-catching. This design will also make solid colored yarns shine!

The Zeezicht shawl is worked from the top-down and is started with a garter stitch tab. The lace is patterned on the right side only. The instructions are both charted and written out.

Pay what you want: (minimum €6.50)

€

Difficulty level

This half-circle shawl is knit from the top down, starting with a garter tab cast-on. Stitches used include knit, purl, yo, m1, skp, k2tog, as well as a double decrease. This pattern is therefor suitable for the intermediate to advanced knitter.

Size and finished measurements

One size (easily adjusted): span width of 146 cm (57 ½ inches) and a depth of 54 cm (21 ¼ inches), measured after blocking.

Pattern details

Gauge is not critical in this design. In the sample shawl: 22 sts / 25 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over Sand Dune Lace, knitted on smaller needles and measured after blocking.
Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie).
Digital PDF has 4 pages in the English version and 5 in the Dutch version (letter size).

Materials

100 g / 405 m (443 yds) Merino/Nylon Sock by Eternity Ranch Yarns [75% Merino wool, 25% nylon] in “Sea Side”. Substitute any fingering weight yarn for a similar result.
Size 4 mm (US 6) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles.
Size 4.5 mm (US 7) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles (for bind-off only).
Yarn needle
stitch markers (optional)

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toscane

Toscane: a lovely chunky lace shawl, named after that gorgeous burned orange color so often found in the hills of Tuscany. This particular color was achieved by dyeing the Ístex Léttlopi yarn with madder. Dye your own with the tutorial or choose one of the many available colors. Toscane is a fast, top-down knit and bound to become a favorite!

Written and charted instructions are included for the lace body of the shawl.

Pay what you want: (minimum €6.50)

€

Difficulty level

This shawl is knit from the top down, starting with a garter tab cast-on. Stitches used include knit, purl, yo, k2tog, skp, double decreases, make 1 with a backward loop, as well as knitting through the back loop. This pattern is therefor suitable for the intermediate knitter.

Size and finished measurements

One size (easily adjusted): Wingspan of 177 cm (69 ½ inches) and a depth of 75 cm (29 ½ inches), measured after blocking.

Pattern details

Gauge is not critical in this design. For the sample shawl measured after blocking: 9.2 sts / 18.8 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over lace pattern.
Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie).
Digital PDF has 4 pages in the English version and 5 in the Dutch version (letter size).

Materials

400 m (437 yds) Ístex Léttlopi (100% wool; 100 m (109 yds) / 50 g). Substitute any aran weight wool yarn for a similar result.
5 mm (US 8) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles.
Yarn needle
2 stitch markers to indicate the center stitch
22 stitch markers (optional)

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bichrome

In Bichrome you find a two-color garter stitch center triangle with a stunning two-color lace edge. Made using the lovely and rustic Elena base by Moeke Yarns, Bichrome is the perfect thing to throw on when there is a bit of chill in the air. Bichrome starts at the bottom corner of the center triangle and is increased until large enough. Bind off stitches for the top of the shawl, then pick up stitches along two edges of the triangle to work the border outwards.

Written and charted instructions included for the lace border.

Pay what you want: (minimum €6.50)

€

Difficulty level

Stitches used include knit, purl, yo, kfb, skp, a double decrease as well as knitting through the back loop. This pattern is suitable for the intermediate knitter.

Size and finished measurements

One size: Wingspan of 192 cm (76 ½ inches) and a depth of 88 cm (34 ¾ inches), measured after blocking.

Pattern details

Written for a gauge of 22 sts / 28 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over body pattern in the center triangle after blocking. Gauge is not critical for this design, but a loose gauge is strongly advised.
Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie).
Digital PDF has 4 pages (letter size).

Materials

Moeke Yarns Elena Single (100% wool; 330 m (361 yds) / 100 g) in the following colors and amounts: C1 – 355 m (388 yds) / 117 g in Gray, C2 – 341 m (373 yds) / 103 g in Natural. Please note that Moeke Yarns Elena is sold in varying put ups!
4.5 mm (US 7 / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles.
Yarn needle
2 stitch markers to indicate the center stitch
24 stitch markers (optional)

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pijl hat

The Pijl hat is a lovely unisex hat with stranded color work. With only two colors, this hat knits up super quick. Due to the simple colorwork design, it is also a great first stranded project for anyone who has never attempted this technique before.

This pattern contains instructions for a whopping 9 sizes, ranging from Preemie to Adult Large. The Pijl hat is knit completely seamless and from the bottom up. The color work pattern for the body of the hat is in charted form only. All other instructions are in written form.

Pay what you want: (minimum €4.90)

€

Difficulty level

Stitches used include k, p, k2tog and the M1 increase. This pattern is suitable for the intermediate knitter.

Size and finished measurements

Preemie (Newborn, 6M Baby, 12M Baby, Toddler) {Child, S, M, L} with resulting circumference of approx. 29 (36.5, 40, 43.5, 47.5) {51, 54.5, 54.5, 58} cm (11 ¾ (14 ½, 16, 17 ½, 19) {20 ¼, 21 ¾, 21 ¾, 23 ¼} inches) in the body of the hat.

When choosing your hat size, take 2.5-5 cm (1-2 inches) of negative ease into account.

Pattern details

Gauge: 22 sts / 24 rounds = 10 cm (4 inches) over stranded stockinette on larger needles.
Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie).
Digital PDF has 4 pages (letter size).

Materials

Yarn: GGH Maxima [100% merino wool; 111 m (121 yds) / 50 g] in 2 colors:
MC: 33 (52, 65, 77, 85) {106, 121, 138, 155} m (36 (56, 70, 85, 93) {114, 132, 150, 169} yds) – green in sample.
CC: 22 (51, 56, 62, 67) {71, 113, 113, 120} m (24 (56, 61, 68, 73) {77, 123, 123, 131} yds) – blue in sample.
Substitute any DK weight yarn for a similar result.
Knitting needles in your preferred style for small circumference knitting in the round in the following sizes (or to match gauge): Size 3.5 mm (US 4) and size 4 mm (US 6)
Yarn needle
7 stitch markers
1 differently colored end-of-round stitch marker

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tutorial: knitting the loopy bind-off

Knitting the loopy bind-off - a tutorial by La Visch Designs - www.lavisch.com

In this post I want to show you a variation of the i-cord BO: the loopy bind-off. With a regular i-cord BO you work directly over all stitches, binding them off. With the loopy bind-off loops of i-cord are made in between the stitches that are to be bound off. This does not only give a highly decorative edge, but is also a very elastic finishing. For this reason, this would be a nice BO to use on items like shawls, that have to be blocked quite aggressively for the best results.

Similar to regular i-cord (click here for the post about it!), this stitch can be knit over 3, 4 or 5 stitches. The more stitches, the fatter the resulting i-cord will be. The number of stitches also affects the loops in this bind-off: if you want to knit the i-cord for the loops over 3 stitches, you will need a multiple of 3 stitches to bind-off.

To knit the loopy bind-off, you need a set of knitting needles, plus one extra needle in the same size. It can be worked on both the good and the wrong side of the work. In this example I’m binding off a small swatch in garter stitch.

The loopy bind-off step by step

1. Use the first 3 stitches on the left needle to knit regular i-cord. You can decide how long to make the cord, as long as it is equal for all loops. In this example I made cord with a length of 3.5 cm, which was 10 rows.

2. Next, bring the needle with the i-cord stitches parallel to the needle with the stitches to be bound off, by twisting it counterclockwise.

3. Insert the third needle into the first stitch on the front needle, then immediately also into the first stitch of the back needle. Wind the yarn around the needle as usual, pull the yarn through both stitches and then slip off the first stitch of both the front and back needle. This is really very similar to working a three-needle BO.

4. Repeat step 3 twice.

5. Next, slip the 3 newly knitted stitches back to the left-hand needle.

6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 until 3 stitches remain on the left-hand needle. Next, repeat steps 1 and 2 once more.

7. Work step 3 twice, you now have 2 stitches on the right-hand needle.

8. Pass the first stitch over the second stitch, you now have 1 stitch remaining on the right-hand needle.

9. Repeat step 3 once more, followed by 1 repetition of step 8. All stitches are now cast off, you can now cut the yarn and pull the tail through the last loop.

This is how the loopy bind-off edge will look like on the right side of the work:

And this is how it looks on the wrong side of the work:

Depending on the desired effect you can use either the right or wrong side of this bind-off.

And that is all there is to it!

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bloem

Bloem is a cute hat with stranded color work depicting little flowers. With only two colors, this hat knits up super quick and is a great first stranded project for anyone who has never attempted this technique before.

The Bloem hat pattern contains instructions for a whopping 9 sizes, ranging from Preemie to Adult Large. The Bloem hat is completely seamless and knitted from the bottom up. The color work pattern for the body of the hat is provided charted only. All other instructions are in written form.

Pay what you want: (minimum €4.90)

€

Difficulty level

Bloem is seamless and knit in the round from the bottom up. This pattern involves following a color chart and working in stranded knitting. An alternative technique for creating the design is to duplicate stitch this design onto the hat after knitting.

Stitches used include knit, purl, k2tog and the M1 increase. This pattern is suitable for the intermediate knitter.

Size and finished measurements

Preemie (Newborn, 6M Baby, 12M Baby, Toddler) {Child, S, M, L} with resulting circumference of approx. 30 (37, 40.5, 44.5, 48.5) {51.5, 54, 55, 59} cm (11 ¾ (14 ½, 16, 17 ½, 19) {20 ¼, 21 ¼, 21 ¾, 23 ¼} inches) in the body of the hat.

When choosing your hat size, take 2.5-5 cm (1-2 inches) of negative ease into account.

Pattern details

Gauge: 22 sts / 24 rounds = 10 cm (4 inches) over stranded stockinette on larger needles.
Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie).
Digital PDF has 4 pages (letter size).

Materials

Yarn: GGH Maxima [100% merino wool; 111 m (121 yds) / 50 g] in 2 colors:
MC: 29 (49, 59, 68, 76) {93, 111, 121, 140) m (32 (54, 64, 75, 82) {102, 121, 131, 152} yds)
CC: 40 (47, 47, 49, 49) {51, 60, 60, 62} m (44 (51, 51, 53, 53) {56, 65, 65, 68} yds)
Substitute any DK weight yarn for a similar result.
Knitting needles in your preferred style for small circumference knitting in the round in the following sizes (or to match gauge): Size 3.5 mm (US 4) and size 4 mm (US 6)
Yarn needle
7 stitch markers
1 differently colored end-of-round stitch marker

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tutorial: knitting a bobble bind-off

In a previous blog I’ve already shown you how to cast on your knitting project with decorative bobbles. Of course we also want to know how to knit the matching bobble bind-off. You never know when it comes in handy!

There are many different types of bobbles possible for this application. However, you want a reasonably “fat” bobble for the best result, because these makes the bobble “pop” better.

In short an instruction for such a bobble would will be as follows:

Bobble of 5 stitches: Work [k1, yo, k1 , yo, k1] all in the same st. Turn work, p1, p1 tbl, p1, p1 tbl, p1. Turn and k5. Turn work, and p5. Turn work, k5, * pass second st on the right hand needle over the first stitch; rep from * until 1 st remains – 1 bobble made.

Below I’ll show you step by step how this looks when used at the bind-off edge of your knitting.

Knitting a bobble bind-off step by step

1. Your project is ready and you want to bind-off. First of all, make sure you’re using a multiple of 4+1 stitches plus any edge stitches. In this example I’m using a multiple of 4 + 1 + 2×2 edge stitches for both sides of the work. The 4 stitches consist of 1 stitch for every bobble and 3 stitches distance between each bobble.

2. Make sure you are on the right side of the work and knit 2 stitches. Next pass the second stitch on the right-hand needle over the first stitch to cast it off.

3.In the next stitch we will be making a bobble as follows: Work [k1, yo, k1 , yo, k1] all in the next stitch, without sliding it off prematurely. You now have 6 stitches on the right hand needle, we will knit the bobble over 5 of them.

4. Turn work, p1, p1 tbl, p1, p1 tbl, p1. The “p tbl” stitches are worked that way to close up the yo’s of the previous row. This will make the resulting bobble smoother, this may require some practice!

5. Turn work and knit 5 stitches.

6. Turn work and purl 5 stitches.

7. Turn work again and knit 5 stitches.

8. Now pass the second stitch on the right hand needle over the first stitch, repeat this until only 1 of the 5 bobble stitches remains. You have now created one bobble! You can push it out a bit to the right side of the work to show it to its best advantage. There are now only 2 stitches left on your right hand needle.

9. Next pass the second stitch on the right-hand needle over the first stitch to cast it off.

10. Knit one stitch and again pass the second stitch on the right-hand needle over the first stitch to cast it off. Repeat two more times to bind off 3 stitches in total.

11. Repeat steps 3 to 10 until 3 stitches on the left-hand needle remain.

12. Repeat steps 3 to 9 once more to knit the last bobble and end with binding off the 2 edge stitches.

And this is how the bobble bind-off is done!

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tutorial: knitting a bobble cast-on

In the series of decorative ways to cast-on a knitting project, I present here the bobble cast-on method. You’re probably already familiar with bobbles as a way to give an interesting 3D texture to your knitting. I used it myself for that purpose in my Moerbei shawl design. It is also possible to make bobbles right on the cast-on edge. Officially, the bobble cast-on is not a “real” cast-on method, because you already cast-on and knit a row before you start the actual bobbles. However, this should not spoil the fun!

To be honest, the only difference between regular bobbles and the bobbles with a bobble cast-on, is that they are knit on the edge of the work. There are many different types of bobbles possible for this application, however, you want a reasonably “fat” bobble for the best result.

In short an instruction for such a bobble would be as follows:

Below I’ll show you step by step how this looks when used at the cast-on edge of your knitting.

Knitting a bobble cast-on step by step

1. Cast-on the required number of stitches, here I used a multiple of 4 + 1 + 2×2 edge stitches for both sides of the work. The 4 stitches consist of 1 stitch for every bobble and 3 stitches distance between each bobble. To cast-on I used the knitted-on method, but any other method would work.

2. Purl 1 row and turn the work.

3. Knit 2 stitches for the edge to the side.

4. Work [k1, yo, k1 , yo, k1] all in the next stitch, without sliding it off prematurely. You now have 7 stitches on the right hand needle, we will knit the bobble over 5 of them.

5. Turn work, p1, p1 tbl, p1, p1 tbl, p1. The “p tbl” stitches are worked to close up the yo’s of the previous row. This will make the outside surface of the resulting bobble smoother, this may require some practice!

6. Again turn your work and knit 5 stitches.

7. Next, turn work and purl 5 stitches.

8. Turn work again and knit 5 stitches.

9. Now pass the second stitch on the right hand needle over the first stitch, repeat this until only 1 of the 5 bobble stitches remains. There are now only 3 stitches left on your right hand needle. You have now created one bobble! You can push it out a bit to the right side of the work to show it to its best advantage.

10. Next knit the 3 stitches which I had chosen as the distance between the bobbles.

11. Repeat steps 4 to 10 until only 3 stitches remain on the left hand needle.

12. Repeat steps 4 to 9 once more for the last bobble and finish with knit 2 for the second set of edge stitches.

With this your bobble cast-on is finished!

This is how it looks after a few more rows in stockinette have been knit.

Pretty, isn’t it?

Stay tuned for the tutorial on the matching bobble bind-off!

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