How to Start Knitting

1. Make a slip knot

Create a loop with a tail of yarn and pull a second loop through it, leaving a tail about six inches long. Slide the loop onto one needle and tighten gently. This is your first stitch.

2. Cast on about 20 stitches

Use the long-tail cast-on or the backward-loop cast-on. Both are fine for a first project. Count your stitches after every few additions; 20 is a comfortable width for practice.

3. Learn the knit stitch

Hold the needle with stitches in your left hand. Insert the right needle into the front of the first stitch from left to right, wrap the working yarn around the tip, and pull the loop through. Slide the old stitch off the left needle.

4. Knit a whole row

Repeat the knit stitch across every stitch on the left needle. When the row is finished, the stitches are on the right needle. Turn the work and knit another row. This produces garter stitch, which lies flat and looks the same on both…

5. Practice until the motion smooths out

Knit 10 to 15 rows. Do not worry about small holes or uneven edges yet. Focus on keeping the yarn tension steady and the stitches on the needle rather than stretched.

6. Bind off

Knit two stitches. Lift the first stitch over the second and off the needle. Knit one more stitch and repeat until one stitch remains. Cut the yarn, pull the tail through the last loop, and tighten.

7. Weave in the ends

Thread the tails onto a tapestry needle and weave them through the back of the fabric for a few inches. Trim the excess. Your swatch is finished — and you now know the core skills.

8. Choose a first project

Make a scarf by casting on 20 to 30 stitches and knitting every row until it is as long as you like. Use a smooth, medium-weight yarn and avoid fuzzy novelty yarns until your tension is consistent.