Knitting is a fiber art that consists of loops made with eyeless straight needles or modern knitting machines.http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn There are two stitches that form the basis for every other stitch in the craft. They are the knit and purl stitch which are reverse structures. If you make a row of knit stitches, the backside of that row will be purl stitches and vice versa.

In this simple to follow tutorial, you learn how to knit basic stitches. It is helpful if you already know how to make a knit and purl swatch. However, these basics are discussed below. If you need a refresher, read the How to Teach Yourself to Knit page. You need to have a ball of worsted weight yarn and a size 10 knitting needle.

Also, you need to understand how to work multiples so that you can make the patterns wider for customization. For example, if a pattern says use multiples of 8 plus 6, you need to use any total amount of loops that are a multiple of 8 then add 6 to that total. In this example, you could use 256 because this number can be divided evenly by 8. Once you have your number, you add 6 which would make the above number 262. This is the final number of loops that you need.

Beyond the beginner garter and stockinette stitches, you are taught how to create ribbing and various texture patterns such as the double lightning stitch. Although some are more complex, they are well suited for the novice knitter. They don't include any increases, decreases, cables or color changes.

Once you conquer the formation of the knit and purl foundation stitches, you should naturally move on to the most basic patterns that can be created from them. Garter stitch is made from repeated rows of knit stitches while stockinette has alternating rows of purl and knit stitches. (However, if you are working in the round, these structures are created in the reverse manner since there is no turning involved.)

To learn how to cast on, cast off and make a slip knot, refer to the How to Teach Yourself to Knit article.

• Garter Stitch:
• Cast on any amount of loops that you choose.
• Place the needle holding the loops in your left hand. Hold the empty knitting needle in your right.
• With the working end of the yarn encircled around your palm, use your index finger to control the tension.
• Position the yarn behind the needles. Then, hold the tip of the right needle on the left side of the first loop.
• Push the tip head of the needle down and behind through the loop. The right needle is behind the left now.
• Yarn over the right needle then pull up a new loop. Push the old loop off the left knitting needle. This makes one knit stitch.
• At this point, continue across the rest of the loops making knit stitches.
• Exchange the needles between opposite hands. This creates a turn.
• Once again, knit across the row.
• Repeat this for 10 rows.

• Stockinette Stitch:
• You can cast on any number of loops for this stitch.
• Hold the needles as described for the garter stitch.
• Position the yarn in front of the needles this time. Lay the tip of the right needle on the right side of the first loop.
• Insert the right needle from the right up to the left into the loop. The right needle remains in front of the left needle.
• Wrap the yarn over the right needle then bring up a loop. Drag the right needle to the right pushing the old loop off the left needle. This makes one purl stitch.
• Continue across the rest of the loops making purl stitches.
• Turn the work.
• Now, knit across the new row.
• Alternate between purl and knit rows until you reach 10 rows.

• Garter Checks:
• Multiples: 4 plus 2 stitches
• Cast on 14 stitches.
• Row 1: Sequence: Knit 2 stitches then purl 2. Continue this sequence over the rest of the loops.
• Row 2: Sequence: Purl 2 stitches then knit 2. Continue this sequence over the rest of the loops.
• Row 3: Repeat row 2.
• Row 4: Repeat row 1.
• Repeat rows 1 through 4 for 12 rows.

• Stockinette Stripes:

This stitch creates horizontal stripes. The appearance is created by alternating garter and stockinette rows. You can alter the height of the purl or knit stripes by increasing or decreasing the amount of garter or stockinette areas.

• Multiples: any amount
• Cast on 12 stitches.
• Row 1: Purl across.
• Row 2: Knit across.
• Row 3: Purl across.
• Row 4: Knit across.
• Rows 5 to 8: Knit all.
• Repeat rows 1 through 8 for 24 rows. This creates 4 row tall knit and purl stripes.

It is essential that you learn how to make consistent ribbing. It is included in most patterns for sweater hems, gloves and socks. This is because the construction of ribbing makes it more elastic that most other knitting patterns. You need this flexibility around garment areas that must stretch over body parts yet snap back into shape once in place.

Ribbing is commonly created by making vertical purl and knit vertical stripes. They can be arranged in any repeatable numeric pattern that you can think of having such as 3 x 3 rib or 4 x 2 rib. However, there are more unusual ribbing structures that aren't just up and down stripes.

• 4 x 4 Ribbing:

This gives you a ribbing with the common structure. You can easily make a different ribbing by using different ratios of purl to knit columns such as 1 to 3 or 2 to 2.

• Multiples: 8 stitches
• Cast on 32 stitches.
• Row 1: Sequence: Knit 4 stitches then purl 4. Continue this sequence over the rest of the loops.
• Row 2: Sequence: Purl 4 stitches then knit 4. Continue this sequence over the rest of the loops.
• Repeat rows 1 and 2 for 12 rows.

• Beaded Rib:
• Multiples: 5 plus 2 stitches
• Cast on 12 stitches.
• Row 1: Purl 2. Sequence: Knit 1, purl 1, knit 1 then purl 2. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row.
• Row 2: Knit 2. Sequence: Purl 3 then knit 2. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row.
• Repeat rows 1 and 2 for 12 rows.

• Harris Tweed:
• Multiples: 4 plus 2 stitches
• Cast on 14 stitches.
• Row 1: Knit 2. Sequence: Purl 2 then knit 2. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row.
• Row 2: Purl 2. Sequence: Knit 2 then purl 2. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row.
• Row 3: Knit across.
• Row 4: Purl across.
• Row 5: Repeat row 1.
• Row 6: Repeat row 2.
• Row 7: Purl across.
• Row 8: Knit across.
• Repeat rows 1 and 8 for 28 rows.

• Roman Rib:
• Multiples: 2 stitches
• Cast on 14 stitches.
• Row 1: Knit across.
• Row 2: Purl across.
• Row 3 and 4: Sequence: Knit 1 then purl 1. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row.
• Row 5: Knit across.
• Row 6: Purl across.
• Row 7 and 8: Sequence: Purl 1 then knit 1. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row.
• Repeat rows 1 and 8 for 16 rows.

• Seeded Rib:
• Multiples: 4 plus 3 stitches
• Cast on 15 stitches.
• Row 1: Knit 3. Sequence: Purl 1 then knit 3. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row.
• Row 2: Knit 1. Sequence: Purl 1 then knit 3. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until you get to the 14th loop. Purl 1 in the 14th loop then knit 1 in the 15th loop.
• Repeat rows 1 and 2 for 12 rows.

• Waving Rib:
• Multiples: 6 plus 2 stitches
• Cast on 26 stitches.
• Row 1 and 3: Purl 2. Sequence: Knit 4 then purl 2. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row.
• Row 2 and 4: Knit 2. Sequence: Purl 4 then knit 2. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row.
• Row 5 and 7: Knit 3 then purl 2. Sequence: Knit 4 then purl 2. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until you get to the 24th loop. Knit in loop 24, 25 and 26.
• Row 6 and 8: Purl 3 then knit 2. Sequence: Purl 4 then knit 2. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until you get to the 24th loop. Purl in loop 24, 25 and 26.
• Repeat rows 1 through 8 for 16 rows.

• Terminology: Cast Off In Pattern

This is the same as a basic bind off. However, you need to match the stitches as you go. If the pattern indicates a knit then you cast off with a knit stitch. If it calls for a purl, you'd make a purl stitch in your cast off.

The following patterns are a collection of stitches that have more complicated purl and knit sequences. Yet, the completion of them is not as difficult as it might seem from viewing the instructions for each. Basically, you construct either purls or knits per loop just like normal.

• Diagonals:
• Multiples: 8 plus 6 stitches
• Cast on 38 stitches.
• Row 1: Purl 3. Sequence: Knit 5 then purl 3. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until the 36th loop. Knit in loop 36, 37 and 38.
• Row 2: Purl 4. Sequence: Knit 3 then purl 5. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until the 37th loop. Knit in loop 37 and 38.
• Row 3: Purl 1 then knit 5. Sequence: Purl 3 then knit 5. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row.
• Row 4: Knit 1 then purl 5. Sequence: Knit 3 then purl 5. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row.
• Row 5: Knit 4. Sequence: Purl 3 then knit 5. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until the 37th loop. Purl in loop 37 and 38.
• Row 6: Knit 3. Sequence: Purl 5 then knit 3. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until the 36th loop. Purl in loop 36, 37 and 38.
• Row 7: Knit 2 then purl 3. Sequence: Knit 5 then purl 3. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until the 38th loop. Knit in loop 38.
• Row 8: Purl 2 then knit 3. Sequence: Purl 5 then knit 3. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until the 38th loop. Purl in loop 38.

• ]]Diamond Brocade]]:
• Multiples: 8 plus 1 stitches
• Cast on 25 stitches.
• Row 1: Knit 4. Sequence: Purl 1 then knit 7. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until the 20th loop. Purl 1 in loop 20. Knit in the last 4 stitches.
• Row 2: Purl 3. Sequence: Knit 1, purl 1, knit 1 then purl 5. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until the 23rd loop. Purl 3 in the last 3 stitches.
• Row 3: Knit 2. Sequence: Purl 1 then knit 3. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until the 24th loop. Knit in the last 2 stitches.
• Row 4: Purl 1. Sequence: Knit 1, purl 5, knit 1 then purl 1. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row.
• Row 5: Sequence: Purl 1 then knit 7. Continue with the instructions following sequence across the row until the 24th loop. Purl in last stitch.
• Row 6: Repeat row 4.
• Row 7: Repeat row 3.
• Row 8: Repeat row 2.
• Repeat rows 1 and 8 for 16 rows.

• Double Lightning Stitch:
• Multiples: 10 stitches
• Cast on 20 stitches.
• Row 1: Sequence: Knit 6, purl 1, knit 2 then purl 1. Continue this sequence over the rest of the loops.
• Row 2: Sequence: Purl 1, knit 1, purl 2, knit 1 then purl 5. Continue this sequence over the rest of the loops.
• Row 3: Sequence: Knit 4, purl 1, knit 2, purl 1 then knit 2. Continue this sequence over the rest of the loops.
• Row 4: Sequence: Purl 3, knit 1, purl 2, knit 1 then purl 3. Continue this sequence over the rest of the loops.
• Row 5: Sequence: Knit 2, purl 1, knit 2, purl 1 then knit 4. Continue this sequence over the rest of the loops.
• Row 6: Sequence: Purl 5, knit 1, purl 2, knit 1 then purl 1. Continue this sequence over the rest of the loops.
• Row 7: Sequence: Purl 1, knit 2, purl 1 then knit 6. Continue this sequence over the rest of the loops.
• Row 8: Repeat row 6.
• Row 9: Repeat row 5.
• Row 10: Repeat row 4.
• Row 11: Repeat row 3.
• Row 12: Repeat row 2.
• Repeat rows 1 through 12 for 24 rows.