Start with a single strand of yarn and end up
with a sweater—that's the magic of knitting and crocheting. Practiced
since ancient times, both techniques feature a series of interconnecting
loops. Unlike woven fabrics, which must be cut and then sewn into their
final form, knitted and crocheted pieces are constructed and shaped all
in one. It is possible, for example, to knit tube-shaped pieces to fit
around the torso or arms. But watch out. If you pull on the yarn without
securing the final loop, the whole thing can unravel!
Knitting is typically used for sweaters, hats,
socks, mittens, scarves, baby items and lightweight blankets. Knitted
garments are soft, pliable and stretchy—making them easy to put on
and take off. Crochet has a crisper, firmer hand—more suited for
doilies, lace edgings, tablecloths and afghans. Combining different stitches
and colors creates patterns for both.
The yarn for your project may be spun from
wool, linen, cotton, silk, synthetic fibers such as acrylic or natural,
synthetic blend. The various thicknesses, or weights, include baby or
fingering yarn (the finest), sport weight, worsted weight (the most common)
and chunky/bulky yarns. Crochet cotton is used for bedspreads, tablecloths,
doilies and edgings. Beginners should start off with a worsted weight
wool. The stitches will be large and easy to see, and the resilient wool
fibers will spring back into shape when pulled or distorted.
Knitting requires knitting needles (straight or
circular), while crochet uses a crochet hook. The needle or hook size
is determined by the yarn thickness and gauge. The guage is the tension
that you use when knitting or crocheting a particular yarn.To check the
guage before beginning a project, make a 4"-square swatch and compare
your stitch count to the gauge given in the project directions. If you
have fewer stitches than specified, try a smaller needle or hook. If you
have more stitches, go larger. Your gauge must be accurate or the dimensions
of the finished item will be off.
In knitting, the needles hold many loops of
yarn. The loops are worked one by one and, as each stitch is formed, it
passes from one needle to the other. Two stitches—knit and purl—are
the foundation for stockinette stitch, seed stitch, ribbing, cables, popcorns,
lace and many other patterns. When you are first learning, concentrate
on understanding how the stitch is formed and work out the hand position
that feels most comfortable for you. Try to develop a rhythm as you work.
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1. Make a slipknot around the needle, allowing
an ample yarn "tail." |
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2. Loop the yarn tail around the needle. |
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3. Pass the "ball" yarn over the loop, back
to front. Pass the loop up and over the needle. |
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4. Pull both yarn ends to complete the 2nd
cast-on stitch. Repeat steps 2-4 to cast on the number of stitches
desired. |
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1. Slip the right needle, front to back, through
the first loop on the left needle. Pass the "ball" yarn around the
right needle from left to right. |
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2. Draw the right needle back out of the loop,
catching the "ball" yarn with the needle tip. |
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3. Slip the loop off the left needle. The new
stitch is now on the right needle. |
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1. Slip the right needle, back to front, through
the first loop on the left needle. Pass the ball yarn around the right
needle counterclockwise. |
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2. Back the right needle out of the loop, catching
the ball yarn with the needle tip. |
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3. Slip the loop off the left needle. The new
stitch is now on the right needle. |
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1. Work two stitches. (*)Using the tip of the
left needle, lift the rightmost stitch up and off the right needle. |
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2. Work the next stitch. Repeat step 1 from
the (*) on. Continue in this way until one stitch remains. Cut the
"ball" yarn, draw the tail through the remaining stitch and pull snug. |
In crochet, new stitches are joined onto an edge
of the existing piece. Three stitches—chain stitch, single crochet
and double crochet—are the foundation for doilies, lace edgings,
ripple afghans, granny squares, popcorns, filet crochet, snowflakes, picots
and other designs. Crochet is worked from right to left.
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1. Make a slipknot.
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2. Draw the loop closed around the crochet
hook. |
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3. Wind the yarn once around the hook. Draw
the yarn through the loop to make a new loop. |
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4. Continue drawing a loop through each previous
loop to chain the number of stitches desired. |
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1. Insert the hook through the 2nd chain from
the hook. Wrap the yarn around the hook. |
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2. Draw the yarn through the 2nd chain.There
are now two loops on the hook. |
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3.Wrap the yarn around the hook and draw it
through both loops. Repeat steps 1-3 for each loop in the chain. To
work another row, chain 1, turn the work over and begin again. The
extra chain counts as the first stitch. |
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1. Wrap the yarn around the hook. Insert the
hook through the 4th chain from the hook. Wrap the yarn around the
hook again. |
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2. Draw the yarn through the 4th chain. There
are now three loops on the hook. |
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3. Wrap the yarn around the hook. |
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4. Draw the yarn through two loops. There are
now two loops on hook. |
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5. Wrap the yarn around the hook, and draw
through both loops. Repeat steps 1-5 for each loop in the chain. To
work another row, turn the work over and begin again. The extra chains
count as the first stitch. |
Directions for knit and crochet use a lot of abbreviations,
which are listed in a key. "P 1, k 1," for instance, means "Purl 1 stitch,
knit 1 stitch." The asterisk (*) is frequently used to bracket stitch
sequences that are to be repeated. This shorthand is not hard to follow
as long as you keep the overall pattern in mind. Ring markers or small
tie-on tags are useful for marking your place and counting rows. Other
useful items include a tape measure and, for knitters, a needle gauge,
cable needle and double-pointed needles.
Instructions for projects most often appear with
instructions and diagrams for right-handers only. Since yarn work is
shared between the hands, you may find it surprisingly easy to try this
technique: use a mirror to reverse the diagrams or reverse them on a
photocopier.
cable needle:
a double-pointed needle used to temporarily hold stitches when making
a cable.
cable: a dimensional
knitted design in which columns of stitches cross one another at regular
intervals.
cast on: to
add new stitches to a knitting needle.
circular needles:
a pair of needles joined at the ends by a thin cable, used to knit
in the round or back and forth.
double-pointed needles:
needles with tips at both ends, used in sets of four to knit in
the round or singly as cable needles.
gauge: the number
of stitches and rows every 4 inches.
needle gauge:
a plastic card with holes representing different needle sizes. Slip a
needle into the holes to determine its size. Good for circular needles.
ribbing: a
dimensional knitted design, very stretchy, used to edge sweaters.
ring markers:
small plastic or metal rings that slip onto the knitting needles to act
as stitch counters or to mark pattern changes.
swatch: a
knit/crochet sample, at least 4" x 4", used to measure gauge or test a
patternstitch.
tension:the
tightness or looseness of a piece of knitting or crochet, which in turn
determines the gauge.
Candie Frankel
is a writer and editor specializing in crafts, needlework and home decorating.
She is the author of Babies' & Children's Rooms, Designing with
Tiles, Pillowmaking, Stenciling, Drapes and Curtains, Painted Textured
Walls and The Encyclopedia of Country Furniture. She and designer
Beverly Karcher coauthored Making Old-Fashioned Santas. Candie
Frankel has served on the editorial staffs of Handcraft Illustrated
and McCall's Needlework & Crafts magazines.
Illustrations by Judy Love
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