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‘Learn to Knit’ MINI SERIES with Rebecca, Week 1: The Cast On
March 10, 2011 - By Ashley Johnston 51 Comments
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Yes, that sweet new baby of mine and I are doing great! (Thanks for asking…)
And so are her big brother and sister. They are still completely fascinated by her and all of her wiggly parts.
New pics to come soon, I’m sure. :)
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Oh, I have something really exciting to share with you.
Like, I almost spilled the news 17 different times because I was so excited to share it.
Remember how we did that little Mini Series with ‘Our Best Bites’?
(Thanks again Kate and Sara!!) In case you missed it (and I’m sorry if you did, because that was some great fun!)….all of the posts from that Mini Series can be found
here.
Well, today we’re starting a brand new Mini Series.
And it’s all about knitting. Yes, knitting.
And I’m so excited about it……I can hardly stand it. I have wanted to learn to knit for a long time and the time is here. And I’m sure many of you feel the same way and just haven’t known where to start.
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Are you curious who will be teaching us all how to knit?
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Many of you may already know her. But in case you don’t, the lovely little
Rebecca Danger, from Danger Crafts, will be posting here once a week.
.. And don’t worry……she’s starting very basic.
Perfect for all of us first-timers. Yay.
Yes, she’s the creative mind who designs all of those
darn adorable knitted monsters, found
here.
(Remember how my sister knitted some for my kids at Christmas-time from her pattern? Love them.) Okay, and she also creates sewing patterns like the ones below.
(All found in a separate shop,
here.)
Darn cute, right?
Her talent goes on and on. And so does her spunk.
I’d love to bottle her up! (check out her blog here……you’ll see what I mean.) . So I’m so excited that she agreed to team up for a bit.
So join in on the fun for the next few weeks and learn a new crafting skill. And even if you already know how to knit, follow along anyway…….you may learn something new. Or feel inspired to tackle a new project. (
Her creations tend to do that to me.)
~Ashley
Hello MakeitandLoveit-ers!
This is Rebecca Danger from Danger Crafts and RebeccaDanger.typepad.com. Ashley has asked me to stop on by once a week, for the next few weeks, and help you all to learn to knit. Yeah! Sounds like fun, huh?
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I am so pleased to be doing this, I have always wanted to do a knitting tutorial. I have taught literally hundreds of people to knit since I started knitting about 14 or 15 years ago. I do many others crafts as well, I ran a sewn handbags business for 7 years and have recently started
writing some sewing patterns in addition to my knitting patterns. But, there is just something about knitting though that makes it my all-time, all-around favorite craft. I hope I can help you learn this awesome skill as well!
I like to start folks knitting with cotton washcloths. One all knit one, one all purl one, and one knit and purl one (this will make more sense soon, I promise). They are practical and knit just like a scarf, but they are a much quicker and sometimes more practical than a scarf. I think you’ll love them.
Alrighty, I’m ready to get started, are you? I am going to take it very slow so that I can keep my posts on the short side. This week I am going to get you going with materials and just the cast on. So we won’t technically learn to knit until next week. But, without the cast on, you can’t go anywhere so it is incredibly important to learn!
You will need:
- “Worsted Weight” Cotton Yarn: I am using Lion Brand Yarns “Lion Cotton” available at Joann’s and Michael’s. You should be able to do all 3 of my learn-to-knit projects with one ball. Worsted weight refers to the size of the yarn, check the label on the yarn to know what you are getting.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help at your Local Yarn Shop! Alrighty. Got your supplies? Good. Today we are going to learn to “Cast On,” which will set up the first row of
stitches on your needle from which your project will emerge. This is called the Long Tail Cast On and it is how I cast on 99% of projects (unless a pattern says otherwise).
Take your yarn and find a tail, sometimes you can find one in the center, sometimes it is just easier to go from the outside. Pull out about a 24” tail and make a slip knot (You will need a long tail to do this cast on, hence the name). Make a slip knot like this:
Make a loop in your yarn like so
Loop your yarn through the loop
and pull until your loop makes a knot around your yarn
Voila! Place your slip knot on your needle
Tah-dah! One stitch on the needle. Now to add more stitches. Grab your yarn in your left hand
Divide the 2 tails of yarn. Wrap the bottom tail AROUND your thumb.
Wrap the other tail OVER your index finger. Continue holding the yarn in the palm of your hand, pulling your needle back towards your pinky to create tension on the yarn.
Now, take the tip of the needle and scoop UNDER the yarn held on your thumb
Next go OVER the yarn wrapped around your index finger
Then, bring the yarn back THROUGH the loop you made on your thumb
Remove your thumb, dropping the loop and tightening it around the loop you made on the needle. One stitch made, one slip knot, 2 stitches.
Get your hand set back up so the yarn is wrapped around UNDER your thumb and OVER your index finger, just like how you started. Ready to make another stitch? Repeat the above steps until you have 24 stitches on your needle. Cast on complete.
Yeah! You have learned the first step to knitting! Practice the cast on this week, making sure you have 24 sts on your needle for next week when I will teach you the knit stitch. I’ll see you then!
-Rebecca
