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| Photo above © Faithful Provisions - Kelly Hancock |
Want to learn how to knit but don't know where to begin? You only need a few basic skills to get started.
Follow these five beginner steps in order, and use the linked tutorials whenever you need a closer look at a technique.
What You Need to Start Knitting
You don't need a large collection of supplies for your first practice piece. Start with:
- A pair of knitting needles
- A ball of yarn
- Scissors
- A yarn needle for finishing
For your first practice swatch, choose a yarn that is easy to see and comfortable to handle rather than a very fuzzy or highly textured yarn.
1. Make a Slip Knot
A slip knot is a simple way to place your first loop of yarn onto the knitting needle.
Once you can make one comfortably, you're ready to cast on the rest of your stitches.
Learn How to Make a Slip Knot →
2. Cast On Your Stitches
Casting on creates the first set of stitches on your needle and forms the starting edge of your knitting.
There are many cast-on methods, so don't worry about learning them all at once. Begin with one simple method and practice until it feels comfortable.
3. Learn the Knit Stitch
The knit stitch is the most important basic knitting stitch to learn.
If you knit every row of a flat piece, you create garter stitch — one of the easiest fabrics for a beginner to practice.
4. Learn the Purl Stitch
Purl is the second fundamental knitting stitch.
Once you understand both knit and purl stitches, you can begin creating many familiar stitch patterns, including stockinette, ribbing, seed stitch and more.
5. Bind Off
When your knitting reaches the desired length, binding off secures the final row and allows you to remove the finished piece from the needles.
Try not to bind off too tightly, as this can make the finished edge noticeably narrower than the rest of your knitting.
Your first practice project: Cast on a small number of stitches, knit every row until you have a small square, then bind off. Don't worry about perfect tension yet — the goal is simply to become comfortable making stitches.
Ready for Your First Knitting Project?
Once you can cast on, make the knit stitch and bind off, you already have enough skills to try a simple garter-stitch project.
After that, learn the purl stitch and gradually explore ribbing, stockinette and other easy stitch patterns.
More Beginner Knitting Help
- Twisted Rib Stitch Guide
- Easy Trick for Tracking Repeated Knitting Rows
- Easy Knitting Projects for Beginners
Editorial note: This is an original Amazing Knitting beginner guide. The external links above lead to additional educational tutorials for individual knitting techniques.