Any kind of sewing takes some patience, but knitting may be the most rewarding of all the needle arts. Knitting is easy and affordable—you only need needles, scissors and yarn to get started. And unlike other kinds of sewing, you don't need a machine, so knitting is extremely portable.

Other kinds of Knitting stitches:

Casting On Knitting Stitch

Basic knitting starts with learning how to cast on, which is the process of creating your first set of interlocked stitches on the left hand needle. You will be using slip stitchs to turn your length of yarn into the number of stitches you'll need to work from when you start kniting your rows. Casting on is good practice for beginners who need to take some time to get their stitches uniform in size and shape. And because you are using a single length of thread, if you make a mistake or aren't happy with your early results, you can unravel your work and start over with no hassle.

Putting Together Basic Knit and Purl Stitches to Make a Pattern

Once you have mastered the knit and purl stitches, putting them together to follow patterns is simple. Although the names differ, knitting stitches only vary by the way the knit and the perl are used in each row. The garter stitch is what results when you use only the knit stitch without using the purl. If you knit one row and purl one row throughout the work, you are performing the stockinette stitch. In the Seed or Moss stitch, you knit one stitch and then purl one all across the row, beginning the next row with the stitch type with which you ended the previous row. And in the Box stitch, you alternate multiples of knit and purl stitches across the rows, doing two or more knit stitches and then following with the same number of pearl stitches. Knitting patterns tell you exactly what to do, and unlike many crochet patterns, they are easy to read.

You won't need to know many stitches to start making pretty things, but keep in mind that there are many other knitting stitches, like the make marker, the loom, the kitchener, the lace or the popcorn stitches. Some stitches are better for making work lay flat, some add texture, and some are classics for particular items of clothing. As you become more familiar with knitting, you'll add new definitions of knitting to your personal dictionary of stitchery. You'll learn about picking up dropped stitches, how to increase (or add new stitches to your needle), and specialty stitches like the basketweave.

Blocking and Binding Off Techniques

Once you have mastered the knit and purl stitches and find your stitches achieving a regular and tidy appearance, you will also learn about blocking (shaping) techniques and binding off. Blocking helps you shape the garment to determine the correct size, and binding off is the way you take your finished item from the needles in such a way that it doesn't unravel. Finishing techniques may sound tricky, but they are generally common sense—you'll pick them up in no time.

As you gain skill and confidence, you may want to add different accessories to your knitting bag. A row marker is a useful type of counting device for keeping track of your rows in big projects. A crochet hook can help you pick up loose thread, and once you have progressed from free advice on how to knit, you will find yourself building a library of your favorite patterns and skeins of yarn in gorgeous colors.