Knitting For Dummies

419 Pages·2013·27.67 MB·English

by  Tracy Barr, Allen, Shannon Okey, Marly Bird

by Pam Allen, Shannon Okey,
Tracy L. Barr, and Marly Bird

Knitting

3rd Edition

Knitting For Dummies®, 3rd Edition
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013947511

ISBN 978-1-118-66151-2 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-80525-1 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-80526-8 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents at a Glance

Introduction ................................................................ 1

Part I: Getting Started with Knitting ............................. 5

Chapter 1: Two Needles, a Ball of Yarn, and a Little Know-how ..................................7
Chapter 2: Tools of the Trade ........................................................................................15
Chapter 3: Taking the Mystery Out of Patterns and Gauge .......................................41
Part II: Knitting Primer .............................................. 55

Chapter 4: The Fundamentals: Casting On, Knitting, Purling, and Binding Off .......57
Chapter 5: Basic Stitches You’ll Use Again and Again ................................................77
Chapter 6: Techniques Every Knitter Should Know ....................................................87
Chapter 7: Oops! Fixing Common Mistakes ................................................................107
Chapter 8: Knitting in the Round .................................................................................121
Chapter 9: Practicing with Simple Projects ................................................................131
Part III: Techniques for the More Experienced Knitter ....147

Chapter 10: Adding Interest with Stripes ....................................................................149
Chapter 11: Cable Musings and Interesting Twists ...................................................167
Chapter 12: Let the Sun Shine In: Knitting Lace .........................................................189
Chapter 13: Fair Isle and Intarsia Techniques ............................................................209
Chapter 14: Fulling Fun: Making Your Project’s Presence Felt ................................231
Part IV: Making Knitted Garments ............................ 243

Chapter 15: Anatomy of a Sweater Pattern ................................................................245
Chapter 16: How to Knit a Sweater, Step by Step ......................................................253
Chapter 17: Getting It Together: Blocking and Assembling Your Pieces ...............269
Chapter 18: Finishing Touches: Neckbands, Edging, Buttonholes, and More .......299
Chapter 19: Starter Garments ......................................................................................315
Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................... 335

Chapter 20: Ten Quick Knitting Projects and Gifts....................................................337
Chapter 21: Ten Unkinking Exercises for Knitters.....................................................347

Part VI: Appendixes ................................................. 351

Appendix A: More Stitches and Cool Effects ..............................................................353
Appendix B: Knitting Resources ..................................................................................367
Index ...................................................................... 371

Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................. 1

About This Book ..............................................................................................1
Foolish Assumptions .......................................................................................2
Icons Used in This Book .................................................................................3
Beyond the Book .............................................................................................3
Where to Go from Here ...................................................................................4

Part I: Getting Started with Knitting ............................. 5

Chapter 1: Two Needles, a Ball of Yarn, and a Little Know-how . . . . .7

Why Knit? ..........................................................................................................7

Knitting up good karma.........................................................................8
Inspiring a feeling of accomplishment ................................................8
Keeping your mind and hands occupied ............................................8
Creating a one-of-a-kind piece ..............................................................9

What Knitters Need .........................................................................................9

The tools .................................................................................................9
An understanding of the basics .........................................................10
An understanding of knitterese..........................................................11

Teaching Yourself to Knit from a Book .......................................................12

Swatching ..............................................................................................13
Putting it into practice ........................................................................13

Chapter 2: Tools of the Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Yearning for Yarn: The (Quick) Consumer’s Guide ..................................15

Fixating on fiber fundamentals ...........................................................16
A weighty matter: Considering yarn weight .....................................20
Looking at yarn packaging ..................................................................21
Choosing yarn for a project ................................................................25

Selecting Knitting Needles ............................................................................27

Exploring needles ................................................................................27
Sizing them up ......................................................................................29
Accounting for needle makeup and tip type ....................................30

Collecting Gizmos and Gadgets ...................................................................31

Stocking up on the essentials .............................................................32
Examining nice-to-have extras ...........................................................34

Eyeing Blocking Equipment ..........................................................................37
Organizing Your Equipment .........................................................................38

Knitting For Dummies, 3rd Edition
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Chapter 3: Taking the Mystery Out of Patterns and Gauge . . . . . . . . .41

Reading Stitch Patterns ................................................................................41

Deciphering Knitterese: Common abbreviations and shorthand ...42
Following written stitch patterns ......................................................45
Reading charted stitch patterns ........................................................47

Gauge: Getting the Size Right .......................................................................48

Knowing what affects gauge ...............................................................50
Making a gauge swatch .......................................................................51
Measuring your gauge .........................................................................52
Matching your pattern’s gauge ..........................................................53
Designing with gauge in mind ............................................................54

Part II: Knitting Primer ............................................... 55

Chapter 4: The Fundamentals: Casting On, Knitting,
Purling, and Binding Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Casting On ......................................................................................................58

Two-strand (or long-tail) cast-on .......................................................58
Cable cast-on (cable co) .....................................................................61
Thumb (or e-loop) cast-on ..................................................................62

Now You’re Knitting and Purling .................................................................64

Knitting know-how ...............................................................................65
Perfect purling ......................................................................................68
Knitting and purling, Continental-style .............................................69

Binding (or Casting) Off ................................................................................74

Standard bind-off .................................................................................74
Yarn-over bind-off ................................................................................75
Helpful hints for binding off................................................................76

Chapter 5: Basic Stitches You’ll Use Again and Again . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Go-To Stitches: Garter, Stockinette, and Seed Stitches ............................77

Garter stitch .........................................................................................78
Stockinette stitch .................................................................................79
Seed stitch ............................................................................................81

Adding Stretch with Ribbed Stitches ..........................................................82

1 x 1 ribbing ..........................................................................................84
2 x 2 ribbing ..........................................................................................84
4 x 2 and 2 x 4 ribbing..........................................................................85
4 x 4 ribbing ..........................................................................................86

Chapter 6: Techniques Every Knitter Should Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

Slipping Stitches ............................................................................................87
Making a Yarn Over .......................................................................................88

Between 2 knit stitches .......................................................................89
Between a knit and a purl stitch ........................................................90

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Table of Contents

Between 2 purl stitches .......................................................................90
Between a purl stitch and a knit stitch .............................................91

Twisting Stitches: Knitting through the Back Loop ..................................92
Working Increases .........................................................................................93

Bar increase, or knit in front and back..............................................94
Working a make 1 .................................................................................95
Knitting into the stitch below .............................................................97
Making a double increase ...................................................................98
Increasing at several points in a single row .....................................99

Doing Decreases ..........................................................................................100

Knitting 2 stitches together ..............................................................100
Purling 2 stitches together ...............................................................101
Slip, slip, knit ......................................................................................102
Pass slipped stitch over ....................................................................103
Making double decreases .................................................................104

Chapter 7: Oops! Fixing Common Mistakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Stopping Mistakes or Catching Them Early .............................................107
Dealing with Dropped Stitches ..................................................................108

Finding and securing a dropped stitch ...........................................109
Rescuing a dropped stitch in the row below .................................110
Saving a dropped stitch with a crochet hook ................................113

Ripping (Your Heart) Out ...........................................................................116

Ripping out stitch by stitch ..............................................................117
Ripping out row by row ....................................................................117

Chapter 8: Knitting in the Round . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

Why Going in Circles Can Be a Good Thing .............................................121
Choosing Needles for Circular Knitting ....................................................122
Casting On for Circular Knitting ................................................................123
Joining the Round ........................................................................................124

Joining on a circular needle..............................................................125
Joining on double-pointed needles ..................................................125
Tidying up the first and last stitches...............................................126

Working Common Stitches in the Round .................................................126
Using Steeks for a Clean Break ...................................................................127

Sewing in a steek ................................................................................127
Crocheting a steek .............................................................................128
Cutting your fabric after you steek ..................................................129

Measuring Gauge in the Round ..................................................................129

Chapter 9: Practicing with Simple Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

Everywhere Bag in Garter Stitch ...............................................................131

Materials and vital statistics ............................................................132
Directions ............................................................................................132
Variations ............................................................................................134

Knitting For Dummies, 3rd Edition
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Bias Knit Scarf ..............................................................................................136

Materials and vital statistics ............................................................136
Directions ............................................................................................136
Variations ............................................................................................137

Scalloped Scarf .............................................................................................137

Materials and vital statistics ............................................................137
Directions ............................................................................................138
Variations ............................................................................................138

Button Pillow ................................................................................................139

Materials and vital statistics ............................................................139
Directions ............................................................................................139
Variations ............................................................................................140

Mistake Rib Scarf and Fingerless Mitts .....................................................140

Materials and vital statistics ............................................................140
Scarf directions ..................................................................................141
Fingerless mitts directions ...............................................................141
Variation..............................................................................................141

Projects Knitted In the Round ....................................................................141

Simple Textured Cowl .......................................................................142
Two-way Hat .......................................................................................143

Part III: Techniques for the More Experienced Knitter .....147

Chapter 10: Adding Interest with Stripes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Seeking the Story on Stripes ......................................................................149
Textured Stripes, or How to Stand Out in a Crowd .................................150

Reverse stockinette stitch stripes ...................................................151
Garter stitch stripes ..........................................................................152

Knitting Colorful Stripes .............................................................................153

Picking colors for your project ........................................................154
Counting rows ....................................................................................154
Joining colors .....................................................................................155
Dealing with old colors and loose ends ..........................................156

Knitting Stripes in the Round .....................................................................158
Stirring Up Stripes: Combining Texture and Color .................................159

Varying your stitch pattern ..............................................................159
Making waves .....................................................................................160
Striping any which way .....................................................................160

Practice Striped Projects ............................................................................160

Bold and Bright Scarf ........................................................................161
Slouchy Hat with Pompom ...............................................................162
Two-row Striped Shawlette...............................................................165

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Table of Contents

Chapter 11: Cable Musings and Interesting Twists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167

Cable Basics .................................................................................................168

Twisting to the right or left...............................................................168
Reading cable charts .........................................................................169
Checking gauge in a cable pattern ...................................................170

A Cornucopia of Cables ..............................................................................171

Standard (rope) cable .......................................................................171
Open cable ..........................................................................................173
Double cable .......................................................................................175
Wave cable ..........................................................................................176
Chain cable .........................................................................................177
Honeycomb cable ..............................................................................177
Braid cable ..........................................................................................178
Varying a cable ...................................................................................179

Making Twists ..............................................................................................180

Twisting to the right ..........................................................................180
Twisting to the left .............................................................................182

Practice Cable Projects ...............................................................................183

Cable Hat with Pompoms..................................................................183
Horseshoe Cable Hand Warmers .....................................................185
Horseshoe Cable Cowl with Buttons ...............................................187

Chapter 12: Let the Sun Shine In: Knitting Lace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

Reading Lace Charts ....................................................................................189

Yarn-over increase and decrease symbols .....................................190
No-stitch symbol ................................................................................191

Knitting Different Kinds of Lace .................................................................192

Eyelet patterns ...................................................................................194
Open lace patterns ............................................................................195
Faggot lace ..........................................................................................198

Incorporating Lace into Other Pieces .......................................................199

Lace insertions ...................................................................................199
Lace edgings .......................................................................................200

Avoiding and Correcting Mistakes When Working Lace Patterns .........200

Finding the error ................................................................................201
Ripping out lace .................................................................................202

Blocking Lace ...............................................................................................203
Practice Lace Projects ................................................................................203

Scarf with Faggot Lace ......................................................................203
Lace Leaf Shawl ..................................................................................204
Simple Eyelet Lace Market Bag ........................................................205

Chapter 13: Fair Isle and Intarsia Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209

Knitting Fair Isle ...........................................................................................209

Charting the Fair Isles .......................................................................210
General rules for successful Fair Isle knitting ................................213
One-handed or two? Ways to work Fair Isle ...................................214
Managing the back: Catching floats .................................................217

Knitting For Dummies, 3rd Edition
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Painting with Yarn: Getting into Intarsia ..................................................219

Charting intarsia ................................................................................220
Knitting intarsia..................................................................................220
Using intarsia in motifs .....................................................................222

Ending the Ends ...........................................................................................222

Weaving as you go: The quick method ...........................................223
Weaving in later: The slow method .................................................223

Practice Projects ..........................................................................................223

Hit the Slopes Headband...................................................................224
Fair Isle Leg Warmers ........................................................................226
Intarsia Tooth Fairy Pillow ...............................................................228

Chapter 14: Fulling Fun: Making Your Project’s Presence Felt . . . . .231

Distinguishing between Fulling and Felting ..............................................232
Creating the Right Conditions to Full Knitted Fabric ..............................232

Finding a fulling-friendly project ......................................................232
Choosing your fiber ...........................................................................233
Getting the right fabric gauge...........................................................234
Controlling water temperature, soap, agitation, and time ...........235

The Fulling Experience: How to Full ..........................................................236

Hand fulling .........................................................................................236
Machine fulling ...................................................................................237

Practice Fulling Projects .............................................................................239

Fulled Cabled Bag In-the-Round .......................................................239
Fulled Scarf in Horseshoe Lace ........................................................241

Part IV: Making Knitted Garments ............................. 243

Chapter 15: Anatomy of a Sweater Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245

Picture This: Studying the Garment Photo ..............................................245
Assessing the Pattern at a Glance .............................................................246

How hard is “easy”? Level of difficulty ............................................247
How big is “big”? Knitted measurements........................................247
Materials .............................................................................................248
Gauge ...................................................................................................249
Special pattern stitches ....................................................................249
Schematics and charts ......................................................................250
Knitting instructions ..........................................................................252
Finishing ..............................................................................................252

Chapter 16: How to Knit a Sweater, Step by Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253

Gathering Your Materials ...........................................................................254

A good pattern ...................................................................................254
Yarn .....................................................................................................254
Knitting needles .................................................................................255
Other supplies to have handy ..........................................................255

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Table of Contents

Before You Cast On .....................................................................................256

Step 1: Pick a size ...............................................................................256
Step 2: Find your gauge .....................................................................257

Knitting . . . at Last! ......................................................................................258

Knitting the back ................................................................................259
Knitting the front ...............................................................................263
Putting the front and back together ................................................264
Knitting sleeves ..................................................................................264

The Big Picture: Keeping Track of Where You Are .................................267

Chapter 17: Getting It Together: Blocking and
Assembling Your Pieces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269

Tying Up Loose Ends ...................................................................................270

Weaving ends up the sides ...............................................................270
Weaving the ends horizontally.........................................................272
Weaving ends into a bound-off edge ...............................................273

Better Blocking ............................................................................................275

Getting your blocking equipment together ....................................276
Steam, dunk, or spray? Deciding which blocking method to use ... 276
Wet blocking .......................................................................................277
Spray blocking ....................................................................................281
Steam blocking ...................................................................................281
Three-dimensional blocking .............................................................282

Basic Techniques for Joining Pieces .........................................................282

Three-needle bind-off (head to head) .............................................283
Grafting stitches (the Kitchener stitch) ..........................................286
Mattress stitch ...................................................................................290
Sewing seams with backstitch .........................................................292

Determining the Order of Sweater Assembly ..........................................294

Joining back to front at the shoulder ..............................................295
Attaching a sleeve to a sweater body .............................................295
Making side and sleeve seams .........................................................297

Chapter 18: Finishing Touches: Neckbands, Edging,
Buttonholes, and More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299

Picking Up Stitches to Knit .........................................................................299

Picking up stitches along a horizontal edge ...................................300
Picking up stitches on a vertical edge .............................................301
Picking up stitches on a diagonal or curved edge .........................302
Picking up: A reality check ...............................................................303

Bring on the Bands ......................................................................................304

Bottoms up! Vertical bands ..............................................................304
Horizontal picked-up bands .............................................................305

Hole in One: Buttonholes ............................................................................307

All-purpose horizontal buttonhole ..................................................307
Simple vertical buttonhole ...............................................................309
Round (eyelet) buttonhole ...............................................................311

Knitting For Dummies, 3rd Edition
xii

Button Up! .....................................................................................................312

Plotting button placement ................................................................312
So happy together: Keeping your buttons buttoned.....................313
Sewing on buttons .............................................................................313

Chapter 19: Starter Garments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315

Women’s Easy Top-Down Raglan ..............................................................315

Materials and vital statistics ............................................................316
Directions ............................................................................................317
Finishing ..............................................................................................319

Baby’s Layette: Cardigan, Booties, Hat, and Blanket ..............................319

Cardigan ..............................................................................................319
Booties ................................................................................................322
Hat ........................................................................................................323
Blanket.................................................................................................324

Chunky Cabled Vest with Hood or Collar .................................................325

Materials and vital statistics ............................................................326
Special stitches ..................................................................................326
Stitch patterns ....................................................................................326
Directions ............................................................................................328
Finishing ..............................................................................................331
Option: Hood ......................................................................................331
Option: Ribbed Collar ........................................................................332
Variations ............................................................................................333

Part V: The Part of Tens ............................................ 335

Chapter 20: Ten Quick Knitting Projects and Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337

Large-Gauge Wrist Warmers ......................................................................337

Materials .............................................................................................337
Directions ............................................................................................338

Log Cabin Swatch Potholder ......................................................................338

Materials .............................................................................................338
Directions ............................................................................................338

Swatch Scarf .................................................................................................339

Materials .............................................................................................339
Directions ............................................................................................339

Braided Novelty Yarn Scarf ........................................................................340

Materials .............................................................................................340
Directions ............................................................................................340

Knit Journal ..................................................................................................341

Materials .............................................................................................341
Directions ............................................................................................341

Recycled Sweater Mittens ..........................................................................342

Materials .............................................................................................342
Directions ............................................................................................342

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Table of Contents

Thrift Store Sweater Bag .............................................................................343

Materials .............................................................................................343
Directions ............................................................................................343

Drink Cozy ....................................................................................................344

Materials .............................................................................................344
Directions ............................................................................................344

Felted Checkbook Cover .............................................................................345
Knitted Flower Pin .......................................................................................345

Materials .............................................................................................346
Directions ............................................................................................346

Chapter 21: Ten Unkinking Exercises for Knitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347

Five Ways to Slough Stress from Your Shoulders and Arms .................347
Five Ways to Relax Your Hands and Wrists .............................................348

Part VI: Appendixes .................................................. 351

Appendix A: More Stitches and Cool Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353

Moss Stitch ...................................................................................................353
Double Seed Stitch ......................................................................................354
Basketweave Stitch ......................................................................................354
Double Basket Pattern ................................................................................356
Twisted Rib and Garter Stitch Check ........................................................357
Ripple Stitch .................................................................................................358
Diamond Brocade ........................................................................................359
Guernsey Knit-Purl Pattern ........................................................................360
Bobbles .........................................................................................................361
Chevron ........................................................................................................362
Fancy Ribs ....................................................................................................363

Mistake stitch ribbing .......................................................................363
Interrupted rib....................................................................................364
Diagonal ribbing .................................................................................365
Fisherman’s rib ..................................................................................366

Appendix B: Knitting Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .367

Online Resources .........................................................................................367

Beginner websites ..............................................................................368
Yarn, supplies, patterns, and more .................................................368
Online audiobooks and technique demonstrations ......................368

Software ........................................................................................................369
Magazines .....................................................................................................369

Index ....................................................................... 371