How to Start Knitting: Supplies, Stitches & First Projects

What you need to start

Skip the beginner kits full of things you won't use for months. The short list below covers your first three projects.

Avoid dark colors, fuzzy yarns like mohair, and novelty or bouclé yarns for now. They hide the stitch structure, so you can't see where your needle should go or spot a mistake. Plain, plied, light-colored yarn shows you everything.

Straight or circular needles?

Straight needles are the classic picture, but a circular needle does everything a straight pair does and more: you can knit back and forth on it, the weight of the work rests in your lap instead of on your wrists, and later you'll use the same needle to knit hats in the round. Our guide to knitting needle types compares them all. A 24 in (60 cm) circular in US 8 is the most useful single needle a beginner can own. A wooden one like the Lantern Moon Ebony Destiny circular is smooth without being slippery.

The four techniques to learn first

1. Cast on. Puts the first row of loops on the needle. The long-tail cast-on is the most common: firm, neat and stretchy enough for most projects. Leave a tail about three times the width of what you're casting on. For a simple scarf without a pattern, the cast-on calculator works out the stitch count from your swatch gauge and desired width.
2. Knit stitch. Insert the right needle into the front of the first loop from left to right, wrap the yarn around it, pull the new loop through and slip the old one off.
3. Purl stitch. The knit stitch worked from the other side: yarn in front, needle in from right to left. A purl on one side is a knit on the other.
4. Bind off. Locks the last row so it can't unravel. Knit two stitches, lift the first over the second, knit one more, and repeat.

Combine knit and purl and you get every basic fabric. Garter stitch is knit every row: ridged, squishy and flat, so it's perfect for scarves. Stockinette is knit one row, purl the next: smooth Vs on the front, bumps on the back, and the edges curl. Ribbing alternates knits and purls in the same row (k1, p1 or k2, p2) and stretches, which is why it's used at cuffs and hat brims.

Three first projects

Pick something small, flat and forgiving. Each project below adds one new skill to the last.

A dishcloth is the classic first piece because it's small enough to finish in an evening and nobody minds if it's uneven. A garter scarf teaches rhythm and tension, and you'll get better visibly from one end to the other. A hat moves you onto a 16 in circular and introduces decreases (k2tog, knit two together) to shape the crown.

How to read a knitting pattern

Patterns are written in abbreviations. These cover most beginner patterns:

Every pattern also lists a gauge: the number of stitches and rows in 4 in (10 cm). For a scarf it hardly matters. For a hat or a sweater it decides the size, so knit a small square first and measure it. Our guide to substituting yarn explains how to swatch and what to do if your numbers are off.

Habits that make learning faster

• Knit a little every day. Fifteen minutes daily builds muscle memory faster than a long session once a week.
• Keep your tension relaxed. Tight stitches are the usual cause of aching hands and needles that won't go in. Stitches should slide along the needle.
• Learn to read your knitting. Look at the fabric until you can tell a knit from a purl. Then you can find your place without the pattern.
• Use a lifeline on anything tricky. Thread a length of smooth scrap yarn through every stitch of a finished row. If you need to rip back, you can't go past it.
• Finish things. Weave in the ends and wear or use the piece, even if it's lumpy. The second one will be better.

A good pair of small sharp scissors and a needle gauge for unlabeled needles are the next tools worth owning. Once you've finished a scarf and a hat, DK yarn is a natural next step for lighter sweaters and accessories.