I just started knitting today, and am attempting to knit a garter stitch scarf. I was able to cast on perfectly fine but when it comes to actually doing a knit stitch it all falls apart (literally).
I’ve tried over and over, and can pull the yarn back through the stitch but then it just hangs really loose in a loop, and when I try to slide the stitch from the left needle to my right, it all turns into one long piece of yarn that I have to recast. I’ve looked at videos and books and just can not seem to figure it out. I’ve went through the front loop of the stitch, above it, through both parts of the little “x” the stitch makes, everything. I’m at a loss for what I’m doing wrong so if anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated!
I’m using bulky weight yarn and size 13 needles (recommended on the package).
Ok i can only tell you what is already online in other places, but sometimes hearing it another way can help.
I am assuming you are knitting ‘continental style’ so the needle with the cast on stitches and working yarn (the yarn coming from the ball) is in your left hand.
look at the first stitch on your let needle. It is loopped around the needle so that one leg of it is infront of the needle and one leg is behind.
You want to slide the tip of your right needle behind the front leg of the stitchfrom to bottom to top. The right needle will now be snug against the left needle, with a bit of stitich infront of it and a bit of stitch behind it. make sure the tips of the needle are crossed slightly with the right needle going behind the left needle and pointed to the left.
wrap the working yarn around the right needle once. slowly pull the right needle back the way it came pulling this little loop with you. you now have a loop around the right needle and around the left needle. Slide the loop on the left needle off the needle.
you have knit a stitch!
i hope that makes some sort of sense
It sounds like you may be putting your needle between the 1st and 2nd stitches instead of into the 1st stitch. And what Cast on are you using? If it’s the loop, try using the knit cast on.
Are you trying to put the stitch from your left needle onto your right? THat’s what it sounds like. You loop the yarn over the right needle and pull it through, then you pull the left loop off the needle completely, you don’t try to pass it onto the right needle.
If you have trouble seeing the stitches properly you could even try dropping down to a worsted weight and size 8 needle… I couldn’t knit a stitch with the bulky weight yarn, everything was very muddled and unclear. With the worsted weight it was MUCH easier, all the stitches were very easy to see and to read. This was true for my friends as well, and -could- be true for you, if the above suggestions don’t work.
Have you looked into going to a LYS (local yarn shop) and asking for help. Many shops will work with you provided you buy something from them at no charge or have a nominal fee. Also some of the Michaels stores offer begaining knitting classes. I teach basic classes fromtime to time, mainly to men, as I am male. Sometimes it takes another to get you up and running or knitting in this case.
Good luck
Ed
There are videos here on Knitting Help as well as a few other places. Here’s a couple helpful links you could print out if necessary. That’s what I did.
Thanks so much for all the replies. A knitting class I was going to attend was cancelled but that turned out to be okay, because the combination of these replies (I was doing a lot of things wrong) and watching the video over a lot (plus a lot of practicing) corrected it. I’m now well into my first project and it looks great. Thanks!!!
That’s awesome! When I first started I was doing my cast on wrong. I continued to cast on wrong for about 3 or 4 projects, which is why I kept getting extra stitches… haha. Definitely glad you could resolve the issue before you finished up a few a more projects!