I’ve watched a lot of videos and read instructions but I keep messing up. I can do the cast on and first row of the basic knit stitch, but when I start the second row where the yarn end is with the slipknot I keep getting it into the stitch so that when I knit instead of having one piece of yarn connecting the needles I have two. This is so frustrating! Thanks for any help.
It sounds like you’re pulling the last/first stitch up over the needle. Check the sticky for Mysterious extra stitches. If that is the problem then you need to move your working yarn to the back by going under the needle rather than over the needle. It’s an easy mistake to make.
Or pull the yarn out to the side before inserting the needle into the first stitch.
If that doesn’t seem to be your problem, maybe you could post a picture?