Yesterday I finally got my first pair of needles and started knitting 
I got the long tail cast on down pat, but now I am stuck with what to do next. I watched the video for the german and the english method, and I think I would like the german method more (where you scoop up the thread with the right needle). I just donât understand what you do to start the first knit stitch. In the video for knit stitch, the woman already has quite a bit of knitting rows done, so it doesnât show how she goes straight from the cast on to the first knit stitch. Where/what do you do with the extra bit of tail that is left? My cast on stitches start to come unraveled when I try to make a knit stitch because the tail is still dangling there.
I am so frustrated 
Look at the Video on the Tips page called Demo of a Small Project. It shows the cast on, first row, several more rows and a bindoff - a short version of how to put it all together.
Make sure when you make that first knit st that you use the working yarn, not the tail yarn. Some people use both yarns together for a few stitches to anchor the tail in and donât have to weave it in later. You can hold it out of the way with your left hand (assuming you knit with your yarn in your right hand). But you still insert your right needle into the first st on the left needle the same way, whether itâs the first row or the 10th, and wrap the yarn around the tip and bring it through the st. Make sure youâre not putting the needle tip [I]between[/I] the first 2 sts, it needs to be [B]in[/B] the first one.
Okay, awesome. Iâll try checking out that video as soon as I get home Iâll let you know how it goes!
Thanks for the quick reply!!
I usually just hold both threads together and knit up the tail until itâs woven into the article Iâm making. Congrats on starting a life long obsession! lol. :cheering:
The way Amy (the lady who does the videos on this site) shows the long tail cast on she doesnât start with a slip knot on the needle and cast on from there. Most instructions for many years started with a slip knot and I usually do and find it easier. Half the time I canât remember the trick to getting started the way Amy does it, although that is great if you can learn it.
I knit the German way and love it. Amy knits that way too although she demonstrates both methods.
The first row after the cast on is the hardest to knit so be patient with yourself. Once you get that row it is smoother sailing. I like to do the cast on row and knit a few rows for people I am teaching to knit and let them start with a little âfoundationâ. Then I go back and teach the cast on and how to do the first row. You donât have that option when you learn on your own but youâll get it.
That video that Sue pointed you to should be a help. When you knit the cast on row you knit into the loops on the needle, going into them in the same direction you see in the âhow to do the knit stitchâ videos (in other words like it were a knit stitch, but it does look a little different).
Happy knitting! And welcome to KnittingHelp!
>.< I have watched the video you guys mentioned, and it makes it a lot more clear now (youâre supposed to weave in the tail). I just canât for the life of me get the stinkinâ knit stitch to work. I have watched and watched the video over and over (to the point where I know all the words!!) and I canât get it to work. The yarn keeps getting all tangled in a big knot instead of making a stitch.
It almost seems as thought the yarn would need to be stretchy to achieve what itâs supposed to be doing, but obviously, it isnât. As Iâm making the stitch the needles get closer together as the yarn gets tighter and I canât move them to pull the yarn through the knot. Not to mention the fact that maybe I bought a bad skein of yarn to begin with⌠it has a lot of tiny individual strands to it, so I keep missing a piece of it and messing up the yarn.
Sigh. For now, I throw down my needles in frustration. Iâll try again later
Sometimes still shots help more than videos. Hereâs a good one with both video and stills.
http://community.knitpicks.com/notes/Knit_Stitch_-_Continental
Hereâs another.
http://learntoknit.lionbrand.com/faq/84.html?language=
If youâre using a fuzzy yarn, thatâs probably most of your problem. Itâs much easier to learn if you have a smooth light colored yarn. The little hairs donât get caught and you can see the sts easier and just where youâre supposed to insert the needle. Also, if you use a little larger needle (like a size 9 or 10) on a yarn labeled â4â, medium or worsted weight, the stitches will be larger and itâs easier to get the needle into them.