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Knitting & Crocheting Books
Pam Allen
Shannon Okey
Tracy L. Barr
Marly Bird
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Published:
October 22, 2019

Knitting For Dummies

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Overview

An illustrated guide showing how to create beautiful, timeless pieces, whether you're picking up needles for the first time or a seasoned pro looking for advanced patterns

From scarves and sweaters to bags, pillows, and more, you'll find lots of projects for practicing and perfecting your knitting skills in Knitting For Dummies, which includes an instructional online video showing you the actual knitting techniques being done step-by-step.

Experienced and novice crafters alike can benefit from the book's step-by-step instructions that explain knitting in plain English. For anyone new to knitting, this hands-on friendly guide shows you how to

  • Cast on, knit, purl, and bind off -- the four basic skills needed to complete any knitting
  • Decipher pattern instructions and charts
  • Combine knit and purl stitches with increases and decreases for different effects
  • Create different kinds of cables, lace, and more
  • Read the language and graphics in knitting patterns and charts
  • Increase and decrease stitches and use these techniques to shape a project and create design

It also shows you what to do if you drop a stitch or inadvertently add one. If you know the basics of knitting and want to expand your skills to include stitch patterns with more complexity, you've come to the right place:

  • Combine stitch increases and decreases to create lacework
  • Get familiar with Fair Isle patterns and simple intarsia motifs, which involve working in more than one color in one row
  • Practice with plenty of projects to perfect your advanced knitting techniques
  • Learn to add interest with stripes
  • Have fun with fulling and felting
  • Make sweaters, from blocking and assembling your pieces to adding finishing touches like neckbands, edging, and buttonholes

Knitting For Dummies includes ten quick projects to make for gifts and exercises to "unkink" your neck and shoulders should you lose yourself for hours at a time in your craft! Finally, the book ends with a couple appendixes showing you more cool effects and a list of knitting software and helpful online resources. If you're itching to start stitching, grab this book to start crafting your knitted masterpiece today.

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About The Author

Pam Allen is a knitwear designer and founder of Quince & Co.

Shannon Okey is an author and knitwear designer. Find her at knitgrrl.com.

Tracy L. Barr is a professional writer and editor.

Marlaina "Marly" Bird hosts her own YouTube channel, where she instructs viewers on knitting and crochet.

Sample Chapters

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knitting for dummies

CHEAT SHEET

Knitting is a popular craft that can result in functional and decorative art. To get to the point where you're knitting useful garments, you need to know some knitting terms and their abbreviations. You may have to put your math skills to work as well, converting inches to centimeters or vice versa.Knitting abbreviations To knit from patterns, you need to know knitting abbreviations and knitting terms.
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Articles from
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You hear it all the time as you knit: "Oh, you knit! I just don't have the time to do that." It's not that you somehow have more time than this person to just waste away; you just find ways to spend your time more efficiently. Bringing your knitting with you just about anywhere is possible. Here are ten places you can squeeze knitting into your busy life: Grocery shopping: Picking up your needles rather than skimming the magazine rack is a handy way to knit a few rows or rounds.
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You can block any knitted or crocheted fabric as long as you have a tape measure and a large, flat surface on which to spread out your pieces, such as a bed or a spot on the floor that pets or children won't disturb. But whether you wet block or steam your pieces, you'll find the job more pleasant — and get better results — if you invest in some blocking equipment.
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If you're a knitter, you know that sometimes you need to convert inches to centimeters or vice versa. Knitting conversions aren't hard to do, you just need to brush off your math skills. Here are a couple of tips to help you convert both centimeters and inches: To convert centimeters to inches, divide the centimeter figure by 2.
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All too often, knitters choose a pattern that everybody is making, shell out for yarn, and spend hours knitting only to finish and realize that they don’t like the garment because that shape looks terrible on them. Taking the time to choose the best garment shape for your body type can save you hours spent knitting the wrong sweater.
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Knitting is both simple and complicated at the same time — it's all in the technique. Knowing a variety of knitting techniques helps you create professional-looking items. Following is a handy list that explains many common knitting techniques. Practice can make you a master of all of them. Bind off: Remove stitches from the needle to create a finished edge.
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Lots of knitting gadgets are available on the market. Some make life a little easier, and others are out-and-out lifesavers. You can get by without buying the gadgets below, but you may find some of them worth the small investment. The following figure shows some popular knitting gadgets. Stitch markers A stitch marker is a small ring that you slip onto your needle between stitches to alert you to places in your knitting that you need to pay attention to: the beginning of a round, the beginning and end of a repeat, the spot to work an increase or a decrease.
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Fulling is an easy technique that transforms a knitted piece into something totally different. Hand fulling is a great way to jump into the fulling process, which adds heat, moisture, and tremendous agitation to a knitted, woven, or crocheted fabric made of wool in order to make it shrink. The fabric becomes much stronger, fluffier, and warmer yet is still very pliable.
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To full a knitted fabric you just need some hot water, a little soap, and a lot of agitation in order to make it shrink, turning it into a fabric that’s denser, stronger, and warmer! You can full a project in a top-loading washing machine or a front-loading machine, as long as the machine lets you open the door to check on the project.
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You make bobbles (see the following figure) by increasing several stitches in a single stitch and then knitting back and forth on them before binding off, creating a knob on the surface of the fabric. The more stitches you increase in a single stitch and the more rows you work on them, the larger the bobble. Note: MB = Make bobble: Knit into the front of the stitch, then the back, then the front, then the back, and then the front one last time, and slide the old stitch off — 5 sts in 1.
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Fisherman’s rib pattern (see the following figure) makes a fabric with a ribbed appearance but with more depth and softness than a standard rib, which creates a fun and interesting design. To create the fisherman's rib stitch: Cast on an even number of sts. Row 1: Purl. Row 2: * P1, knit next st in the row below, allowing old stitch to drop from needle; rep from * to last 2 sts, p2.
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Interrupted rib pattern looks different from each side, but both sides are handsome, making this a nice pattern for projects in which both the front and back are visible, like scarves and afghans. The following figure gives you an idea of what the pattern looks like. To create interrupted rib stitch: Cast on an even number of sts.
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Standard rib patterns create vertical stripes by alternating a given number of knit stitches with a given number of purl stitches. But who says all ribs have to be the same? Mistake stitch ribbing, which you see in the following figure, is a 2 x 2 rib worked over 1 fewer stitch than required to make it even. To create mistake stitch ribbing: Cast on a multiple of 4 sts, plus 3 sts.
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This headband allows you to try different patterns and experiment with color combinations while knitting a simple rectangle. For project, work in the round following the snowflake motif chart and changing colors as indicated. Credit: ©Marly Bird Here are the materials and vital statistics for this project: Measurements: 21 inches x 3 inches Yarn: 100% Peruvian highland wool, 164 yards per 1.
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This cowl, knit widthwise, is an excellent way to practice cable twists. The best part? Because you knit it widthwise, you can stop knitting whenever you feel you’ve had enough practice — or when the cowl is as long as you want it to be. Credit: ©Matt Bowen Here are the materials and vital statistics for this project: Dimensions: 7 inches x 24 inches, but you can change the dimensions as you work Yarn: 100% acrylic, 131 yards per 7 ounces (200 grams), 1 skein Needles: One pair of US size 13 (9 mm) needles Other materials: 4 buttons Gauge: The horseshoe cable is 3 inches wide, and the seed stitch gauge is approximately 8 stitches and 10 rows per 4 inches with yarn listed here Create the cowl: Using cable cast-on, cast on 50 sts.
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You knit the wavy texture of this scarf by working increases and decreases in vertical columns, creating graceful scalloped edges. The stitches dip down at the decrease column and curve back up at the increases. To make the ends match, you work the scarf in two pieces from bottom up. You work the center portion of the scarf in a 2 x 2 rib that hugs your neck.
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Knitting on the bias may sound as if it’s some crazy new knitting technique, but it’s actually just a simple way of shaping a project so that it leans diagonally. Simply put, to knit on the bias is to knit diagonally rather than up and down or side to side. By knitting an increase and a decrease at precise points in a project, you begin to shape the fabric diagonally.
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The double basket pattern combines ribs and ridge patterns, adding to your standard repertoire of knitting, which contributes to the wide variety of fabrics you can create The following figure shows the double basket pattern. To create the double basket pattern: Cast on a multiple of 18 sts, plus 10 sts. Row 1 (RS): * K11, p2, k2, p2, k1; rep from * to last 10 sts, k10.
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In this variation of seed stitch, you double seed stitch horizontally and vertically — alternate 2 knits with 2 purls for 2 rows and then reverse the sequence. The following figure shows double seed stitch. To create the double seed stitch: Cast on a multiple of 4 sts, plus 2 sts. (Either side can be the right side.
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Twisted rib and garter stitch (see the following figure) consists of two stitch patterns that you’re likely already familiar with: 1 x 1 rib and garter stitch. The difference is that in the ribbed section presented here, you work the knit columns on the right and wrong sides of the fabric with twisted stitches for a sharp, crisp look.
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Although the most common ribbing combinations are those that are even (that is, the rib uses the same number of knitted versus purl columns), the columns don't have to be even. Many attractive and functional ribs have wider knit columns than purl columns. 4 x 2 and 2 x 4 ribbing There's no reason to keep knit ribs and purl ribs the same number of stitches.
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Recycling is good for both the environment and your wallet. This project uses yarn and old sweater pieces to make a speedy one-of-a-kind gift. So raid your closet or the thrift store and get started! Materials: One sweater or other knitted piece, at least 50% wool (preferably 100% wool), not felted Chalk or marker for tracing Paper for creating pattern (optional) Scissors or a rotary cutter and mat Yarn and yarn needle for embroidered embellishment (optional) Sewing machine or needle and thread Directions: Use chalk or a marker to trace your hand in mitten position (fingers together, thumb pointing out) on the knitted material.
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This scarf is a straightforward garter stitch pattern that has an increase at the beginning of a row and a decrease at the end of a row to create bias fabric. A bias knit simply means that you knit diagonally rather than up and down or side to side. By using a long color-changing yarn, you make the scarf look like you used a variety of colored yarns when you actually used only one yarn and one color.
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Flower pins are hot embellishments, useful for everything from bags to jackets to hats. You can knit one — or two, or an entire garden's worth — lickety-split with this simple pattern. Here are the materials and vital statistics for this project: Yarn: Worsted-weight yarn for flower, 50 yards, any color; worsted-weight yarn for leaf, 25 yards, contrasting color Needles: One pair of size US 8 (5 mm) needles (or size appropriate for yarn); sharp yarn needle for assembly Other materials: Pin back (available from craft stores, or cannibalize your jewelry drawer); straight pins to hold piece during assembly Create the flower: Cast on 40 sts.
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To make a yarn over (abbreviated yo) when it goes between 2 knit stitches (which you’d encounter in a pattern as k1, yo, k1), follow these steps: Knit the first stitch. Bring the yarn forward between the needles into purl position. Knit the next stitch on the needle. When you knit the next stitch, the yarn automatically crosses the RH needle, forming a yarn over (see the figure below).
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To make a yarn over (abbreviated yo) between 2 purl stitches (which you’d encounter in a pattern as p1, yo, p1), just do the following: Purl the first stitch. Wrap the yarn around the RH needle front to back to front so that it ends up in purl position again. Purl the next stitch (see the following figure.
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Here’s how to make a yarn over (abbreviated yo) that follows a knit stitch and precedes a purl stitch (which you’d encounter in a pattern as k1, yo, p1): Knit the first stitch. Bring the yarn to the front into the purl position, wrap it back over the top of the RH needle, and return it to the front into purl position again.
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To make a yarn over (abbreviated yo) that follows a purl stitch and precedes a knit stitch (which you’d encounter in a pattern as p1, yo, k1), follow these steps: Purl the first stitch and leave the yarn in the front of your work. Knit the next stitch. The yarn automatically crosses the RH needle when you knit this next stitch (see the following figure).
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With fuzzy or highly textured yarns, it can be difficult to see your stitches clearly enough to take an accurate measurement by counting stitches. In this case, use the following steps to measure your gauge: Make a swatch larger than 4 inches and write down the total number of stitches and rows in your swatch.
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Knitting patterns use a collection of standard abbreviations — most are fairly intuitive, but some can be confusing. Keep this list of knitting abbreviations and their meanings close by, so you can consult it as needed: Abbreviation Meaning Abbreviation Meaning Abbreviation Meaning approx approximately lp(s)
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Knitting is a popular craft that can result in functional and decorative art. To get to the point where you're knitting useful garments, you need to know some knitting terms and their abbreviations. You may have to put your math skills to work as well, converting inches to centimeters or vice versa.Knitting abbreviations To knit from patterns, you need to know knitting abbreviations and knitting terms.
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The gauge swatch gets a bad rap because some knitters think knitting one is a waste of time and yarn. But the reverse is actually true; refusing to knit a gauge swatch may result in hours spent knitting something that turns out to be the wrong size or have the wrong tension. The gauge swatch helps safeguard you from making significant sizing blunders.
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When you work Fair Isle with one hand, you knit and purl as you normally do, dropping and picking up the different yarns as you need them. To practice one-handed Fair Isle knitting, choose two colors of yarn: MC and CC (main color and contrast color). With the MC, cast on 21 stitches and use the charted design in Figure 1.
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Knitting needles come in a stunning assortment of materials and sizes to mesh with your knitting style, the particular project you're working on, your aesthetics, and your budget. Sizing up needles A needle’s size is determined by its diameter. The smaller the size, the narrower the needle and the smaller the stitch it makes.
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The yarn-over bind-off is more elastic than the standard bind-off and is a bit more decorative. Use the yarn-over version when you need some stretch to the edge of your project, such as for the cuff of a toe-up sock. It’s also useful for the edge of a lace shawl or for ruffles. Here’s how the yarn-over bind-off works: Knit 1 stitch, yarn over the RH needle, and then knit 1 more stitch.
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