Easy Knitting Wool Tutorial

Learn handy tips to make for easy knitting techniques These tips include how to hold your needles how to and why you should make a tension swatch how to pick up dropped stitches and more Let our knitting guru Jenni show you howx000Dx000DWhich yarn and needles should I usex000Dx000DThere are lots of different types of yarn and needles You could choose a finer weight cotton yarn like our Shiny Happy Cotton a middleweight wool yarn like our Wool Me Tender but for beginners we suggest a super chunky yarn like our Crazy Sexy Wool It knits up quickly and its easy to spot mistakes Our 15mm Rosewood needles are the perfect accompaniment for this yarnx000Dx000DHow should I hold my needlesx000Dx000DIt may feel a bit awkward when you first start knitting trying to juggle the yarn and the needles at the same time There is no right or wrong way to hold your needles but we suggest either holding them over the top the knife hold or underneath the pencil hold Its good to practice both to see which feels the most natural to youx000Dx000DHow do I start my second rowx000Dx000DOnce youve knitted your first row it can sometimes be difficult to know how to start your second row Avoid pulling the first stitch too tightly and double check you are going into the first stitch on your needle and not the loop below it Your righthand needle should always be directly below your lefthand needle and your needles should touch each other every time your start a new stitchx000Dx000DWhy should I make a tension swatchx000Dx000DTension swatches are nothing to be scared of Theyre an important step with a fitdependant pattern like a sweater as it effects the final piece If you are making something like a scarf its less important When making a swatch it should be larger than 10cm4 in both width and height so you have enough stitches to measure accuratelyx000Dx000DHow do I count my stitches and rowsx000Dx000DIgnore the cast on and cast off edges On a garter stitch piece x000DRows Each horizontal ridge counts as 2 rows Starting at the bottom count up in multiples of 2 Stitches Each of the top bumps in one ridge is 1 stitch Start at one side and count across x000DOn a stocking stitch piece Each v is 1 row and 1 stitch Count the vs from left to right and top to bottom