How to Knit Using Garter Stitch

Learning how to knit using a garter stitch is simple. Seeing people with two needles in their hand and a ball of string may look daunting to beginners, but the reason knitting has come back into style is because it is so easy. Once you get the hang of it you will find it to be rather enjoying and relaxing!

Garter stitch is a basic knitting pattern which allows you to make a variety of projects and knitters love it because it is a multipurpose, quick and easy stitch. It is also a great way to "go green" as you will be able to knit your own dishcloths and clothing. The only knitting experience needed is casting on.

The easiest project to learn how to knit with garter stitch is a scarf. To begin, cast on around 20 stitches on your choice size of needles. The bigger the needle, the looser your scarf will be. My home economics teacher encouraged us to remember "Up, Around, Over and Out" as we learned to knit.

Up, Around, Over and Out

After you have cast on your stitches, transfer the needle with the live stitches to your left hand. Place the other needle in your right hand and insert the tip into the back of the first stitch on the left hand needle.

UP: Take your working yarn (the yarn that is coming from the ball) and wrap "around" the tip of your right hand needle from the back.

OVER: Slip the tip of the right hand needle over this piece of yarn and down through the left hand stitch.

OUT: Then you simply slide that first stitch off of the left hand needle.

Continue this pattern until you have finished knitting the first row. When you are done, place your right hand needle with all of the stitches into your left hand and use the empty needle to continue with this pattern.

Knit row after row until you have a scarf the length you desire. After the scarf is as long as you please, all you have to do is bind off the project. This knitting using a garter stitch method may also be used to knit quilt squares, washcloths, hats, etc.

Once you get the hang of how to knit using the garter stitch it will be easier for you to become more advanced in your knitting. There are hundreds of different stitch patterns and many of their foundations are begin with how to knit using a garter stitch.