Idiot's Guides Knitting

275 Pages·2013·26.81 MB·English

by  Megan Goodacre

Learning to knit has
never been easier!
You want to learn how to knit, but getting your
fi ngers, yarn, and knitting needles to all work to- Knitting
gether feels easier said than done. Not anymore!
Packed with hundreds of color photos and clear,
K
stitch-by-stitch instructions, this helpful guide
will have you knitting and purling in no time. In n
it, you get:
i
t
• Easy lessons for casting on, taking your t
first stitches, and binding (casting) off. i
n
• Illustrated tutorials for shaping your work,
adding color, creating cables, and more. g
• Simple strategies for reading knitting
patterns and decoding knitting charts.
• Tons of troubleshooting tips on avoiding
common knitting mistakes.
Eye-catching instructional
• Over 20 lovely and stylish projects and photos make learning to knit simple
patterns for all levels of knitters. and enjoyable.
AS EASY AS IT GETS! idiotsguides.com
Megan Goodacre is a Canadian knitwear designer and graphic artist. Her work has been show-
cased in several publications, including Interweave Knits, Creative Knitting, and Twist Collective.
Megan designs stylish knitting projects with simple charm and understated elegance, using
approachable knitting techniques for all skill levels. In her quest for the perfect knitter’s tools, Hundreds of step-by- Close-up color photos Over 20 fun, fresh
Megan began designing her own, including a knitter’s needle gauge and knitter’s notebooks.
step photos teach you show every yarn, needle, projects build on what
Visit her at tricksyknitter.com.
knitting visually and fi nger move you’ve learned
$19.95 U.S./CAN £12.99 UK
Cover image © Megan Goodacre
Megan Goodacre
9781615644100_Knitting_CV.indd 1 4/17/13 9:39 AM
No one likes a know-it-all. Most of us realize there’s no such thing— About the Author
how could there be? The world is far too complicated for someone
to understand everything there is to know. So when you come across Megan Goodacre is a knitter and graphic artist who strives for simplicity
a know-it-all, you smile to yourself as they ramble on because you and elegance in her designs. She has a practical and accessible teaching
know better. style and finds in knitting the perfect balance of logic and creativity.
You understand that the quest for knowledge is a never-ending one, Megan’s patterns are a blend of classic form and modern style, and have
and you’re okay with that. You have no desire to know everything, just been featured in Interweave knit.wear, Knit Picks, and Twist Collective. She
the next thing. You know what you don’t know, you’re confident enough is inspired by everything from vintage textiles to modern design.
to admit it, and you’re motivated to do something about it.
Recently transplanted from Canada’s west coast to its snowy capital,
At Idiot’s Guides, we, too, know what we don’t know, and we make Ottawa, Megan can often be found huddled next to her computer
it our business to find out. We find really smart people who are for warmth, typing how-to articles and blog entries. Her website,
experts in their fields and then we roll up our sleeves and get to work, TricksyKnitter.com, is a treasure trove of articles and patterns for knitters
asking lots of questions and thinking long and hard about how best of all levels.
to pass along their knowledge to you in the easiest, most-accessible
In addition to knitting and teaching, Megan is a photographer and
way possible.
co-founder of the web agency CalmSea Media. She has two wonderful sons
After all, that’s our promise—to make whatever you want to learn “As and an exhaustingly exuberant husband.
Easy as It Gets.” That means giving you a well-organized design that
seamlessly and effortlessly guides you from page to page, topic to topic.
It means controlling the pace you’re asked to absorb new information—
not too much at once but just what you need to know right now. It
means giving you a clear progression from easy to more difficult. It
means giving you more instructional steps wherever necessary to really
explain the details. And it means giving you fewer words and more
illustrations wherever it’s better to show rather than tell.
So here you are, at the start of something new. The next chapter in
your quest. It can be an intimidating place to be, but you’ve been here
before and so have we. Clear your mind and turn the page. By the end
of this book, you won’t be a know-it-all, but your world will be a little
less complicated than it was before. And we’ll be sure your journey is
as easy as it gets.
Mike Sanders
Publisher, Idiot’s Guides
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Knitting
by Megan Goodacre
A member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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For knitters, future, past, and present. And with love to my three C’s: Charles, Cameron, and Christopher.
ALPHA BOOKS International Standard Book Number: 978-1-61564-410-0
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Contents
Part 1: The Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1 Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2 First Steps: Casting On . . . . . . . . . . 12
3 The Next Step: Purling . . . . . . . . . . 28
4 Knit-Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
5 Basic Stitch Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Part 2: Beyond the Basics . . . . . . . . . . 52
6 More Knitting Know-How . . . . . . . . 54
7 Shaping: Increasing and
Decreasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
8 Finishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
9 Easy Stitch Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Part 3: Intermediate Knitting . . . . . . 116
10 Knitting in the Round . . . . . . . . . . 118
11 More Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
12 Creating Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
13 Making Lace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
14 Intermediate Stitch Gallery . . . . . 164
Part 4: The More You Know . . . . . . . . 172
15 Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
16 A Guide to Yarn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
17 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Part 5: A Gallery of Patterns . . . . . . . 202
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
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Introduction Knitting connects you with the future.
Even the simplest hand-knit item has the
You might have watched a knitter, toiling over
potential to become an heirloom. A carefully
her yarn and needles and wondered, Why knit?
hand-knitted hat, sweater, or scarf will be worn
and loved. Even after the wearer has outgrown
Knitting fulfills. Even if you’ve never knit
it, it will be put away for the next generation.
before, I’m sure you’ve had the satisfaction
of making something. Crafting the simplest
Knitting soothes. For many people, knitting
thing can be wonderfully fulfilling, whether you
is powerful therapy. It has been known to ease
make a birthday card, a birdhouse, or a good
grief, depression, and addiction. At the very
meal. Knitting is no different. The pleasure of
least, it passes the time and eases boredom.
watching that ball of yarn transform into a hat, a
scarf, or a sweater is incredibly satisfying. Knitting is fun! Don’t let a wordy introduction
fool you: the main thing to remember is that
Knitting connects you with the past. With
knitting is fun. All you need are some pointed
our easy access to factory-made knitted
sticks, some string, and some easy-to-follow
garments, it’s easy to take hand-knitting for
instructions to get you started—that’s what you
granted. But every machine-made thread and
get in this book.
stitch has a link to the past. Those machines
mimic something that once upon a time, only
How to Use This Book
human hands could do. When you knit today,
You don’t need any knitting experience to
you’re echoing the actions of knitters from
use this book. I start with the very basics,
centuries ago.
introducing new techniques a little bit at a time,
Knitting connects you with the present. and guide you with lots of photographs and
Start knitting, and you become part of stitch-by-stitch instructions.
something big. You’re going to find a whole
When you start, treat the book like a guided
group of knitting friends you didn’t even know
tour: try to stay with the group, and don’t
you had. Head on down to your local yarn store
wander off the path too much—at least in
or knitting group; odds are there’s a comfy
Part 1. When you’re comfortable with the
chair there waiting for you. Or head to the
basics, feel free to make your own tour,
biggest knitting group around: the internet.
cherry-picking the techniques, projects, and
There, you can share, ask questions, and
patterns that inspire you most.
receive praise for your handiwork.
iv Idiot’s Guides: Knitting
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Speaking of the patterns: they all use the skills Stacey Winklepleck at Knit Picks, for her
and techniques you learn in this book. At continued support. My family, for tolerating my
the beginning of each pattern, I list the skills monopolizing all horizontal (and some vertical)
needed to complete the pattern. I also gave surfaces with camera and yarn paraphernalia.
each pattern a difficulty rating, from 1 circle to My mom, who taught me how to knit in the
5 circles, with 1 being the easiest and simplest first place. Teresa Goble, for being my knitting
to knit and 5 being the most advanced and club, even if knitting was usually lunch. Finally,
complex. the knitters: Jan Malone, who made many of
the samples you see in this book. Plus the
Remember, knitting is simply a series of loops
wonderful testers who found my typos and knit
connected to each other. Follow this guide, and
like the wind: Amanda Gil, Amy Fraasch-Vold,
you’ll unravel (no pun intended) the mysteries
Amy Machael, Ann Bradley, Ann Campbell,
of getting the loops onto the needle and in the
Ann Mikeal, Aurelia Criffo’, Barbara MacIntosh,
right place. You’ll start by casting on your first
Carolyn S. Willoughby, Cheri McEwen,
stitch and end by knitting scarves, hats, and
Christine Babron, Cornelia Spoor, Crystal
even a sweater or two.
Edmoundson, Deborah Shackford, Debra
Nelsen, Donna Brisbois, Dora Lenchuk, George
Acknowledgments
Roberts, Heidi Stagner, Isabel Nasi, Jaishree
All the yarn shown in this book was generously Venu, Jana Pihota, Jennifer Floyd, Jodi Marie
provided by Knit Picks. Harper, Jody Strine, Josephine Colmenares,
Karen Hogg, Karen Lier, Kim Lian Ng, Kimberly
This book was so much fun to write and
Conover, Laure Kwon, Linda Randall, Lori
photograph, even when I was holding the
Veteto, Lynda Magsaysay, Lynn Hensley,
shutter-release in my teeth, casting on with
Margaret Walton, Meg Walker, Melanie Lepage-
one hand, and making lunches with the other.
Forest, Melissa Turner, Natalia Ingham, olive2,
But this was definitely a group effort, and I
Patty Teramoto, Rebecca Wood, Sheela Bijea,
have to say thank you to many people: Alpha
Siew Chin Clark, Sonea Delvon, Thuan Doan,
Books editors Karyn Gerhard and Christy
Tracey Drew, and Valerie Pollard.
Wagner, for bringing everything together,
and senior designer Rebecca Batchelor for
making it all beautiful. Marilyn Allen, of Allen
O’Shea Agency, for playing matchmaker.
Introduction 1
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1
P A R T
the
basics
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