Knit along

So this week is a knit along… or learn to knit with the Historic Stitcher

What you will need….Size 7 knitting, scissors, crochet hook, stitch makers (optional) and Lily the Original Sugar’n Cream yarn. It is worsted 4 ply cotton yarn and I use it for my sponges and towels. You can find it in the yarn isle at your local Jo-Ann’s, Michaels, A.C. Moore or Hobby Lobby.

This is my basic pattern for my large towels. If you know how to knit skip to a part you don’t know or find the pattern on the bottom.

First you will make a slip knot. With both hands you start by making a small loop in the yarn, take the piece the top and pull it underneath the loop. Continue to pull the yarn through the loop closing your original loop, take the loop you just made and place it on your knitting needle.

Now you will cast on, I do the two needle cast on, I find I have less slack then when I do it with my fingers. Take the needle with knot in your left hand and your empty needle in your right slip the R(right needle) into the front of the slip knot towards the back. With your right hand wrap the yarn around the needle from back to front. Now slide your right needle through the loop on the L (left needle) keeping the wrapped yarn on the R. Bringing it through creates a new loop. Pass the L through the loop on R and remove R. Now you should have two stitches on L. Repeat this 38 more times. 40 Sts in total.

Now you are ready to knit. Hold your full needle in your left hand and your empty needle in your right hand from now on. The yarn will be behind the work. Now insert R into the stitch from front to back as you did with casting, Wrap your yarn from back to front as you did again and pull the loop through. Slide the loop that you just pulled the yarn through off of L. Repeat across, turn your stitches and repeat 5 more times making 6 rows.

Now you are going to purl. You will repeat the K (knit) stitch for 5 stitches. Taking your yarn move it from the back to front between the stitches, this will prepare you to P (purl). Take your R and slip it from the back of the stitch to the front wrap your needle from bottom to the top in a counter clock wise move. Slide your new loop though the old loop to the back of your knitting. Leaving your new loop on R, slide your old loop off of L. Repeat across for 30 stitches, Move your yarn from the front of your work to the back of your work, knit the finial 5 stitches.

K the next row

Repeat the K5 P30 K5 for the next row

Continue these two rows for 13 inches.

Knit for 6 rows.

Cast off: To cast off the simplest way is to slip R through the first two stitches on L. Knit these two together removing them both from L. Now move the loop you just made from R to L. Repeat across. Pull the yarn through the last loop you made in entirety and cut.  Weave in your ends with a crochet hook. And voila you have a cotton dish towel. Yes you could buy it at the store, but your first knitting project doesn't have to be a scarf. 

For helpful books on knitting, start with a knitting encyclopedia, one that shows different methods, stitches. For me the more pictures the better. See what you like better, the pattern written out or charts. Personally I have trouble following charts but you may like it.

Cast on 40 sts.

K for five rows

Row 6: K across

Row 7: K5 P30 K5

Repeat rows 6 and 7 for 13 inches

K for 5 Rows

Cast off.

Chart for towel, a blank box means K, while a * means purl

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