This may sound redundant, but the knit stitch is the most essential stitch in knitting. Once you master the knit stitch, you can begin making projects. It’s the foundation that most other knitting skills build on.
Begin with all your cast on stitches on your left-hand needle. (If you’re a lefty, see alternate instructions below. Also, if you prefer to learn by video, there’s one at the bottom of this post.) Hold the working yarn (the yarn attached to the skein, not the shorter tail) to the back as you work unless directed otherwise.
Slide the tip of the right needle up through the front of the first stitch on the left needle, moving from left to right.
Wrap the working yarn around the right needle counter-clockwise, bringing it down between the two needles.
Dive the right needle over the working yarn and through the loop still held by the left needle.
With the right needle, slide the loop off the left needle. The new stitch will remain on your right needle.
Repeat until you have knit every stitch in the row, all of them now over on the right needle.
Take that right needle in your left hand and repeat.
For lefties:
You will follow the opposite of the above instructions. You will slide the tip of your left needle up through the front of the first stitch on your right needle, loop the yarn around clockwise, and dive the left needle down through the loop still held by your right needle. Slide that loop off the right needle, and your new stitch will be on your left needle.
Here’s a video tutorial if you’d prefer to learn that way:
Want an easy pattern you can make with what you’ve just learned? Watch for my upcoming post with a super simple garter stitch scarf pattern!
