Guides

A simple knitting abbreviations chart for beginners: stitches, increases, decreases, cables and pattern terms in plain English, plus how to read a pattern.

Learn how to knit from scratch: pick yarn and needles, cast on, work the knit stitch and the purl stitch, and finish your very first knitted practice swatch.

Learn how to knit cables without a cable needle. Simple steps for left and right crossing cables, how to read cable abbreviations, and how to fix mistakes.

Learn 4 easy ways to bind off in knitting: the basic bind off, purl and rib bind off, a stretchy bind off for hats and socks, and the three-needle bind off.

Find the best yarn for knitting as a beginner: which weight, fiber and color to pick, which yarns to avoid, how to read a yarn label, and needle size pairings.