Knit Stitch: How to Do It Step by Step

Knit Stitch is a knitting stitch that makes smooth V shape on the front; the basic stitch of most fabrics. Makers reach for it for first lessons, garter and stockinette fabrics, every project. It is rated beginner here, so it is a good stitch to learn early and practice on a small swatch before a real project.

1. Hold the needle with stitches in your left hand and the empty needle in your right. 2. Insert the right needle into the front of the first stitch, from left to right, so it sits behind the left needle. 3. Wrap the working yarn counterclockwise around the tip of the right needle. 4. Pull the wrapped loop through the stitch toward you with the right needle. 5. Slide the old stitch off the left needle. One new stitch is now on the right needle. Work slowly for the first few repeats, keep your tension even, and check the result against the steps before continuing across a whole row or motif.

US patterns abbreviate knit stitch as k. UK patterns use the same abbreviation, k, so this one reads the same on both sides of the Atlantic. Pattern keys list every abbreviation used, usually near the materials list.

The most common problems are: wrapping clockwise, which twists the stitch; working with yarn in front and adding a stray loop; pulling each stitch too tight. Most are easy to spot if you pause after a few repeats and compare your work with the steps. Good light helps a great deal, especially with dark yarn or thread.

Stitches closely related to knit stitch include Purl Stitch, Garter Stitch, Stockinette Stitch. Learning them together makes patterns easier to read, because many designs switch between related stitches to change texture, height or line. Each has its own step-by-step page in the stitch dictionary.