Use a knitting board ...
For knitting or "What's it all about?"
Double Sided Knitting Board vs. Single Sided Knitting Board or Knitting Rake
Cast on using the ...
Figure Eight Cast On Method
Knitted Cast On Method
Single Sided E-Wrap Cast On Method
Knit using the ...
Double Sided Stockinette Stitch
Single Ribbing Stitch or Knit One Purl One
Twisted Stockinette (Single Sided) Stitch
Purl Stitch
Binding off using the ...
Double Sided Knitted Bind Off Method
Single Sided Knitted Bind Off Method
Special techniques such as
the ...
Increasing the Number of Stitches with Lifted Increases
Decreasing the Number of Stitches
For knitting or "What's it all
about?"
Knitting on a knitting board, knitting loom, or knitting
rake produces a knitted fabric using a frame that contains one or two
rows of pegs around which you wrap your yarn. When your pegs have 2 loops on
them (usually the case except for some special techniques), a knitting board hook is
used to lift the bottom loops over the top loops, leapfrog styles. As this
process is repeated, a piece of knitted fabric emerges from the bottom and into
your lap. Your knitted piece begins by attaching the yarn to the pegs in a way
that a finished edge will be produced. This step is called "casting on".
The next row and those following it are repeated rows of your desired stitch.
This can be one of a multitude of different stitches. Finally, when your piece
has grown to your desired length, you create a finished edge and remove the
fabric from the knitting board using a "binding off" stitch. Instructions for
casting on, knitting, and binding off can be found in this "how to" section.
Good luck and have fun!
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Double Sided Knitting Board vs. Single
Sided Knitting Board or Knitting Rake
Frame knitting can be done on a
frame that is long, round, square, or any of a number of shapes.
Regardless of the shape, one thing that differentiates them is whether they are
single sided or doubles sided. That is, do they have one row of pegs
or two parallel rows of pegs. This will dictate what type of stitching
that can be done. On a single sided knitting board (often called a knitting rake),
you are restricted to knitting that can be done on a single row of pegs.
This type of knitting resembles knitting produced by needle knitting. If you
have a double sided knitting frame device, usually called a knitting board, you
have two options. You
can use both rows of pegs to create double sided knitting or just use one side to
produce single sided knitting. When both sides of a double sided knitting board
is used, the fabric that is created looks the same on both sides. That is,
there is no back side as in traditional knitting. The fabric is also thicker
than the fabric from single sided knitting or knitting done with needles. Instructions follow for both
type of knitting. Time for you to experiment!
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Figure Eight Cast On Method
| 1. This method is simple, quick and produces a loose,
lacey edging. Tie a slip knot or loop knot at the end of the yarn leaving a
4” – 5” tail. Slip the knot over the leftmost peg you are using on the
row of pegs farthest away from you. Note, if you are not using all the
pegs on your knitting board, you may want to center your work along the pegs of the
board. Bring the yarn down and wrap the yarn in a clockwise direction around
the peg directly below the one with the knot forming a figure eight. Bring
the yarn up to the top (back) row and wrap the yarn around the next peg in a
counter clock-wise direction. Continue this pattern, forming figure eights,
for as wide a piece as you want to knit. |
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2. Starting from the right, on the row of pegs closest to you, wrap the yarn
around the last peg again so that it will have two loops on it. Bring the
yarn up to the rightmost peg on the top row and wrap halfway around the peg
in a counter clock-wise direction. Bring the yarn down to the row of pegs
closest to you and wrap halfway around the next peg in a clock-wise
direction. Continue wrapping the yarn until you reach the leftmost end of
the row. Note, the stitching below this wrap is not shown in these illustrations
for clarity purposes.
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3. Using your knitting board hook,
lock the row in place by bringing the bottom loop over the top loop on the
last peg wrapped. This will hold the wrap in place. Set
the remaining stitches by lifting the lower loops over the top loops and off
of each peg on both the front and back sides of the knitting board. There will be
only one loop on each peg when you are finished. This completes the
cast-on row. Follow with your desired knitting stitch.
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Knitted Cast On Method
| 1.This
method requires you to have a long tail that will be used in casting on.
To give yourself enough length, wrap the yarn back and forth over every peg for the number of
pegs you plan to use. Mark the end with your finger and let the yarn come
off the knitting board. Add a few more inches for extra measure.
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2. Make a slip knot and place it on the back row peg furthest to
the right of the desired pegs to be used. Wrap the peg directly below it in a counter clockwise
direction with the yarn from the ball (near photo). Wrap the yarn from your
tail around the same peg in a clockwise direction (middle photo– previous
wrapping removed for clarity purpose). The far right picture shows both
yarns on the peg.
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3. Using your knitting board hook, lift the bottom loop over the top loop on the front row peg.
Pull the yarn ends to tighten up the stitch. |
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4. With the yarn from the ball, wrap the next pair of pegs to
the left by bringing the yarn around the back peg in a clockwise direction
and around the peg directly below it in a counter-clockwise direction. This
will create a figure eight pattern (near photo). With the tail yarn, wrap
the same pegs as shown in the middle photo. The last photo shows both yarns
on the pegs. Lift the lower loops over the top loops on both pegs as in step
3. Pull the yarn ends to tighten the stitch. Continue this for the desired
width.
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Single Sided E-Wrap Cast On Method
| 1.
This is
probably the easiest cast on method there is. Tie a
slip knot or loop knot at the end of the yarn leaving a 4” – 5” tail. Slip
the knot over the leftmost peg (if using a double sided knitting board, use the row
of pegs closest to you). Bring the yarn around the second peg and each
subsequent peg in a clockwise direction. From the top down, this will look
like a row of upside down cursive lower case “e”, hence, the name. Continue
this pattern, forming little “e”s, for as wide a piece as you want to knit. |
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2.
Wrap the last peg twice in the same clockwise direction so it
will have 2 loops on it and begin your return wrap in your desired stitch.
The stitch may be one sided or two. If it uses both sides of the knitting board, the
back row will only have one loop on it. In the photo to the right, the
return row was another row of e-wraps as if the fabric was to be knitted
with the
Twisted Stockinette Stitch.
Using your knitting board hook, lock the row in place by bringing the bottom loop over the
top loop on the last peg wrapped. Set
the remaining stitches by lifting the lower loops over the top loops and off
of each peg . If you wrapped the back row, it will only have one loop on each peg. Skip them until the
next row. If the fabric is knitted using both rows of pegs, the cast on edge may be looser
than you prefer. You may remove the excess yarn by pulling the excess yarn
from one loop to the next starting from the end without the tail.
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Double Sided Stockinette Stitch
| 1.
This stitch is one of the most popular stitches that uses
both sides of the knitting board and creates a double sided fabric. After
casting on, wrap the yarn starting on the left topmost peg (or peg on back
row). Wrap around this peg and down to next peg on bottom row.
Continue wrapping every other peg until the desired number of pegs are
covered.
Note, the stitching below this wrap is not shown in these
photos for clarity purposes. |
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2.
After wrapping the last desired peg, bring the yarn around
the peg directly across from it and begin wrapping back to the left. Wrap
each peg that was omitted before, using the same up and down pattern. The
photo illustrates what it will look like after the row is completely
wrapped. Again, the stitching below this wrap is not shown for illustration
purposes.
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3.
Lock the row in place by bringing the bottom loop over the
top loop on the last peg that was wrapped. This will hold the wrapping in
place. Set
the remaining stitches by lifting the lower loops over the top loops and off
of each peg on both the front and back sides of the knitting board. There will be
only one loop on each peg when you are finished. This completes one row of
knitting. Repeat until the desired length of fabric is obtained.
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Single Ribbing Stitch or Knit One Purl One
| 1.
Wrap the yarn up and around the leftmost top peg and down
around the peg directly below it. Continue wrapping every peg for the
desired number of stitches. You will notice the wrapped yarn has a slant to
the right. Unlike the
Double Sided Stockinette Stitch,
all your pegs will be covered as you wrap from left to right
completing one row. Note, the stitching below this wrap is not shown in
these illustrations for clarity purposes. |
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2.
Lock the row in place by bringing the bottom loop over the
top loop on the last peg wrapped. This will hold the wrapping in place. Set
the remaining stitches by lifting the lower loops over the top loops and off
of each peg on both the front and back sides of the knitting board. There will be
only one loop on each peg when you are finished. This completes one row.
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3.
For the next row, wrap the yarn starting from the right side
of the knitting board working toward the left side. Start by wrapping around the
rightmost top peg and down around the peg below and to the left. Continue
wrapping every peg that was previously covered in the previous row. You
will notice the wrapped yarn has the same slant to the right as the previous
row. Also, notice that the rightmost bottom peg did not get wrapped.
Therefore this peg will only have one loop on it. Repeat step 2, lifting
the lower loops over the top loops on all pegs with two loops. Skip the peg
that has only one loop on it. Note, the last peg wrapped on each row will
not get wrapped or hooked on the next row. It’s stitch is “slipped” from
the previous row to ensure a smooth edge.
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Twisted Stockinette (Single Sided) Stitch
| 1.
This
stitch is a variation of the
Stockinette Stitch
created with needles.
However, in this stitch, the yarns are crossed at the base of each stitch.
As in the regular
Stockinette Stitch,
the fabric will not look the same on each side. This stitch can be done
using a single sided knitting board or only one side of a double sided
knitting board. Starting
from the left and using only the front row if using a double sided knitting
board, wrap around each peg in a clockwise direction for the desired number
of stitches. Note, the stitching below this wrap is not shown in these
photos for clarity purposes. Be sure not to wrap too tightly.
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2.
Lock the row in place by bringing the bottom loop over
the top loop on the last peg wrapped. This will hold the wrapping in place.
Set
the remaining stitches by lifting the lower loops over the top loops and off
of each peg. There will be only one loop on each peg when you are finished.
This completes one row of knitting.
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3.
For the next row, wrap the yarn working from the right side
of the knitting board toward the left. Start by wrapping the peg second from the end
in a counterclockwise direction and continue wrapping the remaining pegs
that were wrapped in the previous rows. Again, previous stitching is not
shown for clarity purposes. Note, the rightmost peg only has one loop on
it. Lock the row in place as instructed in step 2 omitting the peg that
has only one loop on it. It’s stitch will be “slipped” from the previous
row for a smooth edge. Repeat these steps for the desired number of rows
noting the last peg wrapped on the previous row will not be wrapped on the
next row but rather will be “slipped”.
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Purl Stitch
| 1.
Regardless
of the wrapping pattern being used, when a stitch is to be purled, wrap the
yarn for that peg below the existing yarn on the peg. In the illustration
to the right,
Double Sided Stockinette Stitch
is
being used. Starting with the fourth peg in the photo, the yarn is wrapped
in the same pattern, however, it is wrapped so that it is below the existing
loop on the peg for the next 4 pegs. That is, it is lower on the peg and
closer to the board. |
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2. Insert
the knitting board hook or a crochet hook in the loop on the peg to be purled and
grab the lower loop on the peg (i.e. actually the loop wrapped last). This
may be easier to do with a crochet hook.
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3. Using
your hook, pull the bottom loop through the top loop and off the peg. Along
with it, the top loop will slip off the peg and produce the stitch. This
will leave only one loop on the crochet hook.
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4.
Place the one remaining loop on the crochet or knitting board hook back on the
peg. Repeat this same procedure for all the stitches to be purled. The
remaining knitted stitched are hooked as normal.
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Double Sided Knitted Bind Off Method
| 1.
Starting from the end with the ball of yarn, move the loop from the first
peg on the back row over to the first peg on the front row. The front peg
will have 2 loops and the back peg will be empty. Wrap the yarn from the
ball around the peg in a counterclockwise direction giving the peg 3 loops. |
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2.
Using your knitting board hook,
lift the bottom 2 loops over the top loop on this first peg.
The peg will now have one loop.
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3.
Move the loop from the 2nd peg on the front row to the peg
directly behind it on the back row (far left photo). Move the loop from the
first peg on the front row to the now empty 2nd peg on the front row (near
left photo).
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4. Move
the 2 loops on the leftmost peg on the back row over the leftmost peg on the
first row giving it three loops (far left). Wrap this front row peg with the
yarn in a counterclockwise direction (near left). Hook the lower 3 loops on
the peg over the top loop as was illustrated in step 2. Repeat this for each
remaining pair of loops. Cut the yarn leaving a 4-5” tail. Remove the last
loop and pull the yarn tail through the loop. Pull tightly to secure and
weave the tail into the fabric.
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Single Sided Knitted Bind Off Method
| 1.
Starting from the end with the ball of yarn, wrap the yarn around the peg in
a counterclockwise direction. The peg will now have 2 loops on it. This
illustration gives directions for binding off from the left side of your
work to the right. If you are working in the other direction, wrap the peg
in a clockwise direction. |
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2.
Using your knitting board hook,
lift the bottom loop over the top loop on this end peg. The
peg will now have one loop.
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3.
Move the loop from the second peg over one peg to the left
(far left photo). The second peg will have no loops on it. Wrap the first
peg in a counterclockwise direction (middle photo) giving the peg 3 loops.
Hook as step 2 but this time lifting 2 loops over one loop. The end peg will
be left with one loop (near left).
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4. Move
the loop on the end peg over one to the empty peg (far left). Repeat the
procedure for each remaining peg. The near left photo shows the fabric
after a number of stitches have been bound off. After binding off the last
peg, cut the yarn from the ball leaving a 4-5” tail. Remove the last loop
and pull the tail through the last loop. Pull tightly to secure and weave
the loose tail into the fabric.
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Increasing the Number of Stitches with Lifted Increases
| 1. Increases are
used to increase the number of stitches along a row and therefore the width
of the fabric.
The
Lifted Increase is the least visible of the various increase methods. It is created by picking up a
stitch from the previous row. To make an increase, move the loops over to create an empty peg
for the new stitch. As shown, the loop from peg 4 is moved to the
previously unused peg number 5 (near right). The loop from peg 3 is moved
to peg 4. Peg 3 is now empty and ready to be used for the new stitch (far
right). |
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2.
To create the loop for the empty peg, hook the yarn that was
last hooked over on the peg from the neighboring peg and place it on the
empty peg. Note, you usually use the neighboring peg that was moved to
create this empty peg (i.e. if you moved the loop from this peg to the
right, pick up the previous stitch off the peg to the right). Wrap the yarn
for your desired knitting pattern and hook the lower loops over the top
loop.
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Decreasing the Number of Stitches
| 1.
Decreases are used to reduce the number of stitches along the row and thus,
the width of the row. They are made by working 2 or more stitches
together. Move the loops to be knitted together onto one peg. In this
case, loop 3 and 4 are to be knitted together. The loop from peg 3 is moved
to peg 4 which will now have 2 loops. Peg 3 is now empty. |
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2. The
loop from peg 2 is moved to the now empty peg 3 (near right) and the loop
from peg 1 is moved to the now empty peg 2. The far right picture shows
after all the loops are moved. Repeat on the other sided for the
corresponding pegs.
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3. Wrap
the yarn for your desired knitting pattern. In this case, it is
Double Sided Stockinette.
Hook all the lowers loops over the top loops. Notice, there will be 2 loops
on peg 4 to loop over. After hooking, there should be only one loop on the
pegs with 2 or more loops. |
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If you have other questions, please check out our knitting board frequently asked questions or you may
contact us.
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