How to really read knitting and the true anatomy of knitting stitches [10+ examples]
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- Опубліковано 11 лип 2024
- A step-by-step tutorial on how to read your knitting, understand what you are doing, and the actual way knitted fabric is constructed and how it works.
My yarn: bit.ly/3p3UQWy
*Note: As an Etsy & Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying
Understanding how knitting stitches actually work is perhaps the most important thing any knitter can ever learn. If you truly know how a knit stitch actually works, fixing mistakes or grafting is just an afterthought. So this video aims to bring the mechanics behind knitting stitches closer so that you will be able to read your knitting the easy way.
At their core, knitting stitches are just simple loops you pull through other loops - and that leaves you with only a couple of very simple variations. The way you construct increases or decreases is very simple and you can actually make them up as you. Yes, very few knitters actually know what they are doing when they are knitting an SSK - they follow instructions blindly without ever understanding them. And I hope this video will change it at least for some of you!
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction to reading your knitting
1:21 The knit stitch - how it works, how to recognize it, and how to fix it
3:42 How to identify a purl stitch
6:30 Grafting knit and purl stitches the easy way
8:30 Twisted knit stitches & how they work
11:03 Twisted purl stitches & how to use them
13:18 How to read the most common knit stitches
14:38 Understanding knitting decreases
21:12 Understanding knitting increases
27:30 Reading more complicated knitting patterns
29:10 Advanced grafting made simple
29:56 Inventing increases and decreases
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Oh my! I have been knitting for ages and this is the first time seeing someone actually show what I have had to imagine in my mind’s eye. Following instructions described on a piece of paper vs seeing the formation of loops is such a help for visual learners! Thank you for going this extra step!! Love ❤️ your teaching style!
thank you. took me like 5 attempts until I found a way to vizualize this..so, happy I suceeded in the end!
I have knitted off and on for over 40 years but only in the last year have I learned rudimentary skills in reading my knitting due to UA-cam. But this video is on a whole different level. Especially appreciate the large scale formation of loops. Excellent visual technique. I know this video (like many others of yours) will be one of my saved constant reference technique videos. Much appreciated time and effort on your part, Norman.
you are very welcome Dory!
Thank you so much for this video! I started watching your channel a few weeks ago and you took me out of the knitting hell I’ve been in the past 20 years! I was told how to knit by my Eastern European grandma and used to knit for fun and relaxation quite a bit. Than I moved to the US 25 years ago and every attempt to follow an American pattern resulted in a mess so I gave up on knitting for many years. I could not figure out why except thought there was something wrong with the way I knitted. Thanks to your videos I discovered that I knit the Russian Style, so I knit through the back loop and pearl backwards too. Finding this out was like getting a diagnosis for your medical symptoms - the relief of having a label! Now I know what I’ve been suffering from all these years: Russian speed knitting. :) From this video I so clearly see how I have to deconstruct a pattern so that the stitches are twisted or not twisted where they need to be and to change how I do decreases etc so that ”my backwards” knitting reflects the pattern. I so needed this understanding - I cannot begin to tell you how helpful your videos have been. I just made 5 different scarfs as Christmas gifts and have discovered the joy of knitting again. THANK YOU!
Oh Kasia, so happy to hear this. and 5 scarfs..that sounds like a lot of work. I bet they will be very well received!
Best comment ever~!! I'm so happy for you,that you've escaped knitting hell,,and rediscovered the joy of knitting again. I only learned how 3 years ago,and now I knit for several hours every single day. I don't know how I lived for 53 years without knitting in my Life~!!
Kasia Deemer, same here! Kiedyś tak uczono w szkole . I'm still struggling! But NimbleNeedles videos are the most helpful ever!
I also knitted Russian style and I'm left-handed, so I mirror knit. When I grew up, there was not UA-cam, but now I taught myself Continental style. For me, it was not a huge change. I still need to change patterns for the mirror knitting but, at least, I took care of one issue.
I have not been in knitting hell but with UA-cam I just realized that I don't knit like most people. When I pearl, the yarn is wrapped clockwise and I then knit through the back loop (to counteract twisting the knit stitch). After reading your comment and a quick search I now understand that my Swedish mother taught me the "Russian grandma" style of knitting. It is amazing to learn new things about the basics after 40 years of knitting!! 😃
This is a great video that really explains the “anatomy” of knitting. Thank you.
you are very welcome, Denise. Glad you found it helpful :)
I know that this video is two years old, but the wonderful thing about knitting, is this will always be current, valid information that can help knitters, like me, who learned how to knit, then took a very long, unplanned hiatus from knitting. This really helped me to refresh my memory, and is so much better than the videos that I learned from so many years ago. You would have saved me so much time, had your videos existed back then! Thank you, Norman, so very much, for having so much patience to clearly demonstrate everything with your own knitting, along with the clear verbal explanations that coordinate with the proper terminology, as it really helps to re-solidify them together in my mind! You are an excellent instructor, and I love your channels! You are a such a joy to watch and to hear!🥰💖
This video is literal gold!
It’s funny the first thing my mama made sure was that I knew the purl was a reversed knit . It really made a difference in learning to look at how pieces are constructed. I also my learning style is a little more observation based so I think she wanted to make sure I understood how stitches are built so I didn’t get as frustrated trying to learn… this is such a good video.
You are an amazing knitter and an great teacher!! Thank you for being so thorough in your tutorials!!
Happy to help!
With actual videos, showing step by step is a God sent. I have a hard time comprehending the written word/drawing that are one dimensional. Thank you for such precise instructions.
Knit/purl: I realized two weeks into knitting, because I was trying a stitch sampler piece for my very first project. It involved seed stitch, 2x2 rib, and a few others. And when I flipped the work over, I realized the purl looked exactly like the knit on the wrong side. I was blown away!
Wow Norman, you are gifted! Thank you for sharing it by teaching us so much. Appreciate you!
This is one of the most helpful explanations EVER! thank you for going into detail and explaining how it all fits together. This will help my knitting immensely. Thank you!
You're very welcome!
OMG, Norman! This is the most lucid, wonderful, helpful how to read knitting tutorial I have ever seen - and believe me I have seen hundreds of them. Thank you so much. I feel like you have given me the best Christmas present. Wishing you the best Christmas and hoping 2021 prove to be a wonderful year for you. I look forward to your videos always and next year will be no different.
oh wow..those are some big word Judy! I feel humbled. Happy holidays to you too!
A very clear, well explained, helpful and friendly professional teaching video.... thank you very much!! ! I found it very imformative and helpful and can only imagine the hours of prep, filming ,editting etc that went it to it! Much appreciated. xxx
Yah, sure takes some preparation and scripting. But it's always a pleasure to, quite apparently, help so many fellow knitters 😊
Well well well! I have not seen such a comprehensive breakdown of knit and purl stitches before this. I will save this for my future knitting projects. Thank you! ♥️👍
I do not knit. I crochet. Your voice and explanations are beautiful! Starting watching you for yarn information and notions but now just watching to listen to you. So calming and instructional and inspiring! Thank you!
oh wow! well, maybe I can teach you some knitting, too! I believe these two crafts are meant to intermingle :)
Yes they are. And maybe some day I will learn it. 😊. In the meantime I will continue to enjoy it via your videos and others!
I never even thought about the stitches (purl and knit) but now that you said it, it was an o wow moment.
I didn't know knit and purl stitches were "mirrors" but I did learn about knitting in the round and how the opposite site of the knit stitch is a purl. I didn't learn it as a "mirror" but I guess that's what it is! I took a class at our local yarn store to learn how to knit. This is wonderful, thank you! 🧶
You might not know it, but your videos are the ones I consistently come back to again and again and again and again! Meanwhile other knitting videos I see once and that's all.
Your channel and the information and effort you put in it (I especially appreciate you using vibrant, non fuzzy yarn for your demonstrations) is a testament to your diligence, and it is greatly rewarded by being endlessly watchable!
I cant wait to be part of your patreon so that I can thank you for making my journey into learning how to knit so smooth and easy. I am really so thankful for you and your channel! I can hardly express my gratitude in words ❤
thank you so much for your stellar feedback. Glad my videos work so well for you
I do not know how I have forgotten this but my mom (Handarbeitslehrerin) used to have these giant needles and yarn (really rope) to demonstrate how stitches are formed in needlecraft classes at elementary school - there were also big charts with really clear graphics. It is one of my earliest memories, seeing her pratice demonstrating the stitches at home and it fascinated me how those magical loops made a pretty fabric. 🙂 Your video reminded me of this. This is a compliment, btw. My mom was a great teacher (she is retired now), and so are you. Thank you for this great demonstration!
wow, that was all very understandable, very clear, but a LOT so I will likely be watching this one several times. Even so it will be a minute before I can remember all the things. And that stitch you did at the end was so cool.
ah well, I guess I did pour A LOT of fast paced information in one video *grin* And yeah...those fancy stitches can be so fun. To be honest, in knitting the magic happens when you just do anything crazy and do it regularily and see what happens.
SOOOOOOOOOOOO informative! Thank you! I have trouble with 2-D diagrams. This solves so many mysteries and gives insight into the story process. Yay for big yarn and great explanations!
thank you for the enlarged examples & regular sized examples, you really helped boost my confidence in understanding the anatomy of knitting even more.
I usually hate knitting with this big yarn (hurts my hands) but I felt it might work very well for this vidoe. so glad it worked out for you!
I am so thankful I found your page! I love the square needles you recommended and your tips are amazing!
Today I thought about how much I have learnt from watching Norman, and I’ve been knitting for over 40 years.
I’ve watched this video a number of times because it’s so good. So I looked at the number of videos available for free on his channel and I was shocked by the sheer number. They all have thousands of views, so many of you must appreciate his work as I do.
Knitters always appreciate another’s work, we are quick to identify the skill and artistry of another.
Most of us learnt how to knit by sitting beside a mother , aunt or grandmother. It has always been an inherited skill we pass along. Watching Normans videos are just like that.
The collection of his videos amounts to an excellent beginners course in its own right and still offers much to more experienced knitters too.
So many artisans are forced to put down their craft and stuff it into a “hobby bag” simply because they can’t make enough money to earn a reasonable living from it , (often referred to as getting a “real job”).
So today I joined Normans Patreon, I signed up for the Grandmaster level and paid up for twelve months immediately!
It wasn’t an easy decision to make because like most I’m also feeling the pinch, but I did so not only for what I know I will gain, but for the young knitters who do turn to this platform to learn new skills. Learning how to knit is no longer limited to mums and aunts, and having an excellent mentor such as Norman will encourage more men and boys to take up the craft.
I think that recently, (May 2023), Norman may have purchased a better camera, the clarity and stitch detail is fantastic. He’s invested so much in his projects.
I believe that having so much information and video content available for free has in some ways caused me to forget to value the work of a contributor that I access on UA-cam at least every week. I don’t know why it has taken me so long to formalise that appreciation by paying for it.
I suppose it cost me equal to the materials for two jumpers, maybe less, but the next two jumpers I do knit will be works of art I’m sure after accessing the content in my new account! 😂😂
I encourage all of you who can, to seriously consider joining his Patreon account. I am so glad that I did.
oh wow. Madelaine. what a wonderful feedback/comment to wake up to. Very glad to hear you appreciate all that I do and understand that without support I wouldn't be able to continue.
Much love from Austria
Your videos are amazing! Learning to knit is a breeze watching your videos. Thank You! Xx
I really love all the information you have to share, thank you so much! This is incredibly useful.
Thank you ! Thank you ! Thank you ! for your time and effort. This session as well as all your other lessons, had been very very informative. But this one is an eye opener.
Very informative Norman. You’re a great teacher!
Norman!!! I'm only 1 minute in and I am sooo excited! This is exactly the kind of video I asked for a few weeks ago! Yay!
yeah i remember that conversation and it got my mind churning while I...excuse the imagery, lol....taking a bath and I was like: What if...and could that work. And then I realized it could be a very cool video. So thank you for serving as an inspiration, Lisa!
@@NimbleNeedles Ha! Thank YOU!
Thank you so much for explaining so clearly the anatomy of knitting stitches. I love technical knitting, so it helps me to understand the “why” of how stitches connect to one another, and what manipulating my stitches will do to my stitch pattern. Thank you for helping me be better at this craft I love so much. ❤
Wonderful again! I wish I had had this when I began knitting! It is a great tutorial! Thank you!
I knew the difference/association between the knit and the purl, but that was probably because I started my knitting adventures with your instructional videos :'D
It seems that it set me on the right path from the start. However, it was only now that I realised I'm using crossed knit. I will continue with it until the sweater is finished to maintain consistency, and then make a swatch to see the difference.
Thank you for the great instructional videos and for making me a better knitter ❤
Thank you for making the difficult to understand so clear and well demonstrated
You are the best teacher. I knitting all my life. Thank you.
Good illustrations. Saved this video! Thanks
I'm totally new at knitting and you are my first teacher!!
Never thought about the inverted copy...wow, thanks so much for your amazing video!
Wow you know your onions!! Wish I’d discovered this before!! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!! I’m looking forward to watching your other tutorials and take my work up a level!!
Wowwwww that’s magic. It was very interesting as always. When you know how it’s work it is easier to understand the mystery of those stiches. Thank you very much. Happy knitting 😊
I just found you and I really enjoy listening and learning from you. I felt badly when I was first learning and I’d get lost and had too many stitches and agonize about taking everything apart. So I really first learned about decreases to fix my mistakes 😀
Thank you very much for explaining so well. You are truly gifted for giving good instructions. Wished I have had such a teacher while I was in school. Its just now, 40 years later, that I have started knitting again. But I truely enjoy it.
Fantastic video! Norman, you are a wonder! Such perfect demonstration, camera work, and explanations! Thank you!
Thank goodness I found your channel, you have a wonderful way of teaching! I am very grateful for your work and my knitting is improving every day now! Big hugs from Italy!
Thank you Norman. This was super enlightening ❣️
Thank you for your hard work on this video. I have found you today and immediately subscribed. I'm a crocheter that knits. And I'm learning how to knit all over again since I had not knitted since I was a child. This was super helpful. I cannot wait to go through all your videos. Thank you and Happy New Year and Happy Knitting.
Great video. Very helpful. Thank you.
Thank you Norman for another wonderful video. I wish you a very happy holiday. I’m so pleased that I started to follow your videos.
Happy holidays to you too😊🎄🧶
Thank you. I'm new to knitting (again after a many years absence) and it was too confusing before but I see how to read them now and it is helpful!
Found this brilliant as a new knitter to help read my knitting. Thank you so much
Norman you are so talented at cl early explaining techniques,
I love it!
I can finally actually see how the stitches are connected and the "front" leg of a knitted stitch! Thank you 😊 so much!
Your tips are so helpful
Brilliant! Lots of very useful knowledge. Thank you Norman :)
Wow, this really helps one understand the science of knitting, how and why things work the way they do. Thanks Norman, and happy holidays!
Happy holidays to you too 🎄
I am so glad I found you. I have been knitting about 6 months. I learned just now. I have only tried the knit stitch so far. I am on my 4th washcloth.
heh! well, glad to be here for you Sarah! And maybe use this as an opportunity to learn the purl stitch for even fancier washcloths! :)
Oh Norman! I'm thinking that I will be keeping this video at the ready for reference until I've mastered the information you have given. So thurow as usual and so very educational. Thank you very very much for opening my eyes to really reading my knitting. I hope one day to be as beautiful a stitcher as you. 🤟 💕☮️🧶
You are the best 👌 Thank you for a super video. I did learn some new skills. Usually my friends come to me to learn, now i have learnd new stuff myself. Love from Irene, Hamar in Norway 🇳🇴
Amazing!! This is great not only for fixing my knitting but also for all knitted clothing:)
Thank you so much!!
God Bless you, Norman. 💚❤️ I've known that a knit and a purl stitch are mirror inversions of each other since day one, but I've been putting off actively learning how to fix dropped stitches in either scenario, because I've been too confused about how to draw the strand through the loop for each respective stitch type. Tonight, you drove the point home so seamlessly (where so many other knitting teachers failed). Thank you so much, and have a great day. 👍🏻^_^
This was such an in-depth tutorial. Thanks for taking the time to create excellent examples and using the larger needles and yarn to illustrate. This was very helpful.
you are very welcome, Enig! glad you found it helpful
You are a wonderful teacher! I was able to figure out some issues i’ve had while learning Tunisian crochet, I could find the problem and figure out how to correct it from what i learned on your video!
I just started knitting with needles. I first learned knitting with round looms. So, I learned about the knit and purl stitches around 8 yrs ago. Your videos are a huge help in getting me on the needles! Thank you!!!
Your explanations are so clear. You are an amazing teacher. Thank you Norman.
Wow, thank you, Robyn
Beautifully explained!
Excellent explanations!
Great video that explains a lot. I’ll watch it again!
Thank you so much for your very clear instractions. You are the best teacher!!!!!🎓🎓♥
That was extraordinarily helpful. Thank you so much!
You explaint so good. Great instruktor!
As a south paw I am absolutely in love with you. THANK YOU!!
GruBGott Norman!
Thank you sooo much for your wonderful helpful and informative tutorials.
I am 70 yrs old, and my Austrian mother showed me how to knit plain and pearl the 'Austrian way' as she called it........
(continental 😊)
........and I tried, but being young, I gave up far too easily when I tried knitting a raglan jumper that took soooo so long to knit....... 😅.....but, now I am back with some online help, and having found you, I am so much more confident and hope to succeed and actually finish a cardigan.
Thank you so much Norman.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This video is a holy grail of knitting tips! Thank you for taking the time to explain and demonstrate all of these techniques! Incredibly helpful!
it's my pleasure. I really do think that this is the single most important video I recorded. if you truly understand it, the rest is peanuts!
I have been knitting since September 2021 (which is about 4 months) and the greatest discovery for me was learning how to distinguish stitches :) Thanks to such great videos as yours, acquiring this knowledge is pure pleasure!
Wonderful!
I love you!!! Such great info always. ❤
Thank you so much for making this wonderful video! This is exactly the kind of video I’ve been seeking to properly learn stitch anatomy and reading! Bless you, dear Norman! 🥰🥰🥰🥰
hope it was everything you imagined it to be..and if there are still any questions ...you know where to find me :)
Wow! Thank you for this video. This has helped me understand why certain stitches are used in certain locations, as well as understand knitting patterns instead of just following along. Thank you!
I mostly crochet but I wanted to learn to knit as well to add to my skills and with your help and Mikey from crochet crowd I am seeing results that I can enjoy thank you for this detailed information about the basic of the stitches
Good Morning Norman, just been watching this video before I get ready to go to my dialysis treatment. Wanted to say thank you very, very much for this tutorial. Your explanation is so incredibly helpful and has helped me understand my knitting so much more. Thank you so much. Have a fabulous day xxx.
I’ve been knitting since my teens so that’s about 55+ years. What an excellent video!
What a great video. I think knitting is pretty much the most complex craft as the techniques to achieve the same result can be so varied, so this is definitely a useful explanation for anyone who finds knitting instructions daunting.
I am so happy to have found this channel! Thank you!
and I'm very happy to have you here!
You are a wealth of knitting knowledge, Norman! Thank you for sharing your expertise! By the way, your shawl is gorgeous!
Oh thank you! I'm quite in love with it as well.
This is such a helpful and insightful video. I am going to watch it 5 times. Thank you so much, Norman!
heh. feel free to watch it as many times as you want, yunxia!
So love this. I’m a life long knitter but I always learn so much from you
Thank you so much for this video, it's brilliant!
Thank you Norman. I'm barely learning knitting. I crochet and Tunisian crochet which has a knit and purl stitch. From front side they look very much like knit and purl in knitting. The backside of fabric looks very different. This was very helpful
Understanding the anatomy of knitting was the only way I learned how to knit. My aunt had tried to teach me in my teens many many many years ago, and I just couldn't grasp it. It didn't help that left to my own devices when my aunt wasn't around, I ended up trying to knit left-handed (and this was LONG before UA-cam or the internet existed to help). I gave up for years and it was only when I found videos by other very technical creators that I finally understood how knitting worked. So I understood that purls and knits were mirrors of each other right from the start once I began learning independently. Just doing what my aunt told me to do never worked so that understanding was crucial for me to learn.
Thanks so much again, Norman! I found this especially helpful for grafting stitches, bc I always get confused or just get lazy. :') And now I finally understand the point of Knitting through the back loop!
I learned pretty quickly that knits/purls are mirrors of eachother, but that's bc I'm someone who wants to read all the information before I start something new. It also just made sense bc of how you insert your needle and bc of how ribbing looks on the WS.
Glad it was helpful! and yeah grafting stitches can be very confusing if you just follow instructions. But once you realize what you are doing it's super apparent!
Wow! I’ll be recommending this video to all my knitting friends! 🙏❤️
You have a wonderful way of explaining the mechanics so it’s understandable. Love your videos!
very happy to hear that Anika. I typically fret for hours trying to find a way to explain what's easy in my mind in an easy way. not always easy ;-)
Love this! It is actually how my brain works knitting, but I never saw someone approach it like this outside of my brain :-) The part about increases brought me some new ideas.
wonderful. love to hear my video got the creative process going!
wow... this was super-useful!!! thanks Norman 🤩
This was so helpful and has made me a little less anxious about dropping stitches and fixing mistakes. Thank you!
Wow! I only now found this out. Amazing. I am learning so much from you. Thanks so very much
happy to hear that, Jean
Great content! Thank you.
Amazing, thanks for taking the time to do this.
My pleasure, Shirley!
You are an excellent teacher. Wonderful video. Saved it so I can watch it again.🧶🧶🧶
feel free to come back any time Debra. And feel equally free to ask your questions in case there are any :)
Thank you! This is invaluable information that I was able to apply to my current project. Knit on!
Glad it was helpful!
Happy New Year Norman and thanks for all the amazing skills and tips you share. As a beginner this channel is my ‘go-to’ knitting resource. I’ll be trying to improve my tension consistency next year.
Happy New Year, Linda!
This is perfect for me. I'm into knitting again, and I keep having to check and untwist so many stitches. I've discovered where I'm going wrong. Thank you!