Basic Knit Square

Hello. My name is KayCee. These days, we spend a lot of time on technology, and for that matter, making time pass with technology. All around you can see people avoiding the world on phones long gone are the days of filling our time with meaning. There are ways we can reconnect with value and utility-based pastimes. We all gain satisfaction from creating something with our hands. Even better, is if you can use what you create. Today I will be showing you how to do a basic knit square. With these basic skills, you will have a launching point to create a variety of items. And maybe, find a passion to create while connecting with yourself instead of a screen.

Start off with a pair of knitting needles that feel comfortable. As a beginner, larger needles are the easiest to use. Needles have the size on the package and engraved or printed on the needle. I prefer to use bamboo needles but whatever works best individually will do when a person becomes accustomed. In the same point, larger diameter yarn that is NOT black will be easier as well. When purchasing a pack of yarn, called a skein, there are recommendations on the wrapping for needles to use as well. The reason I stress the yarn not being black comes from experience. I learned to knit from my great grandmother. She was one of those women that did all the good, old-fashioned “homemaker” tasks. She taught me a lot but left a little to be desired in the compassion department. I would not want other people to learn how I did, small needles, thin, black yarn. That accompanied by the belittling comments and smacking the back of my hands when there was a mistake made for those quality grandmother - granddaughter moments I look back on oh-so-fondly. Anyway, once the yarn and needles are acquired, grab a pair of scissors. The scissors will come into play at the end. There will be no cutting until the end of the square created. Next, get comfortable at a work surface that will have space to work on. The following will be from my perspective as a right handed person.

Thick gauge yarn

9.0 mm (minimum) knitting needle

Scissor

This basic knit square will be 20 stitches in each row and 20 rows. As knitting progresses, it will be visible and quantifiable how many rows have been knitted. In between each row, count the stitches to make sure 20 are maintained. The first step of the knitting process is called “casting on”. Casting on is done by creating a slip knot and casting stitches onto one needle. To begin, pull the end of the yarn from the skein so there is a good length available, maybe 20 inches. Leave a generous yarn tail from the factory cut end and pinch yarn with the right hand in a spot about 8 inches from the end of the tail. Hold the yarn with the right hand and use the left hand to cross the attached strand in front of the strand in the right hand, making a small loop, about 3 inches in diameter. Hold the loop in the right hand by pinching the thumb against pointer finger. Grab the loose tail and bring it behind the loop, visually dissecting the loop in half. Pull the back strand just made halfway through the loop. Grab the loose tail and attached tail and pull while holding the back strand, creating a knot. This little loop and knot is called a slipknot. Finally, the cast on process begins.

Place the slipknot on the needle being held in the right hand and pull the yarn tails until tight, but slightly loose at the same time. Make a thumbs up with the left hand and hold parallel to needle about 3 inches apart. While making a thumbs up, grab the attached tail of yarn with the left hand and loop around the thumb from back to front so the yarn is dangling down at the front of the hand. Grab the tail and create a loop around the thumb. Touch the needle to the front of the thumb and slide the needle into the loop on your thumb. Hold the needle and grab the yarn attached to the ball with right hand. Wrap the yarn around the needle, from the back to the front. Pull down the yarn so it meets the loop on the thumb. Pull the loop on the thumb over the needle. Place the loop on the needle. Pull down the yarn tail to tighten the new stitch. Repeat this until there are 20 loops on the needle. Next, adding rows via stitches is the secondary step of this how-to.

To start giving the knitting some length, the second needle will come into play. Holding the needle that was just casted on with in the left hand, hold the empty needle in the right hand. Insert right needle into first stitch, bottom to top. Push right needle into the stitch. Grab the tail attached to the ball of yarn. Wrap the yarn around the needle, back to front. Keep the wrapping loose so the needles can interchange the yarn with ease, but not so loose it creates gaps. Pull yarn down and notice the yarn peeks through the stitch. Gently pull the needle down and pick out the yarn on the needle. Push the right needle into the loop. This is a new stitch. Pull the right needle off the left needle. As more stitches are transferred, I recommend gently sliding down the stitches to keep a good working surface on the needle. Pull yarn attached to ball of yarn to tighten stitch. Repeat steps until all stitches have been transferred to the other needle.

At the end of the row, your needle will be facing left. Turn the needle around so that it faces the right. The needle now faces the right. Pick up the bare needle and continue knitting until 19 rows total have been knitted. It is quite impressive to see yarn and some sticks turn into something that can be used and created with what is always available to us, focus and hands. Now it is time to get the knit square off the needles and cast off.