One of the most popular types of needlework has long been knitting. This activity has been preferred by many women for several generations, because the ease of learning and execution, the variety of products provided by a large number of types of loops are its main characteristics.

You can learn with your own hands quite quickly, since the technique is not very complicated: the main thing is to master the basic ones, and mastering the rest will be even easier, because they are performed on the basis of the first ones. We offer you a small master class on knitting loops.

Variety of basic loops

Basic knitting stitches come in two varieties: knit and purl. Surely many will have time to notice that their names are telling: the front loop is used for the “face”, the top of the work, and the back loop is used for the inside of the product, or the back.

Based on these knitting loops, the following derivatives are made:

1. Edges. Integral loops when knitting rectangular fabrics; without them, only a round product can be made.
2. Crossed. One of the most practical and well-known hinges since ancient times, characterized by high strength and resistance to compression.
3. Decrease loops (decreasing loops). Used if you need to reduce the number of stitches in a row. For example, with such items of clothing as women's or many other things.
4. Saddle capes (cape). Are used for on the product.
5. Elongated. Performed if knitting needs to be made lighter and more delicate in appearance.
6. Air. Mainly intended for adding length to work, as well as creating loops for fastening buttons.
7. English. Essentially, these are the same facial loops, although connected in a different way (in English).
8. Additional, double. They are used to increase the number of loops in the fabric, for example, when (the expansion is done towards the bottom).

The following is a step-by-step discussion of knitting each of the listed types of loops. By following these instructions, any needlewoman who is just taking her first steps in this art form will be able to master the skills of knitting loops with knitting needles and create original products with her own hands.

A simple type of facial loops is performed in the following way:

• The working (or main) thread is thrown onto the finger of the left hand (index), that is, it remains for the fabric.
• The loop from the knitting needle in the left hand is picked up from behind on the right side and the main thread is pulled through it.

Knitting pattern for knit stitches

To obtain purl stitches you need:

• throw the thread onto the knitting needle;
• insert the tool in your right hand from its same side under the front of the loop;
• adjust the main thread with your thumb so that it reaches the eyelet;
• stretch the loop upward with a knitting needle from your right hand, while grabbing the main thread from left to right and from bottom to top and pull it through the wall of the loop.

For greater clarity, it is suggested to refer to the corresponding loop diagrams.

Purl loop knitting pattern

Derived loops

English

English loops are, in principle, the same as regular knit stitches, but they are performed using a different technique (English method).

To obtain such loops you need to follow the instructions given below:

• The main thread should be lowered down and thrown over the index finger of the right hand.
• Using a knitting needle from your right hand, you need to hook the loop in a movement from left to right.
• Next, in the same direction, you need to pick up the main thread and pull it through the loop on the front knitting needle. It is important to remember that when grabbing the working thread, it is imperative to support the back of the loop.

Edge loops are needed to make the knitting look finished, finished around the edges. From a constructive point of view, the first edge loop (begins the row) and the second edge loop (completes the row) stand out. From a decorative point of view, edge loops can be smooth, similar to pigtails, or convex, similar to columns; the knitting of the latter differs from each other in technique (see photo).

Sample of edge loops

So, to create smooth edges in the form of a braid, the first edge or first loop of the row is knitted as a regular knit stitch, and the second edge or last loop is not knitted at all.

Convex edges are knitted differently: the first edge or first loop is simply transferred to another knitting needle, and the second edge or last loop is knitted with a purl loop.

Elongated loops for embroidery are quite simple to make; in addition, they can be of different heights:

• For short loops of one or two rows in length, the loop from the knitting needle is removed from the right hand unknitted and pulled up (if necessary).
• If longer loops are required, you should throw the knitting needle behind the wall of the loop, then throw the main thread onto the tool in several layers (their number depends on the size of the future loop; more layers - a larger loop). As a result of these operations, turns are obtained, which are subsequently pulled through the loop of the previous row (see diagram).

Knitting pattern for elongated loops

Slip-on

Throw over loops are made by throwing the main thread onto the tool in your right hand up to the knitted loop. If you knit with a crochet through the back wall, you will get decorative holes in the next row, but if through the front, the row will be closed. For additional material, watch the video instructions for beginners.

Air

To knit chain stitches, you should throw the main thread over your finger (the thread should be similar in shape to a loop), pick it up on the right knitting needle and tighten it a little.

Crossed

There are two types of crossed loops: knitted or purl stitches.

To knit crossed stitches using purl stitches, you need to follow the instructions described below (also see video).

1. The main thread is thrown over the top of the knitting onto the index finger of the left hand over the desired loop.
2. With a knitting needle in the other hand, from left to right, the back part of the purl loop is hooked.
3. The main thread is picked up from right to left and a crossed loop is pulled through.

This type, based on knit stitches, is knitted in different ways:

• if the knitting ends with the front wall, then the tool is inserted to the front wall, and then the loop is tightened;
• if the product ends with a back wall, then the tool is inserted to the back wall and the main thread is pulled through.

Additional and double

Additional and double loops have almost the same properties, but the technique for performing each is different, and they look different.

Additional loops are obtained as follows:

• The thread is pulled from the space between the already knitted and unknitted loops.

Double loops are more labor-intensive to perform, and to obtain them you need:

• knit one of the basic loops (the choice depends on the composition of the work) behind the front wall;
• knit the same loop again behind the back wall, and do not throw it off the knitting needle.

Decrease loops

The convenience of working with decreasing stitches is that they can be knitted in any part of the row. Moreover, decreasing stitches are performed on both the front and back sides.

To reduce the number of loops in the product, instead of two loops from the front knitting needle, you need to knit one on the front or back side (see video).

That's all the basic tips on knitting loops with knitting needles. Having mastered all the types of loops described above, you can learn how to independently create magnificent products from various knitting materials!

Are we knitting correctly...

Masterful execution begins with the correct knitting of knit and purl stitches. How to know if you are knitting correctly or not. It's simple, tie the sample with a 1x1 elastic band.

A) If you get even braids of loops, as in our test up to the first green stripe, you are knitting correctly. You don't have to read any further. Knitting needles in your hands!
B) If you see that the loops are wandering a little, that is, one loop in the braid is facing up, and the other is slightly slanting to the side (see the area between the green stripes), you are knitting the purl stitches incorrectly.
C) If your elastic is as “rolly” as in our test above, you are knitting the knit stitch incorrectly. So we will treat you! But first, let's talk about the structure of the loop...

Loop structure
Look at the loop on the knitting needle. Mentally divide the loop in half lengthwise at the highest point. The part of the loop that is on the side of the needle closest to you is called the front wall. The part of the loop on the other side is the back wall.
Now we can continue the conversation about knit and purl stitches.

Classic and English methods of knitting a knit stitch
For a knit stitch, knitting behind the front wall is considered correct, or classic (see picture). In all knitting magazines it is generally accepted that needlewomen knit this way.

Classic facial

Sometimes some amateurs knit a knit stitch behind the back wall (see picture). This loop is called the “English knit” loop, and sometimes the “granny” loop.

English facial.

If you knit this way, I advise you to relearn, although you need to know how to knit the English knit stitch. This method of knitting a loop is quite often used, especially in openwork. In the symbols for such a loop, a special sign is introduced, and the loop is called “face crossed.” If all the loops are knitted in the classical way, and one loop is knitted in the English way, then this loop will be clearly different from the others. It will seem to be twisted. I even saw in some magazine the term not “crossed loop”, but “twisted”, but I like the word “crossed” better.

English and classic methods of knitting a purl loop
It is simply impossible to explain knitting a purl loop without a pattern, so look closely at how the arrow shows the movement of the knitting needle. (see picture).

Purl English

If the yarn is right in front of the stitch and you simply pull it into the stitch on the needle, this is the English way.

The correct purl loop must be knitted “with air”, as shown in the figure below.

Purl classic

If you find out that you knit in a non-classical way, you don’t have to give up knitting at all. I admit that my mother taught me how to knit using English stitches. When I took up knitting professionally, I had to relearn. I can't say that it was easy for me. Now I knit only in the classical way, but at the relearning stage I often cheated.
What was the trick? The fact is that knitting in the classical way is fundamentally openwork and relief patterns, as well as elastic bands. Garter stitch and knit/purl stitch can be worked using English stitches. I actively used this to take a break from the unusual tension in my hands, which required learning a new way of knitting. But only if you are also cunning like this, knit both purl and knit stitches in the English way. If you knit one row in the classic way and the other in English, it will turn out badly.

Granny's knit stitch corresponds to grandma's purl stitch.
The classic knit stitch corresponds to the classic purl loop.

The most common mistake is incorrectly gripping the thread with the right knitting needle when knitting a purl loop in the classic way, while the loop on the front side turns out like in grandma’s method.
**************************************************
Let's look at the structure of the loop:

The front wall of the loop is the vertical part of the loop located on top of the knitting needle (in the photo there is a classic front loop, its front wall is on the right).
The back wall of the loop is the vertical part of the loop located behind the knitting needle (in the photo there is a classic front loop, its left lobe is the back, bottom).
The arc of the loop is the upper horizontal part of the loop lying on the knitting needle (connecting the right and left segments into a loop).
A broach or jumper is a thread that connects two adjacent loops in a horizontal row from below.
********************************************************
Face loop "grandmother" and "classic" way.



- “Granny’s” front loop before knitting is located on the left knitting needle with its left lobe on top of the knitting needle, the right lobe of the loop is under the knitting needle (it is also the back, lower half-loop, wall, lobe);
we insert the right knitting needle inside the loop from right to left, grab the thread from the index finger of the left hand with a movement from above (the knitting needle lies on top of the thread and is grabbed by moving towards you); after knitting, the right lobe of the loop will take a position on top of the right knitting needle, because this is exactly how it unfolds from the way the right knitting needle grabs the working thread when knitting the knitting stitch;

- The “classic” front loop before knitting on the left knitting needle is located with the right lobe on top, the knitting needle is inserted into the loop moving from left to right, the thread is grabbed from above, on the right knitting needle the loop is located with the right lobe on top.


Conclusion 1:
After knitting knit stitches, both methods have different movements when inserting the right knitting needle into the loop, but the same way of moving the knitting needle when grabbing the working thread. When knitting a loop and after knitting in both methods, the right wall of loops will be located on top of the right knitting needle.


*****************************************************************
Purl stitch in the “granny” and “classic” way.

The purl loop is placed in the "grandmother's" way before knitting on the left needle with the right lobe on top (near half-loop, front wall, lobe), insert the right knitting needle inside the loop from right to left, the thread is grabbed from above. After knitting, the loop lands on the right knitting needle in an unfolded form with its left lobe on top of the knitting needle.

The purl loop in the “classical” way, before knitting on the left knitting needle, is located with its right lobe on top of the knitting needle, the near lobe (front wall), and the left part - under the knitting needle; after knitting, the position of the segments near the loop on the right knitting needle does not change: the right segment (wall) remains on top on the right knitting needle.


Conclusion 2:
- The purl loop when knitting in both the “grandmother’s” (grab the thread from above) and the “classic” (grab the thread in a counterclockwise motion) way is knitted behind the front (located on top of the knitting needle) wall; place the working thread on the left knitting needle from above before working from right to left, the right knitting needle is inserted into the loop and under the working thread in the same movement - from right to left, but the movement when grabbing the thread when knitting is different:

A) for grandma’s - with the right knitting needle, already inside the loop and under the thread, make a clockwise movement (to the right) under the thread and place it on the thread from above, with an upward movement to the right, grab the thread and remove it into the loop;
b) for the classic one - with the right knitting needle, already inside the loop and under the thread, move the end of the right knitting needle from left to right and place it on top of the thread on the index finger of the left hand, move the end of the knitting needle under the thread with a movement to the left, grab it and remove it with a downward movement to the left (knit ) into a loop on the left needle.
************************************************************
Conclusion 3:
In classic knitting, both the front and back loops, both before and after knitting, are located in their right segments on both the left and right knitting needles. This makes it possible to knit stitches in any combination (knit over knit or purl, purl over knit or purl) without crossing the segments at the base of the loop.
Example: garter stitch with classic stitches (when all the stitches are knit in both even and odd rows, or a variant of garter stitch with purl stitches) does not cause crossing at the base of the loops.

Peculiarities of knitting patterns with "granny stitches", "garter stitch loops"
- If you need to knit a “grandmother’s” purl over the “grandmother’s” front loop (as you should knit the purl one - behind the front wall (the left lobe on top of the left knitting needle)), then we will get a crossed loop to the right. To avoid crossing, we knit a purl over the front loop like this:


- If you need to knit an elastic band with granny loops in a circle (circular knitting), then due to the peculiarities of the position of the loops when joining the work into a circle, the front loops knitted in the 1st row are turned towards us with the right segment (see pin 1 above) on top of the left knitting needles and now require knitting behind the upper front lobe, as in the “classic” method of knitting a front loop, and in order to avoid crossing, we knit the purl loop with the lower lobe of the loop captured from behind, as in the picture above. It is worth noting that the classic knitting method does not require any tricks.

If you need to knit stockinette stitch in the round (see here), we see that the stitches being knitted on the right knitting needle lie with the right slice on top. Having knitted all the loops of the first row, we approach the first of the knitted loops in a circle, and it is turned towards us with its right half-loop on the knitting needle and requires knitting in the “classical” way to avoid crossing the walls of the loops at their base.

You have already learned how to cast on the stitches of the first basic row. The next step is to learn how to knit the main stitches. In any knitting, the basic ones are knit and purl stitches, and almost no knitwear can do without decreasing stitches.

Loop structure

To understand the instructions for knitting different types of loops and patterns, you need to know the structure of the loop.

Each loop has a front and a back wall. The thread connecting two adjacent loops is called a broach.

The distance between the loops is called the loop pitch.

Face loop

Any knitting course begins with learning how to knit a knit stitch. We will not deviate from this unspoken rule. So let's get started.

Knit stitches can be knitted in two ways:
- behind the front wall or from above;
- behind the back wall or from below.

Classic knit loop

If there is a front loop in the pattern, then, unless there are any reservations, it is knitted in the classical way: behind the front wall or on top.

Let's try to knit a knit stitch in the classic way. You already have several cast-on stitches from the first row on your knitting needle. Take it in your left hand. Bring the working thread to work. Insert the right needle into the first stitch from your left to your right. Pick up the working thread with a knitting needle and pull it out.

We got a classic or crossed facial loop.

Second type of front loop

In this method, the front loop is knitted behind the back wall.

In your left hand you have a knitting needle with loops that we will knit. Working thread at work. Insert the right needle into the first stitch from your right to your left. Grab the working thread and pull through the loop.

In the descriptions there are the following names for this method of knitting a knit stitch: English or grandmother's.

Purl loop

Take a knitting needle with cast-on stitches in your left hand. The working thread should be in front of the work. Pass the right needle under the working thread and insert the needle into the loop from right to left. Grab the working yarn in front of the needle and pull the loop away from you.

In this way, the purl loop is knitted behind the front wall.

Crossed purl stitch

In your left hand, as before, you have a knitting needle with loops that you will knit. Leave the working thread before work. The right knitting needle must be inserted from left to right towards you. Wrap the working yarn around the right knitting needle from bottom to top and pull through the loop.

In this way, the purl loop is knitted behind the back wall.

Decrease loops

When knitting many things, decreasing stitches is used: for knitting armholes, when forming some patterns, for forming the end of a sock, mittens, fingers on gloves, etc.

Let's look at the main ways to decrease loops.

Knit two stitches together

In the left hand there is a knitting needle with a knitted fabric. Working thread at work. Insert the right needle into two loops on the left needle from left to right from you. Pick up the working thread with a knitting needle and pull it towards you. Slip both knitted stitches off the left needle.

Two loops together knitted

Take in your left hand a knitting needle with a knitted fabric on which we will make decreases. The working thread must be behind the work. Insert the right needle into two loops from right to left under the needle. Grab the working thread from above you. Pull it through both loops. Slip both knitted stitches off the left needle.

You can also knit more stitches together.

Purl two stitches together

In the left hand there is a knitting needle with a knitted fabric. Working thread before work. Pass the right knitting needle under the working thread and insert it into two loops on the left knitting needle from right to left towards you. Pick up the working thread with a knitting needle and pull it out. Slip both knitted stitches off the left needle.

You can also knit more stitches together.

Two loops together crossed purl

Take in your left hand a knitting needle with a knitted fabric on which we will make decreases. The working thread should be in front of the work. Pass the right knitting needle under the working thread and insert it into two loops from left to right, as when knitting one crossed purl loop. Grab the working thread from above you. Pull it through both loops. Slip both knitted stitches off the left needle.

You can also knit more stitches together.

Three loops together with moving the front crossed

Take in your left hand a knitting needle with a knitted fabric on which we will make decreases.

Let's swap the first and second loops. Slip the first two stitches onto the right needle without knitting. Place both knitting needles together, turning the right knitting needle counterclockwise 180 degrees. Slip the first two stitches back from the right needle to the left so that the stitches on the left needle end up in this order: 3 loop, 1 loop, 2 loop.

Now you need to knit three loops together with a knit stitch. Working thread at work. Insert the right needle into all three stitches from your right to your left. Grab the working thread and pull through the loop. Slip all knitted stitches off the left needle.

In this tutorial I will show you how to knit a purl stitch and a knit stitch. This type of knitting is also called stocking.

Purl is the second stitch in knitting. The first, as you remember, is the front loop.

Knowing how to knit knit and purl stitches, you can knit a great variety of patterns and products that use a combination of only these loops.

The purl loop, like the front loop, can be knitted in the classic and “granny” way.

Just like in the front classic loop, in the classic purl loop the right wall of the loop is located in front.

For me personally, knitting a purl stitch using the “grandmother’s” method is somewhat easier than the classic way. In general, the purl loop requires somewhat more strength and patience to master than the front loop. But I am sure that you have enough desire to achieve the desired result, which means everything will definitely work out!

Purl loops in the classic way

Schematic knitting of a classic purl loop

Purl stitches in the "grandmother's" way

We make a cast-on row and knit the first (front) row with facial loops, as we did in MK about facial loops. We are turning the work around. Remove the first loop without knitting.

Schematic knitting of a purl loop "grandmother's way"

If you understand how knit and purl stitches are knitted, then you can knit the fabric with stockinette stitch or as it is called stockinette knitting.

Facial surface

To do this, you need to make a cast-on row, knit the first row (front side) with knit stitches, and the second row (wrong side) with purl loops.

So, continuing to alternate the front and back rows, you need to knit as many as you need.

To get an even braid along the edge, when knitting each row, you need to remove the first loop (edge) without knitting, and always knit the last loop (it is also called an edge loop).

Let me tell you right away that some people do things differently. For example, the last stitch is always purled, the first stitch is always knitted. But that doesn't matter in this case.

Our task is to get a pigtail along the edge and we got it. Look here.

And here is the result of my MK

Front side

The wrong side of the stockinette stitch with a pigtail along the edge again