How to Begin Knitting as an Absolute Beginner
You want to learn to knit.
Maybe you're drawn to the idea of making your own sweaters. Maybe you need a hobby that doesn't involve screens. Maybe you've watched knitting videos and thought, "That looks calming, I could use more calm."
Whatever brought you here, you're facing the same question every beginner faces:
Where do I actually start?
The internet offers thousands of tutorials, each claiming to be the "easiest" or "best" way to learn. Craft stores display overwhelming amounts of yarn and needle options. Experienced knitters casually mention terms like "gauge" and "blocking" that mean absolutely nothing to you.
It all feels... complicated.
But here's the truth: learning to knit is simpler than it looks. Not easy exactly, you'll need patience and practice, but definitely simpler than the knitting world makes it seem.
This guide will walk you through exactly how to begin, with no assumptions about what you already know and no overwhelming technical details. Just the clear, step-by-step path from "I've never touched knitting needles" to "I'm actually knitting something."
Let's start at the very beginning.
Step 1: Gather Your Supplies (Keep It Simple)
Before learning any techniques, you need just three things:
Knitting Needles
What to buy: One pair of straight knitting needles, size US 8 or 9 (5-5.5mm), about 10 inches long
Material: Bamboo or wood (not metal, they're too slippery for beginners)
Where to buy: Any craft store, Amazon, or local yarn shop
Cost: €5-15
Why these specifics? This size works with medium-weight yarn (the most common kind), the length is comfortable for small projects, and bamboo/wood needles have slight grip that helps control stitches while you're learning.
Yarn
What to buy: 1-2 skeins of worsted weight yarn (labeled "4-Medium" or "Worsted")
Color: Light—cream, light gray, pale yellow. Anything you can see clearly against
Texture: Smooth, not fuzzy or textured
Fiber: Acrylic or acrylic blend is perfect for learning (save the expensive stuff for later)
Where to buy: Same places as needles
Cost: €$5-10 per skein
Why these specifics? Worsted weight is the Goldilocks of yarn—not too thin, not too thick. Light colors let you see every stitch clearly (crucial when learning). Smooth texture means you can see the structure of stitches. Acrylic is cheap, forgiving, and doesn't split easily.
Scissors
You probably already have these. Any scissors that can cut yarn cleanly will work.
That's it. Really.
Don't buy stitch markers, row counters, fancy needle cases, or any of the other tools you'll see. You don't need them yet. Start simple.
Step 2: Learn to Cast On (Creating Your First Stitches)
Casting on is how you create the first row of loops on your needle—the foundation everything else builds from.
There are dozens of cast-on methods. For now, learn just one: the long-tail cast on. It's versatile, creates a nice edge, and once you master it, you'll use it for years.
How to do it:
1. Make a slip knot
Leave about a 12-inch "tail" of yarn hanging
Make a loop with the yarn
Pull a second loop through the first loop
Slide this onto your needle and gently tighten
This is your first stitch.
2. Position the yarn
Hold the needle with the slip knot in your right hand
Drape the yarn over your left hand with the tail end over your thumb and the ball end over your index finger
Hold both strands against your palm with your other fingers
3. Insert and wrap
Insert the needle tip up through the loop around your thumb
Bring it over and catch the yarn from your index finger
Pull this loop back through the thumb loop
Drop the thumb loop and tighten gently
That's one stitch. Repeat until you have 20 stitches on your needle.
Confused? That's normal.
Casting on is the hardest part of beginning to knit because it's the least intuitive. Watch this being done on YouTube several times—visual learning helps enormously.
Search: "long tail cast on slow tutorial"
Don't expect to nail it immediately. Practice making 20 stitches, then sliding them off and starting over. Do this three times before moving to the next step.
Why 20 stitches? Enough to practice with, small enough to not feel overwhelming, and creates a nice practice swatch.
Step 3: Learn the Knit Stitch (The Foundation of Everything)
Congratulations—you have stitches on your needle! Now you'll learn to knit them.
The knit stitch is the most fundamental technique in knitting. Master this, and you're already a knitter.
How to do it:
1. Hold your needles
Needle with stitches in your left hand
Empty needle in your right hand
Yarn coming from the back (the side away from you)
2. Insert your needle
Insert the right needle into the first stitch on the left needle
Go from front to back, so the right needle sits behind the left needle
The needles form an X shape
3. Wrap the yarn
Hold the working yarn (attached to the ball) in your right hand
Wrap it counterclockwise around the right needle
It should go under, then over the right needle
4. Pull through
Use the right needle to pull this wrapped yarn back through the stitch
You've created a new loop on your right needle
5. Slide off
Slide the old stitch off the left needle
One stitch complete!
Repeat across all 20 stitches until your left needle is empty and your right needle holds all the stitches.
You just knit your first row.
Now switch hands—the full needle goes in your left hand, the empty needle in your right hand—and knit another row.
What you're creating:
Knitting every row creates "garter stitch"—a bumpy, textured fabric that looks the same on both sides. It's perfect for beginners because:
No need to learn purl yet
Easy to see your progress
Forgiving of uneven tension
Creates a nice, squishy fabric
Practice goal: Knit 40 rows (or until your square is roughly 4 inches tall).
Your first attempts will feel clumsy. Your hands won't know where to go. You'll drop stitches. You'll pull too tight or too loose. Your stitches will be uneven.
This is completely, totally, absolutely normal.
Every knitter went through this exact phase. The difference between you and them isn't talent—it's practice hours. Keep going.
Step 4: Learn to Bind Off (Finishing Your Knitting)
Once you've practiced enough rows and want to finish, you need to "bind off"—securing the stitches so they don't unravel.
How to do it:
1. Knit two stitches normally onto your right needle
2. Insert your left needle into the first stitch you made (the one further from the tip)
3. Lift this stitch up and over the second stitch and off the needle entirely
4. Knit one more stitch from the left needle to the right needle
5. Repeat steps 2-4: lift the first stitch over the second and off, knit one more stitch
6. Continue until you have one stitch left
7. Cut your yarn (leaving a 6-inch tail), pull the tail through the last stitch, and tighten
Done! You've created a finished piece of knitting that won't unravel.
Step 5: Make Your First Real Project
Now that you've practiced the basics, it's time to make something intentional—a project you'll actually want to keep or use.
Best first projects:
Simple dishcloth
Cast on 35-40 stitches, knit every row until you have a square (about 8-9 inches), bind off. Use cotton yarn. Takes 2-3 hours total.
Basic scarf
Cast on 25 stitches, knit every row until it's long enough to wrap around your neck comfortably (about 60 inches), bind off. Takes 8-15 hours depending on your speed.
Chunky cowl
Cast on 60-80 stitches with bulky yarn and large needles (US 10-11), knit every row for 12-15 inches, bind off, sew the two ends together. Takes 3-5 hours.
Choose based on motivation:
Fast gratification? → Dishcloth
Want something wearable? → Cowl
Classic beginner project? → Scarf
The most important factor: pick something you'll actually use or gift. Finishing is easier when you genuinely want the result.
Step 6: Troubleshoot Common Beginner Issues
You will encounter problems. Here are the most common ones and how to handle them:
"I keep adding stitches accidentally!"
This usually happens when you accidentally knit into the yarn between stitches or fail to drop a completed stitch off the left needle.
Solution: Count your stitches at the end of every row (at least for your first few projects). If you have more than you started with, carefully unknit back to find where the extra one appeared.
"I dropped a stitch and there's a hole/ladder!"
When a stitch falls off your needle, it creates a dropped stitch that can unravel downward.
Solution: For now, use a crochet hook (or a thin pen) to pull the loose strands back up through the dropped stitch, one row at a time, until you can place it back on your needle. (YouTube "fix dropped stitch knitting" for visual help.)
"My edges are messy and weird"
Edge stitches are tricky for everyone at first. They often get pulled too tight or end up loose and loopy.
Solution: This improves with practice as your tension evens out. For now, just keep going—edges can be tidied up later or hidden in seams.
"My stitches are uneven—some tight, some loose"
Inconsistent tension is the most common beginner issue.
Solution: Keep practicing. Your hands are building muscle memory and will naturally develop more consistent tension over several hours of knitting. Don't stress about it now.
"This is taking forever!"
Yes. Knitting is slow at first.
Solution: Expect your first projects to take longer than you'd think. As your hands learn the motions, you'll naturally speed up. By your third project, you'll be noticeably faster than your first.
Step 7: Learn the Purl Stitch (Expanding Your Options)
Once you're comfortable with the knit stitch, add the purl stitch to your repertoire. Together, these two stitches create every knitting pattern in existence.
The purl stitch is essentially the knit stitch reversed.
How to do it:
1. Hold your needles the same way, but keep the yarn in front of your work (toward you)
Insert the right needle** into the first stitch from right to left (instead of left to right)
3. Wrap the yarn counterclockwise around the right needle
4. Pull through and slide the old stitch off
Practice pattern:
Knit one row
Purl one row
Repeat
This creates "stockinette stitch"—smooth on one side (the knit side), bumpy on the other (the purl side). It's the fabric you see in most store-bought sweaters.
What Comes Next
After mastering knit, purl, cast on, and bind off, you have the foundation for hundreds of patterns.
Your learning path from here:
Knit more practice projects using just knit and purl (scarves, dishcloths, simple blanket squares)
Learn basic increases and decreases (adding or removing stitches to create shaping)
Try knitting in the round with circular needles (opens up hats, cowls, and sweaters)
Tackle your first simple sweater (yes, really—beginner sweaters exist!)
But don't rush. Give yourself time to get comfortable with the basics. The foundation you're building now determines everything that comes later.
The Most Important Thing
Learning to knit requires patience with yourself.
Your first stitches will be awkward. Your first rows will be uneven. Your first project will have visible mistakes.
This doesn't mean you're bad at knitting. It means you're learning—which is exactly what you're supposed to be doing.
Every expert knitter started exactly where you are right now: holding needles awkwardly, pulling yarn unevenly, wondering if they'd ever "get it."
They got it by doing what you're doing: showing up, making stitches, practicing.
You're not behind. You're not slow. You're not "bad with your hands."
You're a beginner, which is a temporary and completely normal stage that everyone passes through on their way to becoming a knitter.
So be patient. Be kind to yourself. And keep making stitches.
One stitch at a time, one row at a time, one project at a time.
That's how everyone learns.
That's how you'll learn too.
Ready to start your knitting journey? Download our free beginner guide with step-by-step photos and your first simple pattern—designed specifically for absolute beginners.
Join the Patternly community where beginners support each other, share progress, ask questions, and celebrate finished projects. You're not alone in this.