Mollie Makes: How to Knit

By Mollie Makes

The team behind Mollie Makes magazine have brought together all their favourite knit designers to share their tips, stories and beautiful projects. Knitting may seem complicated, but in fact there are just two stitches you need to learn. Once you have mastered knit and purl, you can knit pretty much anything.

The beginner’s section starts with a run-through of the basic tools and equipment you’ll need, as well as a handy guide to choosing yarn.

Once you’re ready to start, learn the best way to hold your needles, and tackle the different cast-on methods to work out which works best for you. Once you’ve cast on, you are ready to make those all-important first stitches and choose your first project.

Make a gift for a loved one with patterns for a baby blanket, bouquet of woolly flowers or a cute bulldog puppy. Bring your home up to date by making an on-trend footstool, plant pot or neon rug. Or wear your makes with pride – whether you go for a classic pair of socks, or a more daring pompom headband or loopy poncho.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Sep 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781910904435

Mollie Makes

Mollie Makes is the UK's most successful lifestyle and craft magazine, bringing you the best of contemporary craft. The Mollie Makes team have hand-picked projects from their favourite international designers.

Book preview

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UNDERSTANDING A WRITTEN PATTERN

Designers and yarn companies all have their own way of writing a pattern. Although they look different, the same information should always be there. It is important to understand what means what before you decide on a pattern and buy your yarn. The patterns in this book include the following information.

Materials: The type of yarn the designer has used and the number of balls of each colour needed; colours are coded as A, B, C and so on to save space throughout the pattern. Also listed are the knitting needles required and any additional materials, such as buttons or zips.

Size: The dimensions of the finished project. If the pattern provides instructions for multiple sizes, such as small, medium and large, then the dimensions of each of those sizes are provided.

Tension: This tells you how many stitches and rows you must have to a certain measurement. Your tension must be correct to obtain the finished size of the project given in the pattern. Some patterns may state that accurate tension is not essential for that particular project.

Featured techniques: A list of the main techniques used to make the project, with cross-references to the Techniques chapter if you need to learn a new skill or refresh your memory.

Before you begin: A useful overview of how key elements of the pattern are worked, together with hints and tips to help you achieve a successful result. Any special abbreviations or stitches specific to that particular pattern are also explained here.

Method: Row-by-row or round-by-round written instructions for making each piece of the project followed by instructions for assembling the pieces together. The written instructions use abbreviations to save space and may also refer to a chart if appropriate.

Yarn reference card

It is advisable to make yourself a reference card with swatches of yarn on so you have a quick reference as to which colour refers to which letter in the pattern.

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REPEATS AND STITCH COUNTS

• Square brackets are used when an instruction needs to be repeated, so you simply repeat the instructions inside the brackets a specified number of times or to the end of the row, as directed – for example, ‘[k1, p1] 4 times’ or ‘[k2, p2] to end’.

• Asterisks are sometimes used in place of, or in conjunction with, square brackets. So an instruction such as ‘rep from *’ means that you should find the first asterisk above this instruction and repeat the section of pattern from this point. An instruction such as ‘rep from * to *’ means that you should repeat the section of the pattern between the asterisks.

• When a row involves increases or decreases, the number of stitches you should have on the right-hand needle after completing the row is given in curved brackets at the end of the row.

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Stitch counts help you keep track of the shaping on projects like the Kawaii Kittens.

ABBREVIATIONS

Knitting has a language of its own and what makes it more complicated are the abbreviations. These are used to save space because if patterns were written out in full they would go on for pages and pages. Here is a list of the abbreviations used in this book, but you should always look at the abbreviations listed in the book or pattern you are working from as they do sometimes differ. There are also no hard and fast rules as to how capital letters are used.

note

There are some key differences in terminology between US and UK knitting patterns. UK terms have been used for the patterns in this book, although US equivalent terms are included as a reminder in the techniques section.

WORKING FROM A CHART

Charts show the right side of the knitting and have the advantage that you can see what you are producing, whereas with written instructions you are often not sure what the finished result should look like until you have completed a piece of the work.

COLOUR CHARTS

The charts in this book are all colour work designs. Each square on the chart represents one stitch and each horizontal line of squares represents one row. The colour you need to use for each stitch will be shown either by a coloured square or by a symbol in the square. A key will relate each coloured square or symbol to a specific yarn.

Chart rows are numbered from bottom to top, with right-side rows numbered on the right-hand side of the chart and wrong-side rows numbered on the left-hand side. When working on a right-side row, you must follow the appropriate line of squares on the chart from right to left. When working a wrong-side row, you follow the rows from left to right. Colour work designs are usually worked in stocking stitch, so all right-side rows are knitted and all wrong-side rows are purled.

On charts for working in the round, all rows are numbered on the right-hand side because all rows are right-side rows, so you would need to read the chart from right to left on every row and knit every row if working in stocking stitch.

Photocopy the chart and mark off the completed rows as you work.

note

Textured knitting designs, such as lace or cable patterns, can also be shown in chart form. On these charts, each type of stitch instruction, such as k2tog or skpo, will be shown as a symbol, with a key explaining what each symbol means. Symbols used in texture charts are not universal, so always check the key that comes with the chart before starting the pattern.

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PATTERN REPEATS

Rather than displaying a charted design for the whole piece of knitting, sometimes a pattern will give a smaller chart showing a section that needs to be repeated to make up the complete design: this is called a pattern repeat.

Sometimes the pattern repeat is repeated across the whole width of the knitted fabric, but sometimes there will be extra stitches at one or both edges of the fabric to create a balanced design. When following the chart, you work the edge stitches at the beginning of the row, then the pattern repeat as many times as directed in the instructions, and finally the edge stitches at the end of the row.

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The Fair Isle chart is used to create the repeated zigzag design on the Zigzag Neckwarmer.

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UNDERSTANDING A TENSION INSTRUCTION

The tension instruction will usually read something like: ‘20 stitches and 28 rows to 10cm (4in) over stocking stitch using 4mm needles and yarn A’. What this is telling you is that you must have 20 stitches across 10cm (4in) and 28 rows down 10cm (4in) of your knitted fabric.

The ball band of a specific yarn will also give a tension; this is the manufacturer’s tension, based on average use. This may be different to the pattern designer’s tension, in which case you must achieve the tension given in the pattern rather than the one on the ball band.

WORKING A TENSION SQUARE

Using the yarn and needles given in the tension instruction, cast on at least four stitches more than you need to achieve. Working in the stitch pattern stated, work at least four rows more than the number you need to achieve. Do not cast off: leave the knitting on the needles while you measure it. The cast on edge and the row ends may be slightly tighter or looser than the middle of the knitting, so measure with the ruler centred on the fabric rather than touching the edges.

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Lay the knitting flat, without stretching it. Lay a ruler across the stitches with the starting point a couple of stitches in from the edge. Put a pin in the knitting at the start of the ruler and at the 10cm (4in) mark. Count the number of stitches between the pins, including a half stitch if there is one.

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Measure 10cm (4in) down the rows in the same way.

note

Even if you are knitting an accessory, such as a cuddly toy or footstool, where the tension isn’t vital in terms of fit, then you should still make a tension square. This is because the style and shape of the project will be affected by the tension. Also, the tension you knit to determines how much yarn you use to work each stitch; if your tension is too loose, you risk running out of yarn before finishing the project.

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The tension affects the drape and feel of the Baby Blanket as well as its size.

ADJUSTING TENSION

If you have knitted a tension square and discovered you are out by one or two stitches, what should you do next? Never, ever just try to knit to a different tension. Everyone has a ‘natural’ tension. If you try to knit to a different tension, you will just end up with an uneven piece of knitting. Instead, you must change the size of the knitting needles you are using.

If you have too few stitches to 10cm (4in) on your tension square, then your tension is too loose and you should try again using smaller needles. If you have too many stitches, then your tension is too tight and you should try again using larger needles.

The general rule is that one difference in needle size will create a difference of one stitch in the tension. If you are out by two stitches, then you would need to alter the needles by two sizes. Continue making tension squares until you achieve the correct number of stitches to match the specified tension.

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Swatches knitted with the same yarn and needle size, containing the same number of stitches and rows, by people who knit to different natural tensions.

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MATERIALS

50g balls (112m/122yd) of King Cole Merino Blend DK, one in each of Royal 021 (A), Plum 905 (B), Fern 854 (E), White 001 (F), Beige 925 (G), Scarlet 009 (H) and Black 048 (I), or similar yarn (DK-weight 100% wool)

Oddment of fine metallic gold yarn (C)

50g ball (142m/155yd) of Wendy Mode DK in Lime Daze 260 (D), or similar yarn (DK-weight 50% wool, 50% acrylic)

Pair of 4mm (US 6) knitting needles

Tapestry needle

Polyester toy stuffing

Assorted mini pom-poms, 5mm (¼in) in diameter (for tree) and 13mm (½in) in diameter (white for Santa, red for elf)

Strong fabric glue

Red sequins, sewing needle and thread

SIZE

Present: 5.5 x 5.5cm (2¼ x 2¼in)

Tree: 6 x 7.5cm (2½ x 3in)

Santa/elf: 5 x 9cm