annaplexis

Italian cast on 🧶🧶🧶

The Italian cast on works really well with 1/1 ribbing, brioche and double knitting.

👉 Use the long-tail cast on for the last stitch to anchor it in place.

👉 On the first row, note that the knit stitches will have the wrong leg in front — knit these through the back loop.

🤩🇮🇹 The Italian cast on can be combined with 2 rows of double knitting for a tubular cast on. Looks really neat 👀 (Stay tuned for how this is done 😉)

Did you know that you can make cable twists without actually crossing the stitches?

No cable needle and no stitches hanging in mid-air 😉

This works if you are crossing a single knit stitch, i.e. C2F and C2B or 1/1 RT and 1/1 LT.

You can practice these faux cable twists with Square 35. The Faux One of the Learn-to-Knit Blanket

To make a right twist: knit 2 sts together without slipping them off the LH needle, then knit the first st only and sl both sts off the LH needle.

To make a left twist: sl 2 sts knitwise and

place them back on the LH needle (as with SSK), knit into the back of the second st leaving it on the LH needle, then knit both sts together

and sl them off the LH needle.

Find the pattern and tutorial in my book Learn to Knit in 50 Squares 🌺🧶❤️

FAQ: What happens if you drop a stitch all the way down to the cast on edge? 🧶🧶🧶

Insert a crochet hook behind the lowest strand, turn it to create a loop (i.e. “make one right”), then knit up the ladder.

This works with the long-tail cast on. In garter stitch, you should do this from the side where you have a line of single strands at the bottom rather than a purl ridge.

To pick up a stitch in garter stitch, either you turn your work around every row and pick up a knit stitch on each side or check out my relevant video.

One of the most valuable skills a knitter can develop is learning to read their stitches. Once you understand how they're constructed, fixing any issues becomes much more intuitive.

Invisible stranding, also known as ladderback jacquard 🧶 🧶 🧶

This is a technique for catching floats which is completely invisible from the right side. To work it, cast on an extra stitch behind the work and purl it on every round with the colour not in use. This creates an extra layer on the wrong side, like a spider’s web. When the pattern is completed, the extra stitch is eliminated by knitting it together with its corresponding front stitch.

This method is ideal for sweater yokes with isolated motifs and very long floats.

I once tried it on socks, but I wouldn’t recommend it for that purpose: the extra layer on the inside tends to catch when pulling them on…

You can practice this technique with square 28. The Invisible One of the Learn-to-Knit Blanket. Find the pattern in the book Learn to Knit in 50 Squares.

Made a mistake a few stitches back?

Here’s how to un-knit (=TINK) stitches. The process is the same whether you’re undoing knit or purl stitches (unless they were knitted through the back loop) 🧶🧶🧶

To get a smooth and jogless cast off edge when knitting in the round, complete the chain formed at the top before sewing in the end 😉👌

What I like about the Norwegian purl is that whether you are about to knit or purl, you always position the yarn the same way.

This is especially important at the beginning of a row, where most beginners’ mistakes occur.

Whether you should knit, purl or slip the first stitch, is a separate discussion.

Just a fyi, there's a mistake in square 30 instructions: on Row 12 you will make your next bobble. This time I suggest you try knitting backwards as follows: kyok, k3 backwards, k3 forwards, CDD.

I got a bit confused with the k3 forwards part but I watched the Tumblr video to figure out what I was supposed to do

Italian cast on 🇮🇹

Very suitable for ribbing, double knitting and brioche 🧶🧶🧶

Be careful not to twist the stitches!

💡Cast on the last stitch using the long-tail method to anchor the stitches 🙌

Reposting this in answer to a recent question:

How do I hold the working yarn when knitting? 🧶

I use my left pinkie to control the tension.

However, there’s no single right way!

Some knitters wrap the yarn once or even twice around their little finger, others weave the yarn between the fingers.

How to knit and purl through the back loop (tbl) loop ➰

This produces a twisted stitch, which stands out more prominently against the background. It's used to great effect in intricate patterns — for example in Japanese knitting — and also creates a really neat rib 🧶🧶🧶