Once you've cast on, knitted and purled your pattern and basically finished your project, there's

just one more step that has to be completed: getting your project off the needles. This is accomplished by what's known as binding off, a simple and quick method for making a finished edge. Difficulty: Easy Time Required: A couple of minutes, depending on the size of the project Here's How: 1. When you complete the last row of your pattern (or have knitted until you are almost out of yarn, if you're not using a pattern with a definite end) you will begin to cast off just as if you were continuing the pattern. You'll often see patterns that say "cast off in pattern," meaning that you knit the knits and purl the purls just like you were doing in the body of the project. Start by knitting or purling the first two stitches of the row. 2. Once you have two stitches on the right-hand needle, use the tip of the left-hand needle to pull the first stitch back up and over the second stitch and over the tip of the right-hand needle. This will leave one stitch, actually the second stitch you worked, on the right-hand needle. Knit or purl the next stitch and repeat the process until you are left with no stitches on the left-hand needle and one stitch on the right-hand needle. 3. Slip this last stitch off the needle. Trim your working yarn so that you have a couple of inches left over to weave into the finished work. Slip this yarn through the loop and pull tight, securing the yarn so the loop won't unravel. Weave the end of the yarn through several stitches to secure the end, using either a sewing needle or a crochet hook. Wear or use your new knitted item proudly!

How to Make a Beanie Hat for Adults

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Beanies are great for winter time.

Beanies are knitted, snug-fitting hats that are ideal for cold winters. Knitting a beanie is not a difficult task and is even suitable for newcomers to knitting. You can make beanies on knitting looms or with regular knitting needles using woolen yarns for the warmest winter beanies. Make hand-knitted beanies to give as presents for birthdays or Christmas, or you can just treat yourself to one instead.

Things You'll Need

Knitting needles Yarn Scissors Darning needleShow (1) More

Instructions
1.
o

1
Tie the end of your yarn in a slipknot and place it over the end of one of your needles (needle 1). Adjust the knot so it is around an inch away from the point of needle 1, then insert the second needle, needle 2, into the slipknot on the underside of needle 1. This should form an "X" at the needle points.

2
Loop the yarn around needle 2, then push needle 2 back through the original slipknot, carrying the looped yarn through to make two loops. Slip the second loop off needle 2 onto needle 1 so that there are now two loops over needle 1. Repeat this cast-on stitch until there are 60 loops on needle 1, which is enough for a medium-sized adult's beanie-

3 Insert needle 2 into the first loop on needle 1, through the front. Repeat the
procedure for the cast-on stitch, only leaving the loop on needle 2. Repeat until all the loops are on needle 2--you now have a row of knitting complete.

4
Swap needles, so needle 2 becomes needle 1 and vice versa. Repeat the stitches until all the loops are again on needle 2. Do this until you have 5 inches of knitting done. You'll now have to decrease the size by dropping stitches so the beanie forms a point.

5
Knit five stitches as you have been doing, then knit the next two stitches together. Repeat along the entire row. In the next row, knit four stitches and then knit two together; the next row knit three stitches and two together, and keep going in this way until on the last row you are knitting two together the whole row.

6
Cut the end of the yarn, leaving a tail around 6 or 7 inches. Thread the tail on your darning needle, then insert it back through all the final loops on the knitting needle. Pull out the knitting needle, then pull the tail tight and tie off to secure the knitting.

7
Thread a new length of yarn onto your darning needle. Fold the knitting in half, wrong way out, then sew along the seam, securing the thread at the top. Turn the beanie right side out to complete the knitted beanie hat.

Information
This article was written on 04 Dec 2012, and is filled under DIY.

DIY Giftables #1: 2 simple snoods a free knitting pattern

We cant think of much that trumps a handknit Christmas present. Nothing is as thoughtful and seasonally practical (for Northern Hemisphere dwellers at least), and shows just how much you care. And the best part is that handknit gifts dont have to be as time consuming as youd expect. Replace your images of intricate fairisle jumpers and spindly lacework shawls with chunky knit winter must-haves: mittens, pompom hats, slouchy socks and snoods that can all be completed in an evening or two. Weve come up with two super simple snoods that are lightning quick to knit, suitable even for first time knitters, and will make the perfect gift for just about anyone (even those tricky men!), that is, if you can bring yourself to give them away!

Representing two of our favourite stitches moss stitch and English rib stitch these snoods are a once around the neck coze extravaganza. Both stitches are reversible (exactly the same both sides), completely non-gender specific and really make the most of a chunky yarn by exaggerating the surface bulk. In terms of circumference, it can often be tricky to get the perfect length that neither strangles you nor sags down exposing your neck to the bitter chill. We have found the ideal length to be around the 60-65cm / 25 mark. Moss Stitch Snood Difficulty beginner You will need:

300g super chunky weight yarn (we like Toft or Rowans Big Wool) 10mm circular needles a yarn needle to weave in ends scissors

Abbreviations*: CO cast on BO bind off k knit p purl rnd(s) round(s) st(s) stitch(es) cont continue tog together *We realise that knitting pattern lingario can be pretty confusing if its not something youre used to. While its super useful to learn if youre wanting to further explore the world of hand knitting, we want to make a simple project like this as approachable as possible for a beginner or once-in-a-while knitter. Therefore, we have written out these patterns in the abbreviated pattern lingo and actual real words in italics alongside the instructions where needed, including the odd tip. Instructions: CO 57 sts. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches. There are some amazing tutorials on YouTube to get you started if this is a first attempt knitting in the round! Rnd 1: k1, *(p1, k1) rep from * to end of rnd. Knit 1, then repeat purl 1, knit 1 for the rest of the round. Rnd 2: p1, *(k1, p1) rep from * to end of rnd. Continue in this manner until the snood is as deep as you want, we stopped when it was 12 deep. Make sure to leave your length of yarn at least 4 times the length of your round for binding off. Last rnd: BO loosely, cut yarn and weave in tails.

English Rib Snood (with a twist) Difficulty confident beginner You will need:

8 x 50g balls of chunky weight yarn suitable for 6mm needles (all the same colour or 4 balls each of 2 colours like we did) a pair of 9mm straight needles, plus one extra for the 3 needle bind off a yarn needle to weave in ends scissors

Instructions: CO 31 sts stranding 2 balls at the same time. Row 1: knit. Row 2: k1 (edge), k1, *k1 below (inserting right-hand needle knitwise into the centre of the stitch just below see diagram), k1*, repeat from * to last stitch, k1 (edge).

Row 3: k1 (edge), *k1 below, k1*, repeat from * to last stitch, k1 (edge). Repeat rows 2 & 3 until your snood measures about 25 long, or fits comfortably around your neck.

Binding off: Pick up the 31 cast on stitches with the needle pointing in the opposite direction to the needle with the live stitches. Twist the needle with the picked up stitches to meet its partner side by side. This creates a sort of infinite twist loop, making more of a feature of the kushy rib stitch and seriously upping the coze factor! Bind off with a three-needle bind off (holding your 2 rows of live stitches together, use your 3rd needle to knit into the 1st stitch from both needles at the same time. Repeat with the second stitch from both needles and then bind off from the 3rd needle as normal. Repeat this until all the stitches have been bound off. There are plenty of video tutorials for this technique on YouTube). Cut yarn and weave in tails.

All done! Now for the hard part wrapping these babies up and giving them away

By Sarah E. White, About.com Guide

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learning to knit knitting skills circular knitting

When preparing to knit in the round, make sure your stitches are straight. Sarah White

Circular needles are a lot of fun to work with. They allow you to make bags and sweaters without seams, as well as other fun projects. But most patterns assume that people know how to work with circular needles, which can be intimidating for people who dont. Here are all the basics you need to know for working with circular needles. What Are Circular Needles? Circular knitting needles can be made of most of the materials that straight knitting needles are made of: bamboo, metal, plastic and resin are the most popular materials. Two hard tips are joined by a flexible cord that holds most of the stitches. Circular needles can be bought in a fixed format, meaning the needles are permanently fixed to the cord, or they can be purchased as part of an interchangeable system, where the tips can be taken off the cord and exchanged for larger or smaller needles. Interchangeable needles can be purchased separately or in a set that includes many different sizes of needles and cords. Circular needles can commonly be found in sizes 3 to 15. You can buy different lengths of cord depending on the circumference of your project. Common lengths are 16, 24, 29, 36 and 40 inches. Different manufacturers may make other lengths such as 11 or 34 inches. The pattern you are planning to knit should tell you what length as well as what size circular needles you need. Getting Started with Circular Needles The process of casting on is the same with circular needles as it is with straight needles. If youre knitting a round project, the pattern will say something like join stitches in round, being careful 2not to twist stitches. Theres usually not any explanation of how you actually do that. There are several different methods for joining a project in the round. Some people simply knit the first stitch very tightly, so that there wont be a gap between the first stitch and the last stitch in the round.

Before I learned to do it the way I do it now, Id cast on an extra stitch, slip that stitch onto the left-hand needle, and then knit the first stitch and the last stitch together before starting the pattern. Thats a fine way to do it, too. The way I do it now is to slip the last stitch (that is the first one cast on) from the left-hand needle to the right-hand needle, and then lift whats now the second stitch on the right needle (the last one cast on) over the first stitch and onto the left needle. Then pull tight and start knitting with the stitches that are on the left-hand part of the needle. So what about that being careful not to twist stitches part? Thats easy to handle as well. Before you make your join, make sure that all the stitches are facing the same direction. That means all the little loopy bits from casting on the stitches should be on the inside of the circle made by the circular needle, without twisting the edge. Then you can make the join and knit as your pattern lays out. If you dont do this correctly, youll notice pretty quickly because your knitted tube wont be straight. Unfortunately, the only way to fix a twist like this is to rip it out and start over, so make sure you get it right the first time. Place a stitch marker on the right-hand needle before you start knitting but after you make the join if you are crossing stitches. This marks the end of the row, which will help you keep track of your pattern. W2orking Patterns in the Round When knitting in the round, you are knitting on the right side of the fabric all the time. That means youll need to alter your basic pattern stitches to get them to come out right. A lot of circular knitting is done in stockinette stitch, which is great because all you have to do is knit every row. To make garter stitch, instead of knitting every row youll need to knit one row, purl one row. For reverse stockinette, you purl every row. Other pattern stitches can be worked in the round, but these are the most common stitches you will come across. Patterns that are designed to be knit in the round usually will be written so you dont have to think about the fact that youre always on the right side, but some will say something like knit in stockinette (knit every row) to remind you of what you need to do. Knitting Flat on Circular Needles You can also use circular needles to knit something flat. This is especially helpful when working on big projects like afghans, wraps or throws. A circular needle will hold the stitches a little better and make it easier on your body because the needle holds more of the weight of the project. Knitting flat on circular needles is the same as working on straight needles. Do not join in the round, just cast on and knit. Knit from the left needle to the right as usual, and when you get to the end of the row, switch hands just like you would in knitting with straight needles.