by Lucie Shores

Created on: March 10, 2008   Last Updated: November 15, 2011

Knitting comes close to the magical vision of spinning straw into gold, or as close as most of us will ever get. It's just one step removed from raising the sheep yourself, while on the other end, from beautiful wearable creations. It's quite amazing to see someone wearing a sweater you made out of nothing more than an exceedingly long piece of yarn. But it will never happen if all you do is watch, so here's a way to get started.

You may think knitting seems like more work than it's worth. As with anything that consists of knowledge, steps, eye-hand coordination, and a small tool, it can be done; and it's definitely easier than it looks.

The ability to knit hinges on learning the best way to get started. After that, knitting is, and always has been enriched by inventing ways to elaborate on those basics. Because there is no way to describe how to cast on stitches here; no, there is really no way to adequately describe, oh all right, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Lesson Number One; Learning to "cast on"

For our purposes, get some yarn of any kind. Pull out one end. The one from the middle of the skein is better, since it keeps the skein from rolling around as you knit, (which the cat cannot resist).

After you've closed the cat or yourself in the bathroom, wrap the yarn around your little finger on your non-dexterous hand [left hand, for right-handed people and vice versa] so you can keep some tension as you get started. Wrap a loop around your forefinger of the same hand, leaving about two feet of the loose end free.

Cross the yarn over itself, holding the excess yarn with your other fingers or thumb to maintain the loop on your finger.

Insert a knitting needle through the loop on your finger and bring the yarn that is drawn from the skein around the needle point. (Don't worry if it doesn't look like it's going to remain a loop; have confidence.)

Hold ends of yarn in tension as you draw the wrapped yarn through the loop on your finger with one needle. Then pull ends to tighten the loop around the needle. When the loop falls apart, keep trying until you find a way to get the first loop tightened on your needle. (You can even tie it on, remembering to leave about two feet loose).

Then continue to loop yarn on a finger while wrapping and casting onto the needle with the other until you have 20 or so stitches.

Now it's time to bring the second needle into play. Take the needle with the stitches already cast on in your non-dexterous hand and take a second needle

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