First Projects: Start with squares and rectangles

When you’re learning to knit, you start with something simple: a square. In knitting, this is called a swatch.

Start by casting on 20 or 25 stitches. Then keep knitting until your swatch becomes a square. 

Here’s the challenge: Keep the same number of stitches in every row! When you’re new to knitting, it’s easy to accidentally add extra stitches—or create holes. That’s totally normal while you’re learning. The goal is to practice until you can knit a whole square without adding or losing stitches. So, if you start with 20 stitches, you should still have 20 stitches at the end. It can be frustrating when you first start knitting, but persist! You will get it in no time. 

How will you know your knitting is square? There are two ways. The first way is to measure. Use a ruler to measure across your stitches, and then measure again across your rows. If they are equal, you have a square! Another way is to fold the corner of your swatch to the opposite corner. Does it look like a triangle? If it does, you have a square! Be careful -- the number of stitches and the number of rows are not equal when you make a square, so don't rely on counting stitches and rows to know if you have a square. Once you can knit a square, you’re ready to start a knitting project!

Remember: You get better at the things you practice. So keep going—practice, practice, practice!

As you practice keeping the same number of stitches, you’re also building perseverance, or the stamina to keep going when something takes time. You’ll need that stamina for your first projects. For example, you’ll need to keep going when you knit the second fingerless glove or the second rectangle for an easy hat. And scarves? They take a lot of knitting! You’ll need perseverance to keep knitting until your scarf is long enough to wrap around your neck and tuck into your jacket.

Take a look at the beginner projects below for good ideas on how to get started in knitting!