CASTING ON

• Backward Loop CO video coming soon
  An easy method to learn, although tricky to knit from evenly. I use this when adding a stitch to the ends of knitting (as in this ), or to span gaps during knitting.
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• Continental CO
  aka Long-Tail CO
  aka Double Method CO Video
  My favorite method. Nice and loose, easy to knit from, easy to pick up stitches from. Makes an already knitted row. Starting with a slip knot is optional (see video for alternative).
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• Invisible CO
  aka Looped CO Video
  A provisional CO: one that can be easily undone, to knit off of the bottom edge invisibly. Usually done with a second piece of yarn that is ultimately removed, I've done it with a circular needle that can be knit directly off of. You can substitute yarn for the needle if you like:
  
• More methods coming soon....

KNITTING

• Continental Method
  aka German Method Video
  My preferred method, used in most demonstrations on this site. It requires less movements, and is faster. Yarn is held in left hand. A second Continental method is to wrap the yarn between the needles before pulling the stitch through. I do this sometimes, when a stitch is tight or hard to work, like when knitting two stitches together.
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• Throw Method
  aka English Method
  aka American Method Video
  Yarn is held in right hand, then wrapped around right needle before pulling the stitch through.

PURLING

• Continental Method Video
  My preferred method. Used in the videos on this site. It requires fewer movements than other methods, so it is the fastest. Yarn is held in left hand. The middle (or index) finger is used to push yarn to where the right needle can grab it.
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• Throw Method. Video
  Yarn is held in right hand, and wrapped around needle.
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• Norwegian Method. Video
       No one at my 3 local yarn stores had ever heard of this obscure method. I came across it online, and, after much confusion, and the help of one of the brilliant minds at my LYS, we finally got it!
       What's cool, and bizarre, about this method, is that it's a purl stitch, worked with the yarn in back. (!) Apparently, this is the most common method used in Denmark and Switzerland.
       The trick to doing this right is to bring the right needle behind the working yarn, before diving down into the stitch; otherwise you end up with a YO between stitches.
        If you're looking for a fast method of alternating knit and purl stitches, I still think the Continental Knit and Continental Purl methods I use are the fastest. (Here's a video of them alternating. This can be done very fast!) But the Norwegian Purl Method is still fun to learn, and for some, it may be the way to go!
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• "Combined Knitting" Method Video
       Warning! This method produces a twisted stitch! When you go to knit the stitches in the following row, you must knit into the back (k tbl) of each stitch.
       This is a popular method with some, who are looking for a faster purl method than the throw method. Personally, I find it no faster than the Continental Method I demonstrate above, and it can certainly slow you down when you have to untwist the stitches before working a decrease or what-have-you. I definitely don't recommend this method to a new knitter. But I've put it on this site for the curious.

INCREASING

• On a Knit row: Knit into strand between stitches
• On a Purl row: Purl into strand between stitches

Invisible:

• On a Knit row:
  M1 (slight left slant, can be balanced by M1R)
• On a Purl row:
  lift strand between stitches with left needle; purl up into back of it.

Lifted Increase:

• left slanting: insert left needle up into top of loop below last completed stitch; knit into front of loop  Video
  
  To work this stitch on the Purl side (this will slant to left on the Knit side of work): insert right needle under loop just below next stitch; purl the loop; then purl the stitch on needle  Video
  
• right slanting: insert right needle down into top of loop just below (and behind) next stitch; knit the loop; then knit the stitch on needle Video
  
  To work this stitch on the Purl side (this will slant to right on the Knit side of work): insert left needle under loop one row below last completed stitch; purl into front of loop  Video

Bar and Moss Increases:

• Bar increase on a knit row:
  k1 (leaving stitch on needle), K1 tbl
• Bar increase on a purl row:
  P1 (leaving stitch on needle), P1 tbl
• Moss increase on a knit row:
  K1 (leaving stitch on needle), P1 into front loop
  

Left -Slanting DecreasesCorresponding Right-Slanting DecreasesDECREASING

BINDING OFF

• standard BO Video
  Slip the first stitch. Then *K1, pass last stitch over knit stitch* repeat
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• Suspended BO Video
  Work just like standard BO, but keep the slipped stitch on the left needle while knitting the following stitch. This is supposed to be looser than standard BO, but for me it's always just as tight. The resulting stitch is (therefore) identical to standard BO. Since the standard is easier to work, I just use that.
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• Three-Needle BO Animation
  Used when joining two pieces together.

BUTTONHOLES

If you have a button that is 5 stitches wide, make a 4 stitch buttonhole, as demonstrated below. (If the button is 3 stitches wide, make a 2 stitch buttonhole.) Video is in 4 parts, corresponding to directions:

• Part 1 -- work to where you want buttonhole to begin. Bring yarn to front; slip 1 p-wise, bring yarn to back.
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• Part 2 -- Sl 1 p-wise, pass first slipped stitch over second. (repeat this part 3 more times--passing over 4 stitches total, for a 4-stitch buttonhole) Place last stitch back on left needle. Turn work.
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• Part 3 -- Cast on 5 stitches using the cable cast-on method. (In the video, I show the first two stitches being cast on. When 5 are cast on, it will look like it does in the next video.)
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• Part 4 -- Turn work (so RS is facing). Bring yarn to back; slip first st of left needle onto right needle and pass last CO st over it. ....Viola! Work to end of row, or to next buttonhole!

ODDS & ENDS

• Making I-cord
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• Short Row with Wrap
  Used to blend shorter row with higher row.
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