General Directions

Materials

Knifty Knitter looms from Provo Craft (Our photographed items were designed with the Knifty Knitter circle looms. Although you can use other circular looms, such as the In the Attic Looms, the gauge may be slightly off.)

Knitting tool

Crochet hook

Yarn needle

Techniques

Casting On

1. Tie a slip knot at the end of your yarn (check the pattern for the number of strands to be wrapped), leaving a 3-inch tail. Place this knot on the holding peg, and pull gently to tighten, Photo 1.

Note: After knitting two rows, the slip knot should be removed from the holding peg.

2. With your working yarn held in your left hand on the inside of the loom, wrap each peg in a counterclockwise direction starting on the first peg to the left of the holding peg. Work your way around the loom, going in a clockwise direction until there is one loop on each peg. Don't wrap too tightly, Photo 2.

3. Work your way around the loom sliding each loop halfway down each peg.

4. Continue to wrap your working yarn around the loom a second time until there are two loops on each peg.

Basic Stitches

Knitting on a knitting loom yields results similar to those of knitting with circular needles. The basic stitches used on the knitting loom are the Knit Stitch and the Purl Stitch. Alternating rows of these two stitches will result in a garter stitch that is the same on both sides of the piece.

Knit Stitch

1. Cast on and wrap two loops on number of pegs as directed in the pattern.

2. Start with the first peg to the left of your holding peg. Use your knitting tool to take the bottom loop and pull it up and over the top loop and over the top of the peg, Photo 3.

3. Continue in this manner, working in a clockwise direction around the loom until all pegs only have one loop remaining on them. This is one round.

Purl Stitch

1. Wrap one loop on number of pegs as directed in the pattern.

2. Lay your working yarn across the front of the pegs, just below the first wrapped loop, Photo 4.

3. Using your knitting tool, reach down through the wrapped loop on the first peg and pull the working yarn up through the loop, forming another loop, Photo 5.

4. Pull the original wrapped loop off the peg, Photo 6, and place the newly formed loop on the peg. Tug gently on the working yarn to secure the loop on the peg.

5. Move to the next peg and repeat stitch as called for in the pattern.

Garter Stitch

1. Wrap the number of pegs as directed in the pattern until there are two loops on each peg and knit off one row.

2. The next row is done in purl stitch.

3. Alternate the rows in stockinette stitch and purl stitches as called for in the pattern. This creates a garter-stitch-look in your work.

Knitting a Flat Piece

1. Working around the loom clockwise, cast on the amount of stitches as directed in the pattern.

2. Wrap the last peg twice counter clockwise and bring your working yarn behind the next peg to the right. Wrap the yarn clockwise around the peg, Photo 7.

3. Continue to wrap the yarn around each peg clockwise working back toward the holding peg.

4. Starting with the last peg wrapped, knit off all pegs. The working yarn will be on the right end of the row.

Note: The stitch on the last peg that was double wrapped will be loose.

5. The working yarn will be behind the first peg on the right. Bring the yarn around to the front of the first peg wrapping in a counterclockwise direction.

6. Continue wrapping all pegs, working in a clockwise direction on the loom and knit off, again starting with the last peg that was wrapped.

7. Continue in this manner wrapping the pegs back and forth on the loom as directed in the pattern.

Note: Remember each peg will be wrapped clockwise as you move from left to right. Then they will be wrapped counterclockwise as you move right to left on the piece.

Purling on a Flat Piece

1. Cast on and wrap as many pegs as directed in pattern working in a clockwise direction.

2. Wrap the last peg and bring the working yarn around the left side of the last peg and in front of the peg just below the first loop.

3. Using your knitting tool, reach down through the wrapped loop on the first peg, and pull the working yarn up and through the loop, forming another loop.

4. Pull the original wrapped loop off the peg, and place the newly formed loop on the peg. Tug gently on the working yarn to secure the loop on the peg.

5. Continue to purl to the end of the row or as directed in the pattern.

Bind Off

There are four ways to bind off your finished piece: gather method, flat piece method, tube method and flat closed method. The gather method can be used to close up items like the tops of hats where the piece is a tube and then one end is gathered to close it. The flat piece method is used when making flat pieces such as scarves or afghan panels. The tube method can be used for items such as sleeves, where a circular piece is desired and both ends need to be left open. Flat closed method is used when knitting a piece in the round and a straight bottom is desired such as for a bag or pouch.

Note: It is helpful to have a crochet hook for some bind off methods; otherwise the knitting tool can be used.

Gather Method

1. Once the piece reaches the desired length, wrap your working yarn around the loom one and a half times; cut the yarn.

2. Using a yarn needle, thread the working yarn through each loop on the loom. Start with the loop to the left of the holding peg and work in a clockwise direction all the way around the loom, Photo 8.

3. Thread the working yarn through the loop to the left of the holding peg a second time.

4. Remove the loops from the loom and gently tug on the yarn tail until the piece gathers tightly together, Photo 9. Using the needle, secure the working yarn on the inside of the piece.

5. Turn the piece inside out and weave in the ends.

Flat Piece Method

1. Work piece until desired length as directed in pattern, ending with your working yarn at the right next to the holding peg. Cut the working yarn leaving a 3-inch tail.

2. Starting at the side of the piece with your working yarn, take the last loop from its peg and place it on the knitting tool or crochet hook.

3. Take the working yarn and wrap it once around the knitting tool or crochet hook in a clockwise direction. Pull this loop through the loop already on the crochet hook.

4. Remove the loop from the next peg to the right and place it on the hook, Photo 10.

5. Pull the second loop through the first and slide the first loop off the hook.

6. Repeat from step 3 and continue until all loops are removed from the loom.

7. After removing the last loop from the loom, use your hook to pull the tail of working yarn through it. Weave in ends with yarn needle.

Tube Method

1. Work piece until desired length as directed...