Casting Off, One Hand Knitting

Cast Off, One Handed

 

Now that you have knitted your project as long as you want, it is time to cast off, or remove the stitches from the needles.

 

I have 11 stitches in this demo. 

When you are casting off you are working with two stitches. So knit two stitches.

 

 

There are now two stitches on your working needle and 9 on the holding needle and a bit of a knitted bridge between them. The stitches on your working needle I will call, from tip down the first stitch and second stitch.

 

Stick the button of the working needle which has two stitches on it,  firmly in to the belt. You do not want it to wiggle on you.

 

To cast off a stitch, you will move the second loop/stitch from the tip of the working needle up and over the first stitch.

 

You will end up with one stitch on the working needle.

 

Remember, how I hold and control the stitches is a starting point. By now you may have your own system. In the picture above I am using my ring and little finger to control the stitches on the holding needle, my middle finger the first stitch on the working needle and using my thumb and first finger to move the second loop up and over the first stitch and off the needle.

 

You now have one stitch on the working needle. You have cast one stitch off the working needle. There are still eight stitches on the holding needle.

 

Knit one more stitch. You again have two stitches on the working needle. Repeat these steps until there are not stitches on the holding needle and one on the working needle it is time to cut the tail. Some thought in to how long to cut the tail is needed.

 

If you have knitted a headband and will be sewing the first row to the last row, you will want to cut a tail that is at least three times as long as the area you will be sewing. This is a rule of thumb that has served me well for any two pieces of knitting that I am going to sew together. 

If you are just practicing or the piece of knitting will not be sewn to something else, then cut the tail at least six inches long. Threading a needle with two inches of yarn is a pain. Experience talking here? You bet

The six inch tail will give you enough yarn to sew in to the edge of your knitting and make the tail disappear. The needle you want is the ones with the huge eye and dull point. You will find these in knitting tools area of your knitting or other store that carries knitting supplies. It can be plastic or meta. Find a way to secure the needle so that it holds still. About an inch or two from the end fold the yarn in half and pinch the fold between your thumb and first finger with about a quarter of an inch of the fold sticking out. Put the fold through the eye of the needle, then push it through a bit more until you can get a hold of it and pull on the fold until the tail is through. Pretty slick I think, an original idea but works real neat. If the project is small enough to pull through the belt on your leg this would hold the two parts together as you sew. Other wise I think I would pin on part to a pillow or maybe a padded ironing board, then line up the second part to be sewn to the first and sew the seam. You I think will have figured this out or been shown a better way. 

I hope these last few posts have helped get you started. I would suggest you keep your first one hand knitted project to show children and grandchildren and hopefully students. First projects are full of problems but almost all of them look rather strange for the first few inches. With in these first few inches you have learned to cast on, knit rows, what the yarn should look and feel like as you knit for just a few. Most of all don't give up just yet try a head band or narrow scarf. I would keep to the non textured yarns until you have a smooth, even edged project. 

 

There are two basic stitches in knitting, the knit stitch you have been doing and the purl stitch. I'll cover the purl stitch in the next section.

 

Until then travel the inter net, look at books in the library. When at the library pull out a lot of books off the shelf take them to a table and look through them until you find one or more you understand. Check these out, then after some delightful hours at home making sure these are understandable for you, make a list, check it twice and indulge your self and buy the best. I suggest you look for a stitch book. One full of stitches with directions you under stand. I will tell you now I like the books by Barbara Walker. 

The inter net has a lot of free patterns my favorite source of knitting information at this time is Ravelry. They have some nice ways to narrow the search for patterns. Once you find one you may be able to check out what other knitters thought of that pattern and how they changed it. 

While cursing the Internet, look for directions for using a knitting belt. A knitting belt goes around your waist. This may be easier for you. It uses double pointed needles so look for double pointed needles to be use with a knitting belt. When you are ready to knit a sweater I think the combination of knitting belt and double pointed needles may be easier than my very basic belt and towel set up. Which is just to get you started and a starting point to find your own system.

 

I do strongly suggest you find as many knitting groups in your area as possible. The groups I belong to are wonderful. I think we laugh as much as knit. I bet there will be someone at one of them ready to give helping you their best shot.

 

Most of all bravo from me. 

 

 

Lynne  a mom with a geology degree that knits.

Second Row, One Hand Knitting

Second Knit, Row, One Hand Knitting

 

I have 10 stitches on my needles in these photos. 

Now you are ready to knit the second row of your project. I have 10 stitches on my holding needle.

 

The first steps for knitting the next row is the same as you did for the second stitch of the knitted cast on.

 

Insert the working needle between the first, the stitch closest to the tip, and second stitch on the holding needle. Slide your working needle up and through that first stitch and to the back of the holding needle. Tuck the button end of the working needle into the belt, to free your hand. 

Move the yarn away and below/behind, both needles, then up and between them. Putting a length of yarn between the needles. Pull the button end of the working needle from the belt. Hold the long tail with the working needle and pull a new loop through the old loop.

STOP you now have a new loop on the working needle that is still part of the old first stitch on the holding needle. You now need to drop the old loop off the holding needle.

 

Hold the new loop with your index finger, and the second stitch on the holding needle with your thumb and work the old stitch off the holding needle. Keeping a firm tension on the long tail will help me control the stitches you are working with. In the picture below the old loop is between the tip of my first finger and my thumb just behind the point of the holding needle. This I'll let go of.

 

 

You will have one stitch on your working needle and 9 on the holding needle. You have knitted the first stitch of the second row.

 

 

Repeat these steps to make the rest of the second row of stitches. The new stitches are made from the old stitches on the holding needle and kept on the working needle.

 

I found I used the first joint of my first finger to hold the newest stitch/loop on my working needle. Put the point of the working needle between the first and second stitches on the holding needle. Slide the point of the working needle up through the first stitch. Tuck the working needle into the belt.

 

Continue these steps to knit the second row of your project. Your are placing new stitches onto the working needle and removing older ones from the holding needle. Each new loop has been drawn through the loop of an older one.

When all the stitches have been transferred from the holding needles to the working needle, push the stitches down the needle so that you are sure they will not come off.

 

Tuck the button end in the belt. Pull the empty holding needle out of the towel and insert its button end in the belt. Both needles are now held by the belt.  

Pull the working needle with all the stitches on it out of the belt and the button end o into the towel making sure you don't push any stitches off.

 

Presto Change O, the needle in the towel with all the stitches is now the holding needle and the empty needle is the working needle. The second row of your project is done. 

The following rows are knitted the same way.

When you 'work in progress' or as knitters abbreviate it WIP, is as long as you want it,  it is time to bind off.

Go to Bind Off, Knitting One Hand.

 

 

Third stitch cast on, one handed knitting

One hand knitting, Cast on third stitch

 

At this point your holding needle has two stitches on it. 

For the rest of the cast on stitches you will be working with the loop or stitch closest to the tip of a knitting needle.

 

To make the third cast on stitch you will put the tip of the working needle between these two stitches. Slide it up, through the loop closest to the tip of the holding needle, and under or behind the holding needle.

 

 

Tuck the working needle in to the belt, to free up your hand. Take the long tail of the yarn and move it away from your body, below the two needles then up and between the needles. Now move the yarn down and towards your stomach. There is now a section of yarn between the two needles.

Sound familiar? You are following the same steps as you did with the last cast on stitch.

Take a hold of the long tail and slip the button of the working needle from under the belt being careful not to let stitches slip off.

Continue as you did for the second stitch. Hold the long tail and working needle and slide the tip down the holding needle to pull a new loop/stitch through the old loop that is currently around both needles. 

But not the next. This new loop needs to be put over the tip of the holding needle. Hold the new loop with your first finger and use your second finger control the loops on the holding needle.  Move the new loop up and on to the holding needle, then pull the working needle free. Scoot the three stitches down the holding needle till you feel that they will not slip off.

 

Continue casting on until you feel you know how to cast on. Pull yarn from the skein as you need. Use the belt to keep the yarn as tight or as loose as you want to help with your style of knitting.

Go to Second Row, One hand Knitting

 

Cast on Second Stitch One Hand Knitting

 

 

 

We left off with the slip knot on the holding needle which is the one in the towel.

 

Pick up the working  needle which has no stitches on it, and slide the tip up the holding needle from below the single stitch, through the loop, so that the working needle moves under and behind the holding needle.

 

 

Tuck the working needle in to the belt to keep it in one place.

 

Now that your hand is free take the long tail and move it away from your body, past the two needles, then up and between the two needles, then down and back towards you.  

You have made a loop or part of a loop over the working needle, the needle tucked in the belt.

In the following picture my finger is near the short tail of yarn and my thumb is near the long tail of yarn. You can see it could be easy to pick up the wrong tail. You always want the long tail that comes from the skein of yarn. Also if you look carefully you can see a section of yarn is now between the two needles. This section of yarn goes behind the to needle and over the second needle.

 

Remember you can tuck the button end of a knitting needle under the belt when ever you want to get a different and better grip on your needle.  

I find for me that I hold the long tail and working needle with my ring and little finger. Then my thumb and other two fingers are able to control the stitches. Usually I have my first finger on the loop/stitch I'm working with and extend my index or second finger to stop the stitches on the holding needle from slipping off. My thumb helps my ring and little finger guide the working needle. Remember I have been knitting for the better part of 40 years and I have full fine motor skills of my right hand. What works for me is an idea for you to use to find what works best for you. Controlling the tension of the long tail will help you control the stitches on the working needle as the long tail is always attached to the first stitch of the working needle, which is the stitch closest to the tip.

Use your hand to move the stitches on the needles down both needles till you are feel sure they will not slip off. Take a hold of the long tail of yarn and the working needle, the needle that is stuck under your belt, and slip the working needle free from the belt, being careful not to let stitches slip off. Keep the working needle behind the one in the towel, the holding needle. 

You now have a bit more free movement of the working needle even though it is held near the other needle by a loop of yarn. Slide the tip of the working needle, down the needle in the towel, Until the tip of the working needle, the one in your hand, is about two inches above the loop that is around both needles.

 

Hold the long tail and the working needle, with your ring and little finger. Keep the long tail tight to help keep the loops from slipping off the needles. Slide the tip of the working needle, down the needle in the towel, Until the tip of the working needle, the one in your hand, is about two inches above the loop that is around both needles.

In the next picture you will see that the yarn you placed between the two needles, now divides the loop around both needles, the older loop. This yarn is held tight by my hand of which you see just my finger. This is what will become the next new loop and stitch. We will now use the needle my finger is on to catch this piece of yarn and pull it through the older loop.

 

 

This new loop we want to put on to the holding needle. Pull on the working needle to loosen the new stitch.

Loosen the stitches when you are at least half way down the needles or they may get away from you and slip off the tip. The place your index finger on this new stitch, and slide both up towards the tips of the needles.

Remember, controlling the knitting needles is like controlling a pencil, if you keep your hand at the eraser end of the pencil, for every small movement you make at the eraser end, the tip will make huge movements. So the shorter you make your needle by holding it closer to the tip the more control you will have over its movements.

Still holding the long tail and the working needle with your ring and little finger, place the first joint of your index finger on the new stitch and your thumb on the old stitch. Move the new loop over the holding needle's tip and then down the holding needle to a point where you feel the stitches will not slip off the points.

 

 

Let go of the long tail and pull the working needle down and out of any stitch.  The holding needle, tucked in the towel, has two stitches. The working needle is free of yarn.

 

 

From now on you will be working with the loop/stitch closest to the tip of a knitting needle.

 

Go to Third Stitch cast on, One hand knitting.