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We're here in week 4 already?  I can't believe how fast the time has gone by!  You've come a long way in such a short time and you should be very proud of yourself!  For those just joining us, let me give you a brief look at what we've done so far.  Please feel free to click the links below and join us as we learn to knit!

In  Need a Break?  Learn to Knit and Start Relaxing...Now!  we saw benefits that knitting can bring to our lives.  After gathering our tools, we dove in head first with Learn to Knit: Casting on and the Knit Stitch.  It was an intense starter session but a necessary one to get us on the road to knitting.  Next, we learned two more techniques in Learn to Knit: The Purl Stitch and Slipping Stitches.  This week, we're going to learn how to increase and decrease the number of stitches we have on our needles!  I'll show you two ways to do both but first...

I'd like to apologize for the less-than-stellar pictures below.  My family and I went on vacation down to Coronado last week and as my son and I sat on the beach building a sand castle, a wave came and ate my camera.  It was interesting because at no time before or after the "camera debacle" did a wave even come close to where my little builder and I were...hmmm.   I quickly learned that salt water completely ruins a camera beyond repair.  So, as I anxiously await my new camera, I'm stuck using my old stand-by.  It gets the job done, right?  On that note, let's get started!

Increasing (The video "Increasing" will show you these two techniques in detail!)

Bar Increase

Though the simplest of the two basic methods of increasing, a bar increase is not often used as it creates a hole in the work (see Pic 4).  However, to make a Bar Increase, I'd like you to first knit a few stitches so you have stitches on the right and left needles.  Now, if you  separate your needles a bit and look between the stitches, you'll see a bar of yarn connecting them (Pic 1).  Take your right needle, bring it in front of the bar, dip it down and pick up that bar (Pic 2).  Take your left needle and bring it in front of the bar on the right needle.  Slide it between the bar and the right needle (Pic 3).  Now, wrap the yarn around the right needle, pull it through, pop it off and voila!  Done (Pic 4)!

                Picture 1                                  Picture 2

                Picture 3                                   Picture 4

Knitting into the Front and Back of a Stitch

The most commonly used increase method with the longest name in the world.  Thank goodness the knitting powers that be abbreviated this M1 (make 1).  Phew!  If you see that abbreviation in a knitting pattern, follow the directions below.  If they want you to increase using a different method, they'll specify this at the beginning of the pattern!

To M1, you are going to knit a stitch but do not pop the original stitch off the left loop!  On the right needle, you have the new stitch you just made (Pic 1).  Keeping the new stitch on the right needle, bring the right needle tip around to the back of the left needle and insert it into the back side of the original loop (Pic 2).  Now, wrap that yarn around the back of the right needle, just like you are knitting it (because you are! Pic 3).  Pull the yarn through and pop the original loop off that left needle!  You'll see two stitches where there used to be one.  The right stitch will look like a knit stitch and the left will look like a purl stitch (Pic 4).  This increase is often done at the edges of a piece and so the bead you see on the left stitch gets hidden in the seam.

                Picture 1                                  Picture 2

            Picture 3                                     Picture 4

Decreasing (The video "Decreasing" will be posted and linked once my new camera arrives - stay tuned!)

Knit Two Together

Commonly abbreviated k2tog, this decrease is a standard in knitting patterns and will slant your work to up to the right.  To k2tog, you will essentially be knitting two stitches as if they are one!  Begin by inserting the tip of the right needle into the front of the second loop on the left needle.  Continue threading the needle in through the first loop on the left needle (Pic 1).  Now, go ahead and knit - wrap the yarn around the back of the right needle (Pic 2) and pull it through both loops (Pic 3).  Pop both loops off and there you have it - one stitch where there used to be two (Pic 4)! 

                Picture 1                                   Picture 2

              Picture 3                                  Picture 4

Slip Slip Knit

In the knitting world, we write (and say) this as SSK.  This type of decrease will slant your work up to the left.  To make a decrease by SSKing, you'll slip the first  stitch on the left needle knitwise.  Do the same for the second (now the first) stitch so that you have slipped knitwise two stitches.  Now take your left needle and slide it from the left through both of the slipped stitches so that it rests on top of the right needle.  Go ahead and complete the decrease by wrapping the yarn around the back of the right needle, pulling the yarn through both loops and pulling both loops off the left needle.  Great job!  You now know how to SSK!

               Picture 1                                  Picture 2

              Picture 3                                  Picture 4

Great job today!  I can't believe we're almost done with our Learn to Knit series!  I can't wait till next Monday when we Learn to Knit: Specialty Stitches, Abbreviations and Simple Stitch Patterns!  You can always e-mail me at melissa@mondaymorningknits.com or visit me at www.mondaymorningknits.com!

Happy knitting!

Melissa