Thankfully, there are innumerable knitting stitches just for beginners, which means you have the opportunity to practice in a wide range of styles. Here are some essential knitting stitches that beginners can tackle and build off of to become that much better. You may just find a new favorite pattern or project. This smooth fabric is what most people think of when they think of knitting, and there are probably more patterns written using stockinette stitch than any other pattern out there. Stockinette stitch is what you get when you knit every round in circular knitting, so that’s another good reason to pick up this skill. The only trouble with stockinette is that the edges tend to curl. Don’t worry about it when you’re just learning, but when you start knitting projects in stockinette, make sure you add an edging that doesn’t curl (such as any of the other stitches mentioned here) if you don’t like the rolled effect. Ribbing is any pattern where the knits and purls line up consistently across rows so that you get columns of knits and purls that alternate across the fabric. It can be used throughout the knitting pattern or as an edging. The most common forms of ribbing are 1x1 and 2x2, the numbers indicating how many stitches you work of each type of stitch in order (so 1x1 rib is knit 1, purl 1 repeating). But you can make ribbing in just about any combination, from 3x1 to 4x4. The main thing you have to pay attention to in ribbing is that the number of stitches you cast on fits the number of stitches needed for that particular pattern. For instance, 1x1 ribbing works on an even number of stitches while 2x2 needs a multiple of 4. Seed stitch brings a lot of texture to your knitting and it’s really easy to do. It’s also a good lesson in reading your knitting because if you see a knit stitch in the row you just knit you know you need to purl that stitch on this row and vice-versa. It’s never too early to start practicing this essential knitting skill.
