The Photo notes for making a Slip Knot HKT1.

Slip Knot & Cast On
The first part of a Cast On is to make a Slip Knot.  The Slip Knot is the first stitch.

You will need to leave a tail about 2-3 times the width of the CO.  The CO for the sample swatch will be 11 stitches or about 3-5" depending on the yarn.  Hold the yarn & twist so that the yarn from the ball is in the front.

Hold the twist with your left hand & take your thumb & index finger on your right hand through the loop.  With your thumb & index finger, pull the yarn from the ball & pull it through the loop.

Tighten the first loop made by the twist.  Place the new loop (a stitch) on 1 needle, and tighten to fit the needle if needed.  The Cast On is made on 1 needle only.

After making the Slip Knot HKT1, begin making the Cast On.

Place the yarn from the ball between the middle and index finger on your left hand.  The cut end of the yarn should be on the top of the thumb on the left hand as shown in the left picture below.  Grab the yarns below your left hand with your left fingers as shown in the middle picture below.  Pull the needle with the slip know down to make a loop on your thumb & index finger as shown in the right picture.

Take the point of the needle under the loop on your thumb and up through it.

Take the point of the needle above the loop on your index finger and down through it.  Pull the loop from the index finger through the loop on the thumb.

Release your thumb from the loop and tighten the loop on the needle.  This is your 2nd stitch.  The slip knot is the 1st stitch. 

Set your left hand up from the beginning and repeat the steps.  You'll find that if you leave your index finger set up at all times, you only need to place the yarn over the thumb.  This will make casting on faster. 

Make 9 more Cast On stitches so that there are 11 stitches on the needle.  Below is a picture of 11 stitches cast on a needle. 

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Knit Stitches & Rows
Each stitch that will be made on the needle is called a knit stitch.  All stitches that are made on the needle before flipping or turning the needle are called a row.  Each stitch and row for this swatch will be a knit stitch.

There are different methods for knitting knit stitches.  The instructions here show how to use the continental method of knitting.  This is the best way to learn how to knit as it will be the fastest, and it gives you more control to create uniform or even stitches.

Turn or flip the needle so that the yarn from the ball is to the right.  Each row begins with the ball of yarn to the right, and the needle with the stitches on the left.

Hold the yarn from the ball between your middle and index finger on your left hand.  The ball end should be under your hand and the needle end is above.   Hold the needle with the cast on in your left hand with your thumb and 3 end fingers.  Keep the index finger pointed.  The yarn will pass over your index finger creating a tension so that the stitches aren't loose and sloppy.

Take the 2nd needle in your right hand.  With the point of the right needle, go through the end stitch on the left needle.  Note in the below pictures the needle goes to the left of the stitch on side facing you to the back of the left needle as shown in the right picture.

Using your left hand, you will wrap the yarn from the ball around the right needle.  To do this, use your index finger and middle finger to hold the yarn as shown in the below pictures.

Keeping the wrapped yarn around the right needle, pull it through the stitch on the left needle.  For your 1st time, you may need to hold the wrap on the right needle with your right index finger.  When you feel more comfortable with how the stitch is made, you can try it without holding it.  This will make it faster.

Slip the stitch off the left needle (the 1 that you pulled the wrap through).  You now have 1 knit stitch on the right needle.  The right side of the knit stitch is facing you.

With the right needle, go into the next end stitch on the left needle

Wrap the yarn from the ball around the right needle, and pull it through the stitch on the left needle.  Pull the stitch on the left needle off.  Keep repeating the steps until no stitches remain on the left needle.

This is how the 1st row of knit stitches look.  Turn the needle, and start the 2nd row of knit stitches.   Keep repeating the rows of knit stitches until you have a small swatch.  About 10-15 rows will be enough.  Remember a row is when all stitches are knitted on 1 needle between flips or the turns of the needle.

This is how it should look.  It's called garter stitch.  The front and back will look the same.

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The abbreviation for making Knit stitches is K.  Patterns can use K in 2 different ways.
K 1 R = Knit 1 r.ow
K2, P2 = Knit 2 stitches then Purl 2 stitches.
* Purl stitches will be taught in a later lesson.

Bind Off or Cast Off
If you were to remove all stitches from the needle as is, they would unravel.  The Bind Off or Cast Off is how the stitches are finished so that they don't unravel.  Most patterns, and all patterns on the Diamond Site use the term Bind Off, BO or BO HKT4 for this technique.

Turn the needle so that the yarn from the ball is on the right.

Make 2 Knit Stitches or K2.

Take the left needle through the 1st knitted stitch on the right needle going left to right.

Pull the 1st knitted stitch on the right needle (now on left needle too) over the 2nd knitted stitch on the right needle (stitch on end) and off of the right needle.  Now you only have 1 stitch on the right needle.

Knit the next stitch on the left needle or K1.  You have 2 stitches on the right needle.  Using the left needle, pull the stitch furthest from the point on the right needle over the stitch on the end and off of the needle as before.

You end with 1 stitch on the right needle.  Continue until no stitches are on the left needle, and only 1 stitch is on the right needle.

Cut the yarn, and pull the end stitch so that the yarn pulls through completely to secure it.

This is how the Bind Off edge will look when done.  Note the stitches will not unravel.

This completes the practice swatch.  Now try one of the project patterns for this lesson.  The project patterns include the Photo Notes for each technique.  For more detailed instructions of the techniques, refer to this practice swatch instructions.

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