How to really read knitting and the true anatomy of knitting stitches [10+ examples]

A step-by-step tutorial on how to read your knitting, understand what you are doing, and the actual way knitted fabric is constructed and how it works.

*Note: As an Etsy & Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying

Understanding how knitting stitches actually work is perhaps the most important thing any knitter can ever learn. If you truly know how a knit stitch actually works, fixing mistakes or grafting is just an afterthought. So this video aims to bring the mechanics behind knitting stitches closer so that you will be able to read your knitting the easy way.
At their core, knitting stitches are just simple loops you pull through other loops - and that leaves you with only a couple of very simple variations. The way you construct increases or decreases is very simple and you can actually make them up as you. Yes, very few knitters actually know what they are doing when they are knitting an SSK - they follow instructions blindly without ever understanding them. And I hope this video will change it at least for some of you!

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction to reading your knitting
1:21 The knit stitch - how it works, how to recognize it, and how to fix it
3:42 How to identify a purl stitch
6:30 Grafting knit and purl stitches the easy way
8:30 Twisted knit stitches & how they work
11:03 Twisted purl stitches & how to use them
13:18 How to read the most common knit stitches
14:38 Understanding knitting decreases
21:12 Understanding knitting increases
27:30 Reading more complicated knitting patterns
29:10 Advanced grafting made simple
29:56 Inventing increases and decreases

[gggrrl]

Oh my! I have been knitting for ages and this is the first time seeing someone actually show what I have had to imagine in my mind’s eye. Following instructions described on a piece of paper vs seeing the formation of loops is such a help for visual learners! Thank you for going this extra step!! Love ❤️ your teaching style!

[jeannetighe]

This video is truly amazing. An entire knitting course in 30 minutes. I’ve watched it twice now and will probably watch it over and over again and return back to certain sections for my entire knitting life! Thank you Norman!

[dorym]

I have knitted off and on for over 40 years but only in the last year have I learned rudimentary skills in reading my knitting due to YouTube. But this video is on a whole different level. Especially appreciate the large scale formation of loops. Excellent visual technique. I know this video (like many others of yours) will be one of my saved constant reference technique videos. Much appreciated time and effort on your part, Norman.

[kasiadeemer]

Thank you so much for this video! I started watching your channel a few weeks ago and you took me out of the knitting hell I’ve been in the past 20 years! I was told how to knit by my Eastern European grandma and used to knit for fun and relaxation quite a bit. Than I moved to the US 25 years ago and every attempt to follow an American pattern resulted in a mess so I gave up on knitting for many years. I could not figure out why except thought there was something wrong with the way I knitted. Thanks to your videos I discovered that I knit the Russian Style, so I knit through the back loop and pearl backwards too. Finding this out was like getting a diagnosis for your medical symptoms - the relief of having a label! Now I know what I’ve been suffering from all these years: Russian speed knitting. :) From this video I so clearly see how I have to deconstruct a pattern so that the stitches are twisted or not twisted where they need to be and to change how I do decreases etc so that ”my backwards” knitting reflects the pattern. I so needed this understanding - I cannot begin to tell you how helpful your videos have been. I just made 5 different scarfs as Christmas gifts and have discovered the joy of knitting again. THANK YOU!

[ThundermansThunder]

I know that this video is two years old, but the wonderful thing about knitting, is this will always be current, valid information that can help knitters, like me, who learned how to knit, then took a very long, unplanned hiatus from knitting. This really helped me to refresh my memory, and is so much better than the videos that I learned from so many years ago. You would have saved me so much time, had your videos existed back then! Thank you, Norman, so very much, for having so much patience to clearly demonstrate everything with your own knitting, along with the clear verbal explanations that coordinate with the proper terminology, as it really helps to re-solidify them together in my mind! You are an excellent instructor, and I love your channels! You are a such a joy to watch and to hear!🥰💖

[denisejansen]

This is a great video that really explains the “anatomy” of knitting. Thank you.

[madelainedaley]

Today I thought about how much I have learnt from watching Norman, and I’ve been knitting for over 40 years.

I’ve watched this video a number of times because it’s so good. So I looked at the number of videos available for free on his channel and I was shocked by the sheer number. They all have thousands of views, so many of you must appreciate his work as I do.

Knitters always appreciate another’s work, we are quick to identify the skill and artistry of another.

Most of us learnt how to knit by sitting beside a mother, aunt or grandmother. It has always been an inherited skill we pass along. Watching Normans videos are just like that.

The collection of his videos amounts to an excellent beginners course in its own right and still offers much to more experienced knitters too.

So many artisans are forced to put down their craft and stuff it into a “hobby bag” simply because they can’t make enough money to earn a reasonable living from it, (often referred to as getting a “real job”).

So today I joined Normans Patreon, I signed up for the Grandmaster level and paid up for twelve months immediately!

It wasn’t an easy decision to make because like most I’m also feeling the pinch, but I did so not only for what I know I will gain, but for the young knitters who do turn to this platform to learn new skills. Learning how to knit is no longer limited to mums and aunts, and having an excellent mentor such as Norman will encourage more men and boys to take up the craft.

I think that recently, (May 2023), Norman may have purchased a better camera, the clarity and stitch detail is fantastic. He’s invested so much in his projects.

I believe that having so much information and video content available for free has in some ways caused me to forget to value the work of a contributor that I access on YouTube at least every week. I don’t know why it has taken me so long to formalise that appreciation by paying for it.

I suppose it cost me equal to the materials for two jumpers, maybe less, but the next two jumpers I do knit will be works of art I’m sure after accessing the content in my new account! 😂😂

I encourage all of you who can, to seriously consider joining his Patreon account. I am so glad that I did.

[The_double_ewe]

It’s funny the first thing my mama made sure was that I knew the purl was a reversed knit . It really made a difference in learning to look at how pieces are constructed. I also my learning style is a little more observation based so I think she wanted to make sure I understood how stitches are built so I didn’t get as frustrated trying to learn… this is such a good video.

[GwenNilson]

With actual videos, showing step by step is a God sent. I have a hard time comprehending the written word/drawing that are one dimensional. Thank you for such precise instructions.

[ecamville]

Knit/purl: I realized two weeks into knitting, because I was trying a stitch sampler piece for my very first project. It involved seed stitch, 2x2 rib, and a few others. And when I flipped the work over, I realized the purl looked exactly like the knit on the wrong side. I was blown away!

[sherryedwards]

You are an amazing knitter and an great teacher!! Thank you for being so thorough in your tutorials!!

[basildraws]

1:00 I think this concept was the 1st thing I ever learned about knitting. I understood it to mean that if you wanted the classic "V" stitch, you would knit it from one side, or purl it from the other side. I was probably 6 or 7 years old watching my grandmother knitting. I was decades later before I ever tried knitting myself, and not until a week ago that I REALLY learned how to do it properly.

[Whenlifegivesyoulemonscrochet]

I do not knit. I crochet. Your voice and explanations are beautiful! Starting watching you for yarn information and notions but now just watching to listen to you. So calming and instructional and inspiring! Thank you!

[BloombyRachel]

This is one of the most helpful explanations EVER! thank you for going into detail and explaining how it all fits together. This will help my knitting immensely. Thank you!

[judystadler]

OMG, Norman! This is the most lucid, wonderful, helpful how to read knitting tutorial I have ever seen - and believe me I have seen hundreds of them. Thank you so much. I feel like you have given me the best Christmas present. Wishing you the best Christmas and hoping 2021 prove to be a wonderful year for you. I look forward to your videos always and next year will be no different.

[keelyzimmermann]

I didn't know knit and purl stitches were "mirrors" but I did learn about knitting in the round and how the opposite site of the knit stitch is a purl. I didn't learn it as a "mirror" but I guess that's what it is! I took a class at our local yarn store to learn how to knit. This is wonderful, thank you! 🧶

[loubeylou]

A very clear, well explained, helpful and friendly professional teaching video.... thank you very much!! ! I found it very imformative and helpful and can only imagine the hours of prep, filming, editting etc that went it to it! Much appreciated. xxx

[kimmiemamatomany]

Wow Norman, you are gifted! Thank you for sharing it by teaching us so much. Appreciate you!

[bksith]

I'm totally new at knitting and you are my first teacher!!

[deborahddenmark]

wow, that was all very understandable, very clear, but a LOT so I will likely be watching this one several times. Even so it will be a minute before I can remember all the things. And that stitch you did at the end was so cool.