How To Knit Loosely But Evenly

Beginning knitters often knit tightly, which can lead to problems later on. It's best to address this tendency right away.

Years ago I taught a group of young girls how to knit. From this experience I gleaned a lot of knowledge about the trials and tribulations of beginning knitters. I'd have to say that the number one problem was knitting too tightly.

Knitting is supposed to be a relaxing activity, but all too often the beginner is very uptight. S/he is overwhelmed with anxiety about remembering how to cast on, knit, and purl, how to hold the needles, and how to do it faster, faster, faster!

My own mother had to eventually give up knitting because of tendonitis and injury due to repetitive activity, so I am very aware of the long-term dangers as well as the short term frustrations.

I always start my knitting with a few stretches. I reach to the sky, rotate my shoulders forward and back, lock my fingers and stretch my arms forward, bending my fingers back in the process, and massage each finger. I try to bend my thumbs back to touch my wrists. All of this helps prevent injury.

If you already spend hours at a keyboard a day, all the more reason to stretch those arms, wrists and hands.

Shake out those fingers and then pick up your needles. Knit swatches with size 8 needles and knitting worsted. Aim for looseness and consistency. By consistency I mean a flow of movement, not speed.

Let's begin with casting on. After knitting for over 45 years, I still have to consciously cast on loosely, otherwise inserting the needle into those cast on stitches for my first row of knitting is very difficult.

After casting on each stitch, give it a quick push with your index finger, to seemingly move it a bit further away from the previous stitch. This usually loosens it sufficiently.

Next, as you knit each stitch, if your stitch seem tight, give it a tiny extra tug as you pull it off the left hand needle. Just a tiny tug will do.

As a beginner, don't worry about knitting too loose at first. Your knitting will probably look sloppy. You'll be surprised how much of that sloppiness disappears after the first washing, and then the second, and so on.

Your first goal should be ease of knitting, and your first project should be garter stitch, which is knit one row, turn and repeat. No purling at first, just knitting. You want to hold your needles firmly but loosely, and practice developing a rhythm. Teach yourself to relax and enjoy the process of creating each stitch.

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