BASIC KNITTING  STITCHES

CASTING ON (CO)

There are several ways to cast on your knitting .I prefer this method, only because I was thaught this as a small child.
leave a length of yarn approximately 1”, for every stitch to be cast on, place the long end of your yarn over your left thumb, and the strand from the skein over your index finger. Close your other fingers over the strands to hold them against your palm
Place the needle in front of the strand around your thumb and bring it underneath this strand. Carry the needle under and over the strand on your index finger.
Draw through  loop on thumb. repeat until you have reached the required number of stitches. 

Insert tip of right needle from front to back in next stitch on left hand needle.
Bring yarn under and over the tip of right hand needle.
Pull yarn loop through the stitch with right  needle.
Slide stitch off left hand needle.
new stitch is now on right hand needle.

 How to Purl (P)

With yarn in front, insert tip of  right needle from back to front through next stitch on left hand needle
Bring yarn around the right needle counter clock wise.
With right needle,draw yarn back through the stitch.
Slide the stitch off the left needle.
 New stitch is now on right needle.

Slip, Slip,Knit,(SSK)

Slip next two stitches, one at a time, as to knit from left needle to right needle.
Insert left needle in front of both stitches and work off needle together.

Slip, Slip, Purl,(SSP)

Slip next two stitches, one at a time, as to knit from left needle to right needle.
Slip these stitches back to left needle keeping them twisted.
Purl these two stitches together through back loops.

How to Cast off (knit)

Knit first two stitches on left needle. insert tip of left needle into first stitch worked on right needle and pull it over the second stitch and take it off the needle.
Knit the next stitch and repeat, until one stitch remains,
Cut yarn and draw tail through last stitch to fasten off.

How to Cast off (Purl)

Purl first two stitches on left needle. insert tip of left needle into first stitch worked on right needle and pull it over the second stitch and take it off the needle
Purl the next stitch and repeat, until one stitch remains,
Cut yarn and draw tail through last stitch to fasten off.

Increase  knit

Knit the next stitch, but do not remove from needle. Place right hand needle behind left needle and knit again into the back of the same stitch. Slip original stitch off needle, Increase made.

Increase Purl

Purl the next stitch, but do not remove from needle. Place right hand needle behind left needle and Purl again into the back of the same stitch. Slip original stitch off needle, Increase made.

Invisible Increase (MIL)

Make one with left twist
Insert left  needle from front to back under the horizontal loop between the last stitch worked and the next stitch on left needle.
With the right needle,knit into the back of this loop.
To make this increase on the purl side, insert left needle in same manner and purl into the back of the loop.

Invisible Increase (MIR)

Make one with right twist. Insert left  needle from back to front under the horizontal loop between the last stitch worked and the next stitch on left needle.
With the right needle,knit into the front of this loop.
To make this increase on the purl side, insert left needle in same manner and purl into the front of the loop.

DECREASE  KNIT (K2tog)

Put tip of right needle through next two stitches on left needle as to knit.      knit these two stitches together.

DECREASE PURL (P2tog)

Put tip of right needle through next two stitches on left needle as to Purl.      Purl these two stitches together.