The necessary materials for knitting are either cotton, worsted, silk
or thread, and knitting needles.
Stockings and all knitting worked in rounds require four knitting
needles, three of which are used for holding the stitches of the
work, and the fourth to knit with.
The casting on of stitches forms the beginning of knitting. It
consists of loops formed around a knitting needle. Every loop will
form a stitch. The number of stitches will determine the width of the
object which is to be knitted.
There are five different ways of casting on stitches. For the casting
on of stitches always unroll an end of the cotton long enough to work
the stitches required, as this end is used in the formation of those
stitches.
[Illustration: NO. 1. POSITION TO FORM THE FIRST CAST ON STITCH.]
No. 1.—Illustration No. 1 shows the position of the cotton, ready to
cast on the first stitch. Place the cotton over the thumb and first
finger of the left hand, in such a way as to have the end of cotton,
which must be sufficiently long for the required number of stitches,
fall from the thumb toward the palm of the hand. Hold this end and
the other part of the cotton with the remaining fingers of the left
hand. This same position of the cotton is used in illustrations 2 and
3. Take the needle with the right hand, place it over the cotton,
between the thumb and the first finger, pass it under the cotton
resting around the thumb, bring it upward; then pass the needle
downward, under the cotton resting on the first finger; pass this
loop through the loop around the thumb, withdraw the thumb from the
loop; pass the thumb under the end of the cotton, toward the palm of
the hand; draw this end in order to close the stitch just formed.
[Illustration: NO. 2. CASTING ON OF SINGLE STITCHES.]
No. 2—_Casting on of Single Stitches._—Begin in the same manner as
described in No. 1, and make 2 stitches. Then take up on the needle
the loop which is around the thumb (see illustration 2), without
withdrawing the thumb, insert the needle around the cotton marked _b_
in illustration No. 2, from right to left, and draw it through loop
_a_; close this stitch as already directed in No. 1, by withdrawing
the thumb from loop _a_ and drawing the end of cotton.
[Illustration: NO. 3. CASTING ON BY KNITTING.]
No. 3.—This casting on of stitches requires two needles. Form the
first stitch in same manner as described in No. 1. Then, with the
left hand, hold the needle on which this first stitch is formed, pass
the cotton over the first finger of the left hand, take a needle
with the right hand, and insert the point into the loop on the left
needle, wind the cotton around the point of the right needle, draw it
through the loop, *insert the point of the left needle into the loop
just formed on the right needle, wind the cotton around the point
of the right needle, draw it through the loop. Repeat from *. See
illustration 3.
[Illustration: NO. 4. NEW CASTING ON OF STITCHES.]
No. 4—_The Casting on of a New Row of Stitches._—This casting on
of stitches is generally employed in knitting with worsted, which
requires a new casting on of stitches in the progress of the work.
It is done by putting the worsted (see illustration No. 4) over the
thumb of the left hand, holding the end between the second and third
fingers, * take up the worsted around the thumb and lying toward the
palm of the hand, by inserting the needle from under the worsted in
an upward direction (see illustration No. 4), withdraw the thumb from
the loop, pass the thumb under the end of worsted resting in the
palm of the hand, and draw it to close the stitch. Repeat from *.
[Illustration: NO. 5. CASTING ON OF STITCHES LEAVING AN EDGE.]
No. 5.—The casting on of stitches illustrated in cut No. 5 forms
a narrow border after the first row has been knitted. In order to
easily knit the first row, the casting on of stitches must be done
on _a pair_ of knitting needles. Unroll an end long enough for the
required number of stitches. Double it. Fold this doubled end in
half, insert the point of the needles into the fold, place on the
first finger of the left hand the long end of the worsted which is
among the short ends. Place the three short ends over the thumb. Hold
all these ends with the second finger. Take on the needles the ends
resting on the thumb (marked _b_ in illustration), and insert them as
shown in illustration No. 5. Then pass the needles through the loop
on first finger, in the direction of the arrow, and pass this loop
through the loop already formed on the needles, withdraw the thumb,
close the stitch by drawing the three ends, which is done by passing
the thumb under them.
[Illustration: NO. 6. CASTING ON OF DOUBLE STITCHES.]
No. 6—_Double Casting on of Stitches._—The difference between this
method of casting on and the preceding is, that every knot forms,
each time, two loops instead of one, on the needle. The first knot
must be formed in the same manner as described in No. 5. In order
to work the second knot, insert once more the needle into the loop
of three ends which rest on the thumb, marked _a_ in illustration
No. 6. The arrow, in same illustration, shows where to insert the
needle and the direction it has to take. This done, insert the needle
downward into loop _b_, and draw the latter through loop resting on
the thumb, withdraw the thumb and close the knot. Every loop on the
needle must be knitted separately at the first row.