Stocking knit stitch –
                        This stitch is produced by knitting one row in the knit stitch and the next row in the purl stitch and so on. It produces two different textured sides to your knitting. The purl side tends to be bumpy while the knit side tends to be smooth.

 Ribbing –
                        Ribbing is made by alternating a specific number of knit stitches with a specific number of purl stitches. The most common rib pattern is the knit two, purl two pattern. This means that when you have knit two stitches you bring your yarn forward and purl the next two stitches. If the last two stitches that you make are purl stitches, then when you turn your work for the next row you will knit those two stitches. Remember that knit and purl stitches are made in exactly the reverse manner. When you bind off your stitches in ribbing you will knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches.
            Ribbing tends to have an elastic effect on the knitting and is excellent for the bottom, cuffs and neck of sweaters, cuffs of gloves and for hats. It can also be used as a decorative feature as a small band of ribbing around the upper arm of a sweater.

 Increasing stitches on a knit row –
                        Knit into the front of a stitch and do not drop that stitch from your needle. Now knit into the back of the same stitch. Drop the old stitch from the needle and you will have two new stitches on the right needle. Spread increases evenly across the row.

  Decreasing stitches on a knit row -
                        On a knit row knit two stitches together.

Increase stitches on a purl row –
                        Purl first into the front of a stitch, but do not drop the stitch from your needle. Purl into the back of the same stitch and drop the old stitch from the needle. You now have two new stitches on your right needle. Increase evenly across the row.

Decrease stitches when purling –
                        On a purl row purl two stitches together.

Yarn Over on a knit row –
                        On a knit row, bring your strand of yarn to the front of your work and then over the right hand needle and to the back of your work, and with the year n in this position insert the right-hand needle in the next stitch on the left-hand needle and complete the stitch. One extra loop is now on the right-hand needle. When you work this stitch on the next row a space will be made in your knitting.

Yarn over on a purl row –
                        On a purl row, bring the yarn to the front of your work and then over the right-hand needle and to the back of your work, again bring yarn to the front of your work, and with yarn in this position insert right-hand needle in the next stitch on the left-hand needle and complete a purl stitch. There is now one extra loop on the right-hand needle and when it is worked in the next row a space will be made.

Picking up Stitches –
                        This is usually done around the neck of a sweater so that a neckband can be made. I also like to do this around an armhole and then knit the sleeve from the armhole down to the cuff eliminating a bulky seam at the armhole. To pick up stitches, hold your work with the right side towards you. Hold the free end of the yarn against the garment with your left hand until you get started. Insert your needle into the center of a stitch one row in from the edge of your work. Wrap the yarn around the needle and carefully draw the loop of yarn through the center of the stitch to the right side of your work. Repeat placing your needle into the center of the next stitch and drawing another loop through the center of the second stitch. Repeat until you have the required number of stitches, evenly spaced, on your needle. When picking up stitches around the neck, start at one side. When picking up stitches around an armhole, start at the center of the underarm.

Multiple of stitches –
                        Sometimes a pattern calls for an exact number of stitches in order to be worked correctly.  When this occurs it is called “multiple of” and this means that the number of stitches on the needle must be divisible by this number. Example –a “multiple of 5” would be 5, 10, 15, 20, etc.

Knit one stitch in the row below –
                        This stitch can only be made in every other stitch on a row.
1.         Cast on the desired number of stitches having a multiple of two plus one.
2.         Knit one row.
3.         Knit the first stitch of the next row.
4.         Now insert the needle into the stitch directly below the next stitch on the left-hand needle. Yarn over the point of the needle and pull the        yarn through the stitch. Slip the stitch that is directly above the stitch that the needle was inserted into off the left-hand needle. That is one           “K 1 in the row below” made.
5.         Knit the next stitch on the left-hand needle.
6.         Repeat to the end of the row remembering that this stitch can only be made in every other stitch.
7.         Knit the first two stitches of the next row. Repeat steps 4 and 5 across to the last two stitches and knit these stitches.
8.         Repeat the above steps until the desired length has been reached.

Bind off –
                        Knit two stitches and pull the first stitch over the second leaving one stitch remaining on the right needle. Knit one more stitch and pull the second stitch over the third stitch. Continue until the desired number of stitches have been bound off.

Making a buttonhole –
                        Knit to the desired place for the buttonhole. Bind off the desired number of stitches to accommodate the diameter of the button. Knit to the end of the row. Turn your work and purl to the bound off stitches. Cast on to your left-hand needle the same number of stitches that you bound off in the previous row. Continue to purl to the end of the row. The buttonhole is finished.

Knitting on four needles -
                        Knitting on four needles is called “knitting in the round” or “stocking knitting”. The same effect can be achieved by using circular needles but for very small numbers of stitches you will still have to use the four needle method. Either way your will always be working in one direction, round and round every row. Instead of rows you will be working in rounds. Use a marker to mark the beginning of your work. Cast on the desired number of stitches, evenly spaced across three needles making sure that there is no gap between the needles. Be sure that your stitches are not twisted. Insert your fourth needle into the first stitch of your first needle. Knit the stitches on your first needle. Your left-hand needle is now empty so move it to your right hand and continue to knit the stitches on the second needle keeping the yarn taught between needles. It is helpful to place point proctors on the ends of your needles to prevent the stitches from slipping off the ends of your needles.

Weaving or grafting  stitches –
                        Weaving is one of the methods for joining two pieces of knitting together. There must be an equal number of stitches on the two needles that are to be joined. Cut an appropriate length of yarn and thread a darning needle with it. Holding the two needles parallel,  Insert the darning needle into the first stitch of the first needle and draw the yarn through leaving the stitch on the needle and a four inch “tail” of yarn. Insert the darning needle into the first stitch of the back needle and pull the yarn through. Insert the darning needle into the first stitch (same stitch as before) of the first needle and slip that stitch off the needle. Insert the darning needle into the second stitch of the first needle and draw the yarn through but leave the stitch on the needle. Insert the darning needle into the first stitch of the back needle (same stitch as before) and slip this stitch off the needle. Continue until all of the stitches have been bound together.

Splicing yarn –
                        This is a good technique for joining a new ball of yarn without making a bulky knot. Untwist the yarn at the end of the old ball of yarn and at the beginning of your new ball. Break the plies of yarn off at varying lengths. Overlap the ends of the old yarn and the new and then twist the two ends together.  Continue to knit as before.

Saddle –
                        This is a length of knitted material, about three inches wide, that comes from the top of the sleeve to the neck of a sweater and joins the front and the back of a sweater. It is usually highly stylized and decorated.

Raglan –
                        In a raglan sweater the yolk of the sweater is decreased on the sides and angles toward the neck while the sleeves are wider at the top and take up the extra fabric needed to replace the decrease in the yolk.

Full yolk –
                        The sweater is knit to the underarm. The sleeves are knit to underarm length and the two sleeves are joined to the bottom of the sweater. From this point the sleeves and the body are knit in one piece to the neck eliminating seams.

Gusset –
                        To add extra width to an armhole and make the sleeve less binding, an underarm gusset can be made. Usually this is a triangular, diamond, or rhomboid shaped knitting in the underarm. A gusset can also be helpful at the sides of the neck of a sweater making the shoulder at the neckband wider.