The two basic types of knit are weft or fill fabrics that include plain, ribbed, purl, pattern and double knit and warp fabrics that include knit, raschel and milanese. The defining characteristic of knitting the English style (also called “throwing”) is that you hold the thread with your right hand and wrap it around the needle. The movement can be subtle or deliberate, and there are infinite variations in the way that thread is held in the right hand. Learn to knit continental style in our Fastest Knitting with Continental Fabric class.
Learn to knit the Portuguese style in our Fastest Knitting with Portuguese Stitch class. If you're looking for ways to make your continental stitch even faster, try blended fabric. The purl stitches are wrapped in the opposite direction, to be more efficient, which means that the knit stitches are woven through the back loop. Learn how to knit combination style in our Fastest Knit with Combination Stitch class.
Learn how to knit with left-handed people in our Knitting for Left-handed people class. The two types of stitches have a different visual effect; the knit stitches look like “V” stacked vertically, while the purl stitches look like a wavy horizontal line across the fabric. Although not technically a type of knit stitch, Fair Isle is a knitting technique that you will likely encounter at some point. These types of fiber are chemically different, corresponding to proteins, carbohydrates and synthetic polymers, respectively.
Differences in yarn (which vary in fiber type, weight, uniformity, and twist), needle size, and stitch type allow for a variety of knit fabrics with different properties, including color, texture, thickness, heat retention, water resistance, and integrity. The second type of knitting needles is straight double-pointed needles (also called DPN). Of these types, wool is generally preferred for knitting, mainly because of its superior elasticity, warmth, and (sometimes) felting. Most rows of this type of stitch only require basic jersey stitch, and one in six rows uses the “four down knit” technique.
Both types of braided stitches give a subtle but interesting visual texture, and tend to draw the fabric inward, making it stiffer. According to this definition, there is only one type of fabric, since this process is valid for all weave styles. You can knit pillows, coasters, sweaters, scarves and anything you think would fit this type of fabric. The first, and most common, type consists of two thin, straight sticks that taper to a point at one end and with a knob at the other end to prevent stitches from coming out.
In fact, most knitting patterns use the same basic knit stitches and yarn types in combination with one or two intermediate techniques. The basket weave stitch is more complicated than previous types of stitches, but the only thing you need to know first is how to make a purl stitch to make it easier to follow. The ability to work from either end of a needle is convenient in several types of fabric, such as double knit slip stitch versions.
