Knitting 101: Lesson Five {Casting Off}

Now that you have been knitting and pearling for days, you have a twelve-foot scarf and you wonder, "what do I do now?"  Well now you learn the cast off.  I know, I know, you have learned a lot this week.  It was intense.  This is so easy, you will love this step.  Without any more delay...let's do it.

1. Complete your pattern, or simply decide you are done.
2. If you have been knitting, knit two stitches.  If you have been pearling, pearl two stitches.  In my example, I am knitting.
3. After you complete two stitches, use your top needle, to grab the stitch on the far right (the first stitch of that row).  Lift that stitch over the other stitch (to the left) and off the bottom needle.

4. You just cast off one stitch!
5. Knit/pearl one more stitch and repeat step 3.
6. Continue creating one stitch and removing one stitch (you will be eliminating stitches from the top needle, and alternating between one and two stitches on the bottom needle).
7. When you have one stitch left on the bottom needle (and none on the top needle), take the last loop off the needle and hold it in your left hand.

8. Put two fingers through the loop from left to right and grab the working yarn.  Pull the working yarn through the loop.

9. Cut the working yarn and pull through completely (I just imitated cutting with my fingers because I didn't want to waste my yarn).

You will have a tail on both ends.  Use a large needle to weave the ends into your project.  You have just finished your first knitting project!!!  Come back tomorrow for more patterns you can create with these two stitches, and a project idea.