Arm How-To Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here to learn how to arm knit. It is so much by anne b. weil fun. I think you’re going to love it! You don’t need to be a knitter at all, though if you are, it will be familiar right away. If you aren’t, I’ve provided lots of detailed photographs to make it super easy to follow and learn. All you need is a good attitude and lots of bulky and you’re ready! This document will cover the following: Part I: Part II: Knitting Part III: Part IV: Finishing

Important tips Cowl pattern will be instructions will highlighted in be highlighted blue-green in pink paint. paint.

To make the knit fabric really full, I use three strands of a bulky yarn at the same time. Here are some I suggest: Lower Cost: // Lion's Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick (Wool/Acrylic blend) // Loops & Threads (Wool/Acrylic blend, shown here) These can be found at national chains such as Joann’s, Michael’s and Walmart. Luxurious: // Blue Sky Alpaca Bulky (100% merino wool) // Rowan Drift or Rowan Big Wool (100% wool) These yarns can be found online or at your local yarn shop.

Cowl Yarn measurements: for cowl: Length: 60” 3 skeins of Width: 12” approximately Measurements vary 100 yards each slightly depending on (no less than 90 tension and arm size. yards). Page 2 Arm Knitting How-To

Part I: Casting On Slip knot:

working tail yarn

// You will be working from 3 skeins of bulky yarn at the same time. Place all the ends together and treat it as if it were one strand of thick yarn. Before you important start, make sure your yarn can unfurl from your skeins easily. // About 1.5 yards from the end of the yarn, make a loop by taking the working terms: the tail. tail: the yarn that goes // Pull the working yarn through the loop. from where your working to the cut end of the yarn. // Place the slip knot on your right hand with the tail closer to you and the working yarn: the yarn working yarn farther from you. that goes from where you working to the balls of Casting on: yarn.

tail

working yarn

working yarn tail

// Make a loop with the tail, so that the remainder of the tail hangs in Cast on 10 stitches front of the loop. for cowl. // Hold the top of the loop with your right hand. Put your left hand through the loop and grab the working yarn. // Pull it through the loop. Drop the yarn you held with your right hand. // Put your new loop over your right hand. // Pull the working yarn and tail apart to tighten the stitch on your arm. tail working // Repeat this process for as many stitches as you’d like. yarn tail for cowl: Cast on 10 stitches. Page 3 Arm Knitting How-To Part II: Knitting Row 1, frst stitch:

working yarn

tail

// Pick up the working yarn and place it over your thumb on your right hand. (You won’t be using the tail any more.)

Row 1, 2nd stitch: the stitch is no diferent, but sometimes it helps to see it 2x. Twist loop 1/2 turn here to make the work- ing yarn be the front leg of the stitch

See the front of // Repeat stitch process until you get to stitch is the work- the end of the row. ing yarn tip: the stitches as tight as you can while still being able to maneuver. Do this by grabbing the working yarn close to next stitch Page 4 Arm Knitting How-To

Part II: Knitting Row 2, from the left arm to the right:

working yarn

Working on row 2 is no different than row 1, you are just knitting in the other direction, from your left arm to your right. tip: stopping in the middle If you’d like to take a break, simply // Drop the stitch in your right hand, keeping hold of the loop run a piece of scrap yarn through in your left hand. the stitches as you remove them // Turn stitch so working yarn is towards you. from your arm. When you want to go back to it, put the stitches back // Put loop on right hand. on the arm you removed them // You’re ready for the next stitch. from, making sure the knit side is facing you and your working yarn ends up at your hand! Here is the second stitch, same as the frst:

// Repeat the stitch process until you get to the end of the row. // Continue knitting from your right arm to your left, and then from your left arm to your right, for cowl: until you get to desired length End with all of Continue knitting until piece the stitches on your left arm. measures approximately 60” or you run out of yarn. Make sure you stop To keep the fabric full, continue to make the witha minimum of 4 yards remaining stitches fairly snug to your arm. It helps to grab to bind off and seam the cowl. the working yarn close to the hand/arm you are moving your stitches to. This helps the stitches stay close together. knit side Page 5 Arm Knitting How-To Part III: Binding Of

// Start with all the stitches on your left arm (you can bind off either way, but this direction is more typical). //Knit two stitches on to your right arm.

tip: cast off loosely // Continue this process to bind off stitches until there is one left. When binding off, keep the stitches loose enough to Ending: match the width of the stitches below. It’s easy to make it too tight.

for cowl: least 2 yards of down your piece. working yarn the cowl. Page 6 Arm Knitting How-To

Part IV: Finishing Mattress stitch: To seam two ends of arm knitting together,use the mattress stitch. When you seam with a mattress stitch, it puts the seam on the backside or wrong side of the knit fabric and makes the front side look magically joined.

working yarn

knit side

tip: Find the “V” When doing the mattress stitch, the key thing is take, stay consistent. // Repeat on the right. in the ends:

Cogratulatios! Yo’re doe, ho prety!