I get a lot of students through my classes who take their skills and share them with others. Teaching knitting is one of the best parts of the craft. It gives you a chance to connect with another person and to create common interests between you. It also helps you to better understand your own knitting. There's nothing like teaching to help you learn more yourself. I always encourage my students to teach someone how to knit, and I encourage you to do the same.

When you are teaching knitting, there are some basic concepts to keep in mind. First and foremost, you need to be patient. Think back to when you were learning. Knitting isn't something that's natural; it takes a lot of learning. You have to learn to move your hands in ways they've never moved before. You have to learn to watch the yarn and make sure it is in the right place. You have to remember each of the four parts of the stitch. On top of that, you have to learn while someone is watching your every move. Knitting is challenging enough, but when you add in the stress of learning from a friend or family member, it's easy to get frustrated. As a teacher, it's your job to be patient, calm, and reassuring.

Help your students by choosing yarn and needles that are easier to use. Select a light-colored, smooth texture yarn that's medium weight. Choose straight needles in a size 10 (unless you are teaching kids, then a size 8 or 9 is better). Select short needles, no longer than 10" to minimize the strain on wrists. Avoid metal needles for beginners. I recommend plastic or bamboo as these are less slippery and more flexible. It's always exciting to play with the fun yarns, and we're ready to get started on our first project. You and your student will be happier if you take the time to learn the basics with basic materials before you dive into a project.

Start by teaching the cast on. Be sure your student is comfortable with and remembers the cast on. This is the most frequently forgotten skill. You cast on only once in a project, but you knit and purl hundreds or thousands of times. You may need to cast on many more stitches than you plan to work. When you are ready to move on to learning the knit stitch, make sure you have 15 or 20 stitches on the needle so you aren't working too many stitches per row.
Move on to the knit stitch. This is usually easier to learn than the purl stitch. Work the knit stitch until your student is comfortable with it. Depending on their ability and your available time, this may take several lessons! Remember to be patient and reassuring. It's perfectly normal to need more than one lesson to learn to knit. Watch out for two common mistakes in learning the knit stitch. First, avoid the loose edge stitch at the beginning of each row. Make sure you are knitting the stitch on the needle and not the edge stitch from the row below. A symptom of this problem is continually increasing the number of stitches in your row. The second mistake is not taking the loop off the left needle after the stitch, but instead transferring it to the right needle. This will also increase the number of stitches per row, but more dramatically.

Once your student is comfortable with knitting, you can move on to teaching the purl stitch. Don't feel bad if your student never wants to learn to purl. You can make beautiful items and never purl. Many times, people will learn to knit and make a lot of scarves and baby blankets and then want to purl and expand their abilities. If you have a student who doesn't want to purl, then be sure to teach them to bind off next. If you are purling, then remember to be patient! Purling is a more awkward stitch than knitting for most people. The most common mistake when purling is having your yarn behind your work before starting the stitch. This results in a three-stranded knot on the needle. Remind your student to always keep the yarn in front as they purl and the back when they knit.

Finally, teach the bind off. Any method is acceptable. The bind off, like the cast on, is frequently forgotten. You may wish to have your student do several small swatches in a row to practice the cast on and bind off. I always like to teach my students how to cast on and bind off with a needle that is one or two sizes larger than the needle required for the project so the edges are elastic.

Now it's time to get started on a project. I recommend something square or rectangular! A scarf, washcloth, or face cloth make great first projects. This teaches your student to complete the stitches, to count often, and to measure without the challenges of shaping and stitch patterns. Your student will be better able to complete the project if you are available to help them when they get stuck. I often have students call me for advice after our class. If you aren't comfortable with helping them over the phone, you may wish to meet with them in person to assist. Expect your student to have some challenges. It's normal to run into difficulty, even I do with a new pattern.

Once they have completed the project, you can celebrate! You've shared a timeless skill with someone and created a connection that will last for generations.

By Lisa Akers, fiber arts instructor and owner of be still & knit. This article can be found at http://www.bestillandknit.com.