[Illustration:  288.—­Casting On.]

289.—­To Knit On.

[Illustration:  289.—­Knitting On.]

Take the needle on which the stitches are cast in the left hand, and another needle in the right hand—­observe the position of the hands (No. 289).  Hold the left-hand needle between the thumb and third finger, leaving the first finger free to move the points of the needles. (The wonderful sense of touch in the first or index finger is so delicate, that an experienced knitter can work without ever looking at her fingers, by the help of this touch only—­in fact, knitting becomes a purely mechanical labour, and as such is most useful.) Insert the point of the right-hand needle in the loop or stitch formed on the left-hand needle, bring the thread once round, turning the point of the needle in front under the stitch, bringing up the thread thrown over, which in its turn becomes a stitch, and is placed on the left-hand needle.

290.—­Simple Knitting (plain).

[Illustration:  290.—­Plain Knitting.]

Pass the right-hand needle into the 1st stitch of the left-hand needle, at the back throw the thread forward, and with the first finger pass the point of the needle under the stitch in forming a fresh stitch with the thread already thrown over, as in “knitting on,” only, instead of placing the newly-formed stitch on the left-hand needle, leave it on the right-hand needle, and let the stitch drop off the point of the left-hand needle.  Continue thus until all the stitches are taken from the left to the right-hand needle, and the row is then complete.

291.—­To Purl, Pearl, or Seam.

Seaming or purling a stitch is done by taking up the stitch in front instead of at the back, throwing the thread over and knitting the stitch as in plain knitting; but before beginning to purl, the thread must be brought in front of the needle, and if a plain stitch follows, the thread is passed back after the purl stitch is made (see No. 291). [Illustration:  291.—­Purling.]

292.—­To Increase.

Increasing or making a stitch is done by throwing the thread once round the needle and in the next row knitting it as an ordinary stitch.

[Illustration:  292.—­Increasing.]

293.—­To Decrease.

This is done in two ways:  firstly, taking up two stitches and knitting them together as one; secondly, by taking up a stitch without knitting it, called slipping, then by knitting the following stitch in the usual way, and then slipping the 1st (unknitted) over the 2nd (knitted) (see No. 293).  When it is necessary to decrease two stitches at once, proceed thus:—­Slip one, knit two stitches together, then slip the unknitted stitch over the two knitted together.

[Illustration:  293.—­Decreasing.]

294.—­Round Knitting.