Mother of Purl

practice. Midway through the lessons, Daryl Hannah came to the shop to learn to knit, and loved the informal knitting circle so much that she too decided to become a part of the in–store Loose Knit knitting circle.
There are two ways to go backward in your knitting. One is simply “unknitting,” or reversing the knitting or purling action so that instead of moving your yarn from the left needle to the right needle and adding a stitch, you are moving the yarn from the right needle to the left and removing a stitch. To do this, insert the tip of your left needle into the stitch under the stitch on your right needle. Pull the stitch off the right needle and gently pull at the yarn. Your stitch will slip through the loop of the stitch that is now sitting on your left needle. Continue as necessary.
[EDITH KNIT TIP]
Preventing Dropped Stitches
One common problem knitters have when working with big needles and bulky yarn is that the yarn often slips off the head of the needle because the loops tend to be larger than the cap of the needle. To prevent this from happening, cut two disks out of cardboard, make a hole in the center the size of your needle, and slide it toward the cap of the needle before you start your work. You’ll be amazed at how this simple trick will protect the stitches from falling off.
Size Matters
Before you insert your needle into the row of ripped stitches, here’s a good tip to make this process easier. I recommend using a needle several sizes smaller than the one you are using. Since the left–hand needle functions as a stitch holder, the smaller needle won’t affect your knitting for this row, but you must remember to replace it with your original needle when you begin the next row.
The second is more involved and mainly used if you’ve made a major error and need to undo more than one or two rows in your knitting. When this happens, you’ll have to rip. First, determine how far down you’ll need to rip, and identify the row by placing a safety pin in the center of it. Lay your work down on a flat surface and simply remove the needle. Next, slowly and gently pull the strand of yarn to undo the stitches, working one row at a time until you reach the safety pin. Now replace the stitches on the needle and continue your work.
After you’ve picked up your row and resumed knitting, you may notice that some of the stitches are backward. You’ll be able to recognize this as it will be difficult to knit or purl. When this happens, simply insert your right–hand needle through the back loop of the stitch and knit it. The stitch will automatically right itself.
So far, you’ve grasped the basics of knitting, learned to bind off, and even how to rip. But more important, I hope you’re having fun in the process. Knitting is an enjoyable and creative outlet, so enjoy the ride.
[EDITH KNIT TIP]
Ripping Out an Entire Sweater
Sometimes all you can do is admit that your sweater just isn’t going to work: you made a bad color choice, or it’s too small or just too unflattering. You’ll have to rip the whole thing, but what to do with all those loose yards of yarn? I tell my knitters to wrap the yarn around the back of a chair as they rip it—wrapping it firmly, but being careful not to stretch it. You’ll notice the yarn has tons of little kinks in it. To eliminate these kinks, spray the yarn with cold water and then let it dry while keeping it on the back of the chair. Make sure the yarn is completely dry before rolling it into a ball.
Beginning with Garter
For beginner knitters, I recommend knitting the typical beginner scarf in the garter stitch. First, because it’s much easier, and second, because the edges of the scarf—unlike if knitted in stockinette, which will roll—will remain flat.
KNITTING FOR FILMS
Although I have knitted quite a lot of projects for films over the years, from Christmas stockings for Jamie Lee Curtis in Christmas with the Kranks, to the scarf for Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation, to slippers for Sissy Spacek in Blast from the Past, to name a few—I declined an offer to knit for a Budweiser commercial in which they wanted me to make sweaters for rats.

Chapter Two
THE NEXT STEP
If you want beautiful, sophisticated knitting, there is no way around the fact that you need to learn how to make and use a knitted gauge. Of course, this doesn’t stop people from trying to figure out a way to avoid having to do it. When I informed one new knitter that she would need a gauge, she replied, “Fine, where do I buy one?”
It’s 8:00 p.m. on a typical Wednesday and La Knitterie Parisienne is filled with eager knitters. Wednesday is late night, when the many knitters who can’t get away during the day come to knit among friends in the evening. We have a real mix of people here: aspiring actresses sit next to Oscar winners; studio executives gratefully accept help from assistants. At any point during the day or evening, we may have as many as forty to fifty people crowded in the shop, sitting around the large wooden table, crouching on the floor, all strangers to one another, talking, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company.
Nonknitters might be surprised at how passionate and loud the talk grows by the end of the night. During the last election the conversations got so heated, we took a poll and elected to ban any talk of politics—but that’s what I love about Wednesday nights: it’s a real family, with all the emotions and energy that a family has.
On any given day, there may be as many as twenty knitters