This project is suitable for intermediate knitters and intrepid beginners. Double pointed needles can seem intimidating at first but are easier to wrangle than they look.

Our favorite free online resource for learning to knit is knittinghelp.com. There you can find a thorough introduction to knitting, videos of almost every stitch in English and continental style, and tips and tricks.

This pattern uses a few common stitches and abbreviations:

CO: cast on

K: knit

P: purl

PM: place stitch marker

SM: slip marker to right needle

wyif: with yarn in front

1x1 rib: K1, P1, repeat

SSK: slip two stitches knitwise, place stitches back onto left needle and knit them together

K2tog: knit two together

M1: make one stitch on the left by picking up bridging strand from lower row and knitting into the back (M1R)