Norwegian Knitting Method for Beginners | Learn to Knit Step by Step
Hi, I’m Kim — the knitter and designer behind M1R KNIT. I teach the Norwegian knitting method through clear tutorials, modern patterns, and simple techniques designed to help you knit with more confidence and comfort.
If you’ve been wanting to learn how to knit—or you’re curious about trying a different way of holding your yarn—this tutorial will walk you through the Norwegian knitting method from start to finish.
The Norwegian knitting method is a left-hand yarn-holding style closely related to Continental knitting. One of the biggest differences is the way the hands are held: rather than spreading your fingers apart to tension the yarn, the hands stay more relaxed and closed.
And then there’s the Norwegian purl stitch.
Instead of moving the working yarn to the front of your work every time you purl, the yarn stays at the back while the needle does most of the movement. It can feel unusual at first, but once the motion clicks, moving between knit and purl stitches can become incredibly fluid.
In this complete beginner knitting tutorial, I slow everything down and walk you through the basic skills you need to start knitting with the Norwegian method.
What You’ll Learn
We begin with the long-tail cast-on, including how I start without using a traditional slip knot and how to keep your cast-on stitches evenly tensioned.
From there, I’ll show you how I tension my yarn for Norwegian knitting and how the yarn is held in the left hand.
Then we’ll work through the two stitches that form the foundation of knitting:
The knit stitch — including how to enter the stitch correctly and pick up the working yarn without accidentally twisting your stitches.
The Norwegian purl stitch — demonstrated slowly several times so you can clearly see how the needle moves behind the working yarn, through the stitch and back around to create the purl.
We’ll also talk about knitting tension and why your stitches should be secure without being so tight that you have to fight your needles.
Once you understand the knit and purl stitches, I’ll show you how to recognize a twisted stitch, understand the orientation of the stitch legs and correct the stitch before continuing.
Binding Off and Finishing Your Knitting
Finally, we’ll finish our little practice swatch together.
I’ll show you how to work a standard knitting bind-off and share a couple of techniques that can help prevent the little gaps or “dog ears” that sometimes appear at the beginning and end of a bind-off edge.
We’ll finish by learning how to weave in yarn ends securely on the wrong side of your knitting.
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have worked through the entire basic knitting process:
Cast on → tension your yarn → knit → Norwegian purl → identify your stitches → check gauge → bind off → weave in your ends.
If the Norwegian knitting method feels awkward at first, that’s completely normal. Give yourself time to practice the movements slowly before worrying about speed.
This tutorial is meant to give you a starting point. As you become more comfortable, your hands will naturally begin to find the movements and tension that feel best for you.
Watch the full tutorial below and knit along with me as we learn the Norwegian knitting method step by step.
And if you’re ready to keep learning, you can find more Norwegian knitting tutorials and beginner-friendly knitting patterns here at M1R KNIT.
Happy Knitting,
XO Kim
Enjoying the tutorials? You can support the channel by buying me a coffee ☕Yarn used in this tutorial and pattern can be purchased here: https://lionbrand.sjv.io/c/7594184/2963518/35286
My fave knitting needles + notions