Crochet air loop for beginners: we start knitting with a simple one. The air loop is what you need to learn to crochet first of all! Crochet for beginners air loop
Good day, friends!
We continue our learning to knit. In today's lesson, we will learn how to cast on air loops with knitting needles. Yes, yes, there are also air loops in knitting, only they fit differently than crochet.
What are air loops for when knitting? Basically, they serve to expand the knitted fabric by not gradually, but by a sharp increase in the number of loops along the edge of the part.
Extension knitted details with a set of air loops
This happens when, for example, a one-piece sleeve of the kimono type is knitted and loops are added for it, starting from the armhole. Or when knitting hat with ears, and start knitting from the eyelet, and then you need to add loops for the main part of the cap.
Another use of air loops is when making various holes in a knitted fabric that are made horizontally (loops for fasteners, a hole for thumb on a mitten, welt pockets, etc.).
In this case, the loops for the hole are first closed, and in the next row, to replenish the number of loops, they are added with air loops. I think it's clear in general terms.
Sometimes air loops are also used as the first set of rows. But this case is rarely used, because it has its drawbacks: the loops with such a set are slightly shifted and the edge is not tight enough and more stretched.
And now let's look at step by step how to dial air loops with knitting needles. I will focus on the case when we need to add loops at the end of the row, or in its middle.
Suppose you are knitting some kind of detail, and you need to expand it by adding loops. We act like this:
- Step 1. Having reached the end of the row, we put the working thread on the thumb of the left hand and hold it, as shown in the photo:
- Step 2: We direct the needle down and pick up the thread from below, lying on the thumb of the left hand:
- Step 3: We take out the thumb, and tighten the resulting loop on the knitting needle (slightly).
- Next, repeat steps 1-3 until we dial the desired number of loops:
After all the air loops are typed, we turn the knitting. We knit air loops crossed front loops. In subsequent rows, these loops are already weaved into the overall pattern of the pattern that the part is knitted with.
If you need to add loops on both sides of the part, then we do it in the next row at the end of the row. This method seems to me more convenient than when air loops are added before the start of the row (I met this method).
If you need to pick up air loops in the middle of the row (for example, for a finger hole when knitting mittens), we do exactly the same as described above. But here already, after dialing the required number of air loops, we continue to knit the next loops of the row. And in the next row, again, we knit air loops with crossed loops.
In this photo you can see how the loops closed in the previous row for the hole were filled up by casting on in the middle of the row.
I hope, dear ones, you were able to successfully deal with the air loops. But if suddenly something is not clear to you from this description, ask questions in the comments.
I would be very grateful for your opinion about the lessons. After all, I am compiling them for you, and it is very important for me to know how much I succeed in this, and how useful they are for you.
All tutorials for beginners can be found at this page.
Knit with joy!
Arinika was with you. See you soon!
Crochet air loop- This is the basic technique of knitting. If you need to link openwork tunic for the summer, the main element is crochet air loop.
Air loops are used to create openwork patterns. The air loop is indispensable, and when climbing to the higher rows, such an air loop is called.
It is used in most products as a base, as well as to create airy motifs.
From the lesson you will learn how to knit air loop And how to cast air loops to make a chain of air loops.
Crochet lessons for beginners - a chain of air loops
To perform the first air loop, you must use the initial loop from the previous lesson: ""
1. Here is our first crochet stitch from the previous lesson
3. We stretch the working thread through the loop on the hook. This first air loop
4. And now let's master the diagrams))) In the diagram, the air loop is reflected in a circle. Some descriptions may be different, but these are mostly foreign.
5. Grab the working thread, pull it through the loop on the hook - this second air loop
Several air loops following each other are called chain of air loops
7. In the diagram, a chain of air loops will look like this
Air loops in crochet, they form a chain that serves as the initial row of knitting. Air loops are also an element of many patterns. How to knit air loops is shown in the photo: we clamp the initial loop between the thumb and middle finger of the left hand, grab the working thread with a hook and pull it into the loop, then grab the thread again with a hook and pull it into the newly formed loop. So, sequentially knitting loops, we get a chain.
Important: When counting air loops, the loop on the hook does not count. This loop is called the leading loop. When knitting the next row, the first loop will be the one that precedes the leading one.
Knit a chain of air loops until it turns out to be even and moderately tightened. The chain should not be too tight - then it will be impossible to insert a hook into the loops. Too loose chain looks careless.
Chain of air loops - watch the density
Below - the chain is too tight, above - the chain is normally tightened.
As already mentioned, the chain serves as the initial knitting row. The side of the chain that is facing you resembles a pigtail. When knitting, a loop of pigtails is crocheted by the front, back, or both walls.
The next row is most convenient to knit for the front wall of the loop, but the first column of the row is always knitted for both walls of the loop so that the edge of the fabric is even and dense enough.
lifting loops
In order to get a beautiful side edge of the canvas, crocheted, use lifting loops. The lift loop(s) are chain loops at the beginning of a new row of fabric that allow you to rise to the height needed to knit the next row. At the beginning of knitting, the number of lifting loops is added to the required number of air loops of the initial chain. The number of lifting loops is different for different columns, since the height of the columns is different: the shortest connecting column, but the double crochet column will be much higher. The higher the column, the more lifting loops will be required. If the lifting loops are not enough, the canvas on the sides will be pulled together; excess lifting loops form an uneven side edge of the canvas.
- connecting column (half-column) - lifting loop is not required;
- single crochet - 1 lifting loop;
- double crochet - 2 lifting loops.
The count of the lifting loops on the chain of air loops comes from the leading loop (the one on the hook), while the leading loop is not included in the calculation. For example, if the next row is knitted with single crochets, then the first column in the row is knitted into the second loop of the chain:
This master class for beginners "Crochet" devotes to the air loop. You already learned how to knit the very first loop in the previous lesson, and today we will tell you, in detail and step by step, how to dial a chain of air loops and what it can be used for.
The air loop is the beginning of crocheting. In the diagrams, it is indicated either by a dot or a circle. A chain of air loops can become a preparatory row for knitting columns, it can be used to create cells in loin knitting or openwork patterns, to connect elements - for example, in Irish lace.
When you knitted the first loop, as we taught in the last lesson, you got just an air loop on the hook. Let's take a closer look at how you did it. Fortunately, there is no disagreement about how to do this - there simply cannot be other options.
We put the work on the index finger of the left hand (if you are left-handed, then, accordingly, the hand will be right), insert the hook under the working thread with the nose towards the palm and pull the thread through the loop on the hook. You have the following air loop.
Important: try not to tighten the loops that you removed from the hook - most often you will have to knit columns in them later, and if you knit too tightly, difficulties may arise. The hinges should also not be too loose, otherwise the work will look full of holes. Focus on the thickness of the hook: stretch the loop along it so that it acquires the desired diameter, and do not change it again.
How to crochet a chain of air loops
By knitting the loops one after the other, we get a kind of pigtail, which is called a chain of air loops. The number of loops in it should correspond to the number of columns in the first row of knitting or indicated separately in the diagram.
The double chain is noticeably more voluminous, it can serve as an independent element - for example, a cord or connection for motifs in Irish lace, or can be used as a thickened edge of the product.
To tie such a chain, we need a rather long tail. Calculating its length is easy: we knit ten air loops for the sample, mark where we ended up knitting, and then unravel them so as not to lose the place where we started our chain. We just have to measure how long the tail needed for ten loops, and recalculate its length, taking into account the quantity we need. Keep a small supply just in case.
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3
And now to the double chain of air loops itself. Leaving the tail, we make the initial loop, and then we intercept the thread so that the tension of the non-working thread (our tail) is controlled with the ring finger and little finger, and the working thread with the middle and ring fingers. The work is located on the index finger. We insert the hook between the threads under the non-working one, grab the working one and stretch it into the loop on the hook.
Why knit air loops
The basis for starting knitting
The first purpose is to knit columns into it. After all, they are knitted into the loops of the previous row, and at the beginning of knitting, when this row is not yet there, its role is played by the chain.
lifting loops
When we finish one row of knitting and move on to another, we cannot immediately start knitting stitches - our work will be skewed. First we need to knit the lifting loops - they replace the first column in the row. Their number is calculated as follows:
- single crochet - 1 loop,
- patent column - 2 loops,
- single crochet - 3 loops
- a column with two nakidama - 4 loops.
With an increase in the number of yarns, respectively, one air loop will be added.
Important: lifting loops, as a rule, replace the first column in a row. Keep this in mind when calculating.
Air loop ring
If knitting is supposed to be in a circle, then you can start it either with a sliding loop (it is tightened and there is no hole left inside), or, if the work should be openwork, with a ring of air loops. Everything is simple here: we knit the required number of loops and connect with the first half-column. Depending on the scheme, the columns of the first row can be knitted either into the loops themselves or into the ring.
Pico is a small decorative element that is often used, for example, when knitting napkins. The column required according to the pattern is knitted, then a chain of air loops (usually an odd number of them), and then a half-column is knitted into the base. The resulting decorative bump is called a pico.
Step 1 
Step 2 
Step 3
Important: there is an opinion that the pico ends with a single crochet, knitted into the first air loop. This is not true, because as a result you will get an asymmetrical element. Look carefully at the picture, where and how it should be closed. For comparison, here is a photo of what is often described on the Internet in a way, and how it should be. Compare the left picot, correctly linked, with the one to the right.
Left - correct pico
fillet net
By alternating small chains and columns, you can create openwork pattern, which is called a grid. It can be both geometrically correct and arbitrary - the so-called irregular grid. This technique is used for sirloin knitting, as well as for coupling guipure.
Crochet motifs
With the help of chains of air loops, knitted elements are connected. In Irish lace, which is assembled from separate motifs, connecting posts and air loops are used to create a single work. Also, chains create a rounding of the cord in Bruges lace.
And we will definitely tell about all the types of knitting mentioned in our next lessons.
Anyone who has the desire and patience can master the knitting technique. From this master class you will learn how to prepare for knitting, how to make an air loop using ordinary knitting needles, and why this element is in knitting. Every woman has knitwear in her wardrobe. In winter, sweaters and scarves keep us warm. Knitted mittens and socks have been familiar to us since childhood and remind many of us of grandmothers, a house in the countryside and natural cow's milk.
First of all, the needlewoman must prepare for the process. For beginner knitters, it is better to choose simple products on two knitting needles. For example, a scarf knitted with an "elastic band":
We knit an air loop with knitting needles in a step-by-step master class
Knitting needles are different, you need to select them based on the desired result:
- Straight knitting needles, or knitting needles for a straight fabric. Suitable for beginner knitters if the product is not meant to be very wide. Usually have one sharp end and one end with a limiter;
- Hosiery or toe knitting needles - 5 knitting needles with double-edged ends. Suitable for knitting in a circle without a seam, for example, for socks;
- Circular knitting needles are knitting needles connected by a thick fishing line. They can knit both straight and circular fabric. Also good for beginners.
There are needles from different materials: wooden, aluminum, plastic, etc.
The size is the diameter of the needle. Knitting needles must be chosen for the yarn. Usually there is a number on the yarn and on the knitting needles. The most common size is 3 mm. Smaller instruments are considered thin. The thinner the yarn and knitting needles, the longer the product will knit.
To choose the right yarn for knitting, you need to know the color, size, type of product, wearing conditions.
For light products, cotton yarn is suitable, as well as linen and silk.
For warm clothes: scarves, hats, mittens, socks, sweaters, etc., it is better to choose wool and wool mixture.
For products intended to be worn on the lower parts of the body, it is better not to use an all-natural fiber, as it will quickly lose shape due to high mobility.
Yarn different colors for one product must be of the same thickness.
How to hold knitting needles for a beginner?
There are several different ways to hold the needles. The main rules here: to be comfortable for the needlewoman. As a rule, the worker (empty knitting needle) is held in the right hand, and the knitting needle with cast on loops is held in the left. Index fingers are working. The index finger of the right hand will remove the loop, and the index finger of the left hand will hold the thread.
Air loop set:- The use of air loops.
An air loop is needed to increase the number of loops. With their help, you can increase the number. Sometimes air loops are used in patterns. Such loops are needed for buttonholes on products.
- First stitch with knitting needles
Before starting to dial a row, you need to make the first loop.
- We throw the thread on the thumb and forefinger, while the ends of the thread hold the middle, ring and little fingers. As a result, the thread is a triangle;
- We take the knitting needles folded together. We start them by a thread between the index and thumb. We pull the thread down;
- We introduce the knitting needles under the side of our triangle, which goes from the three holding fingers to the thumb. It turns out that we have entered the knitting needles into the loop;
- We grab the thread from the index finger and stretch it into the resulting loop;
- We drop the thread from the thumb and tighten the loop.
- Air loop set
The air loop is typed with knitting needles, as a rule, for one tool.
IN right hand we take a knitting needle, and in the left - a thread for knitting. We throw the working thread on the index finger, hold the end with the middle, ring and little fingers. In this case working thread will be front. We start the knitting needle from below under the front thread and remove.
If the working thread is back, then we start the knitting needle from below under the back thread and remove it.
Loops in this case are different. The dialing method depends on which loop the needlewoman will knit over this one in the next row.
This is the easiest way to cast air loops.
Knitting gives the craftswoman a lot of room for creativity. Booties for children are very popular now, which look cute and cute. With the help of knitting, you can create warm suits, sweaters. Handmade sets of scarves and hats look very nice.
Video on the topic of the article
This is the end of the master class on knitting air loops with knitting needles. Before starting work, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with a selection of videos on this topic:
