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How to Knit a Garter Tab

October 13, 2016 6 Comments

Learn how to work an easy garter stitch tab with this knitting video tutorial. This easy-to-master knitting technique is a staple among shawl knitters. You'll commonly find garter tabs used to cast on shawl patterns.

Let’s say you’ve always wanted to learn to knit a shawl but weren’t quite sure where to start. It took me 18 years (no really) to attempt my first shawl knitting project and when I finally did, I was shockingly surprised at how easy a basic shawl is to knit! Today, I’ve got a video for you to help you get through knitting a garter tab, something that forms the base of many shawl patterns.

For those of you participating in the Read Along Knit Along (what’s that? see here), the garter tab forms the foundation of the Other People’s Houses Shawl, the pattern we’re knitting as part of the knit along. It’s fun and easy, so if you’re in the market for your first ever beginner shawl, this would be a great time to try shawl knitting. :) 

Learn how to work an easy garter stitch tab with this knitting video tutorial. This easy-to-master knitting technique is a staple among shawl knitters. You'll commonly find garter tabs used to cast on shawl patterns.

Garter tabs are something that those new to knitting shawls may not have encountered before, but I promise they aren’t so bad once you wrap your brain around how they work. Whether or not you’ve got a shawl pattern you’re looking to tackle, here’s a less than 5 minute tutorial on how to master garter tabs that will have you cranking shawls out in no time:

Two beginner-friendly shawl patterns: Outlander Chevron Shawl / Other People’s Houses Shawl

Learn how to work an easy garter stitch tab with this knitting video tutorial. This easy-to-master knitting technique is a staple among shawl knitters. You'll commonly find garter tabs used to cast on shawl patterns.

The video above covers all you need to know to cast on your shawl with a garter tab, but if you get stuck or have any questions, let me know in the comments and I’m happy to assist! Shawls, as anachronistic as they may seem to some, are some of the most gorgeous pieces to knit out there, not to mention they’re beyond addictive. :)

Learn how to work an easy garter stitch tab with this knitting video tutorial. This easy-to-master knitting technique is a staple among shawl knitters. You'll commonly find garter tabs used to cast on shawl patterns.

Filed Under: Knit Along, Knitting, Knitting & Crochet Tagged With: garter stitch shawl, garter tab, garter tab cast on, kal, knit along, other peoples houses, ralkal, read along knit along, shawl knitting

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

Previous Post: « Other People’s Houses Shawl pattern / RALKAL Kickoff!!
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Comments

  1. Pattymac

    October 13, 2016 at 8:55 am

    OOOO I love the way you show this! Picking up stitches for a tab start to a shawl has always mystified me. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Lorene Frischknecht

    October 13, 2016 at 2:33 pm

    I watched the video for the knitted tab and thought it was very helpful. I always thought it was so perplexing previously. Thanks so much for sharing this video.

    Reply
  3. Diane Pierce

    October 15, 2016 at 2:23 pm

    Before the video I cast on and tried to knit the tab 6 times! Thanks for the video. Now if you could show us how to knit with markers and yarn overs correctly, that would also be great. My markers keep slipping under my yarn overs or something else is happening that messes up the stitch counts . Thanks, Heidi!

    Reply
  4. Marty Mack

    October 15, 2016 at 7:28 pm

    As always, you’re the best. Thanks

    Reply
  5. Patti Dobrowolski

    October 17, 2016 at 4:06 pm

    I am not clear what you did from step one til the starting point in the video

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 17, 2016 at 11:31 pm

      I’m happy to help. Are you referring to something in particular when you say step one?

      Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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