Category: Techniques

So, we’ll finish this series up for the time being with # 13. 🙂

Today’s topic for Friday Finishing is picking up Neckband stitches.

Here is a video tutorial I made on working this pickup:

This works for armhole pickups as well, and pretty much anywhere you have stitches to pick up.

Similar to last week’s horizontal to vertical seam, you need to measure your gauges (the neckband pattern in the needles you will be using, and the vertical edge of the base piece) and determine your vertical pickup ratio. A standard ratio that is sometimes listed in books or assumed in patterns MAY NOT work for your project. Usually a knitter can match the stitch gauge of a project, but then the row gauge is slightly different. Because of this, the pattern’s pickup ratio may not work in your project if your row gauge is differing. To look the best it can, you should determine your particular ratio.

Once you know your ratio, the steps for working this pickup are:

1. Using working yarn and needles, and starting at a horizontal edge, working left to right, insert the needle into the center of the first stitch (selvedge st) directly below the bind off edge. Pull up a loop of the working yarn from back to front.
2. Move to the next stitch and insert the needle into the center, and pull up a loop of the working yarn.
3. Repeat along the horizontal edge. At stair steps, move up to the stitch directly below the bind off edge in the next column over. (It will span a couple rows – don’t worry, it will end up looking nice!)
4. Beginning at diagonal lines, work the ratio of pickups determined by your gauges. Do not go into the first ‘hole’, skip that space and go into the next ‘hole’. Pick up a loop of the working yarn from behind the work and into that space. Skip one (or two) bars, depending on your ratio, and pick up another loop. You are picking up at the space between the selvedge stitch and the next stitch in.
5. Continue up the diagonal edge and along the straight vertical edge as well, maintaining the ratio.
6. When all stitches have been picked up, begin working your neckband pattern. Your first row will be a wrong side row (unless you are working in the round.)

So, that’s the last of my Friday Finishing posts for a while! I hope this series has been helpful – let me know if there are other finishing techniques that you would like me to post about!

Until next time, Happy Knitting!

Today’s topic for Friday Finishing is a Horizontal to Vertical Seam.

Here is a video tutorial I made on working the seam:

The one key to getting this seam perfect is to measure your gauges and determine your ratio BEFORE starting your seam. Many patterns will tell you what ratio to use – but your ratio may very well be different. So you should always measure and determine your own ratio for a perfect seam. The same goes for many references for this seam – many of them give a straight 3 to 4 ratio as standard. This WILL NOT always work. It is best to measure your own knitting and determine your ratio for your project.

Once you know your ratio, the steps for working the seam are:

1. Find the centers of each piece. Thread a tapestry needle with the seaming thread.
2. Starting at the center of the horizontal piece, bring the tapestry needle up (from back to front) out of the center of the stitch nearest the center of the piece. Use the row directly below the bind off edge. Leave a long tail for the second half of the seam.
3. Move to the vertical piece and starting at the center there, catch one (or two) bars. You are catching the bars between the selvedge stitch and the next stitch. It is best to leave a whole selvedge stitch in the seam – do not go into the middle of the selvedge stitch.
4. Insert the needle into the center of the same stitch on the horizontal piece, then come up out of the center of the next stitch over.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 across to the end, maintaining your particular ratio for your gauges.
6. Thread the other side of the seaming thread to work the second half of the seam. Insert, from back to front, the tapestry needle into the center of the next stitch.
7. Reversing your ratio, work the seam across the other side in the same manner.
8. Pull the seaming thread tight (but not too tight.)

Next week (the last of my Friday Finishing series for a while) we’ll cover picking up neckband stitches – a technique that combines many of the methods we’ve already covered.

Until then, Happy Knitting!

Today’s topic for Friday Finishing is Kitchener Grafting in Garter.

Here is a video tutorial I made on working the Kitchener Graft in Garter:

This method ONLY works on garter stitch fabric. The resulting grafted row will be a hybrid row of knit stitches below and purl stitches above.

You must end your knitting in a specific way before you can graft garter stitch. One piece must end with a knit row presenting on the RS, and the other piece must end with a purl row presenting on the RS. (So, end one piece having worked a RS knit row, and one piece having worked a WS knit row.)

Then, the steps for working Kitchener Stitch in Garter are:

1. Position the work with the wrong sides facing each other. You may begin on either the front or the back needle.
2. Work the set up step on needle 1. (Purl and leave on.)
3. Work the set up step on needle 2. (Purl and leave on.)
4. Needle 1 again, work ‘knit off, purl on’.
5. Needle 2, work ‘knit off, purl on’.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have one stitch left on each needle.
7. Work ‘knit off’ on needle 1.
8. Work ‘knit off’ on needle 2.

The keys to working this graft well are:

1.  You must have the same number of stitches on each needle.
2. Keep the tapestry needle and yarn UNDER the knitting needles throughout the process.
3. Work loosely as you go across.
4. After you have worked the graft, tighten up across the row to get the graft at the same tension as the rest of the knitting.

Next week we’ll switch seaming techniques and cover working a horizontal to vertical seam.

Until then, Happy Knitting!

Today’s topic for Friday Finishing is Kitchener Grafting in Ribbing.

Here is a video tutorial I made on working the Kitchener Graft in Ribbing:

This method works anywhere that the grafted row needs to look the same as the rows on either side of the graft – such as stockinette, ribbing, other knit/purl patterns. The resulting grafted row will be the same stitches as the above and below rows. This method will NOT work where you need the grafted row to be different – such as garter, seed stitch, or other patterns that change every row.

Keep in mind, when grafting live stitches, the grafted row will be offset from the row above by 1/2 of a stitch. Essentially just like the horizontal seam of two bound off edges.

The steps for working Kitchener Stitch:

1. Position the work with the wrong sides facing each other. You may begin on either the front or the back needle.
2. Work the set up step on needle 1. (Opposite On.)
3. Work the set up step on needle 2. (Opposite On.)
4. Needle 1 again, work ‘Same Off, Opposite On’.
5. Needle 2, work ‘Same Off, Opposite On’.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have one stitch left on each needle.
7. Work ‘Same Off’ on needle 1.
8. Work ‘Same Off’ on needle 2.

The keys to working this graft well are:

1.  You must have the same number of stitches on each needle.
2. Keep the tapestry needle and yarn UNDER the knitting needles throughout the process.
3. Work loosely as you go across.
4. After you have worked the graft, tighten up across the row to get the graft at the same tension as the rest of the knitting.

Next week we’ll cover working the Kitchener Stitch graft in Garter. The steps will be a bit different, since the row has to be half knit and half purl in order to maintain the pattern!

Until then, Happy Knitting!