Avoiding yarn twist--why does it matter?

The two most recent posts touched on yarn twist and how to avoid it.  However, in a surprising twist (har!) an important point was overlooked. As MB wrote in the comments: "There's one detail I don't understand yet--why does it matter if the yarn twists?"

What a great question!

Yarn, of course, is twisted in its very nature--that's how it's made. Specifically, yarn involves imparting twist to overlapping lengths of raw fiber--the twist holds the fibers in place. In other words, yarn is twisted out of raw fiber--no twist, no yarn. The problem is therefore not twist itself, but too MUCH twist--overtwist as it is sometimes called.

Spinners, both hand- and commercial- have come up with clever, clever ways of restraining the power of the twist to the yarn itself, so that the twist does not cause problems in the finished fabric.  Yarn made of several plies (i.e., twisted, then countertwisted) is one familiar example.  However, sometimes these spinning strategies do not succeed, or sometimes we knitters inadvertently add excess twist to yarn by winding and re-winding yarn, center-pulling each time. 

The most obvious announcement of overtwisted yarn is when the yarn itself humps up, twisting and writhing in the stretch between the skein of yarn and the knitting.  

overspun yarn twisting and writhing

This sort of overtwisted yarn is usually dealt with by stopping every so often and letting the project dangle, slowly turning and turning, to rid the excess twist. 

Although this sort of overtwisted yarn is annoying, at least you know what you have and can take steps.  More often, overtwist is sneakier than this.  The yarn is overtwisted, yes, but not enough to announce itself in the yarn.  Instead, this sneaky kind of overtwist announces itself first when the finished fabric biases (slants). 

biased knitted fabric

Biased fabric is actually all-too-common.  Commercially knit garments often suffer this problem, and it is most obvious when you see sweater seams not hanging straight, but instead, spiraling around the torso of the wearer. Sometimes, not only do the seams spiral, but the entire garment is biased ("racked") also. Hand knit garments, sadly, can also suffer this problem.  

biased ("racked") garment with spiraling seams

It may happen that the yarn itself is overtwisted when bought, a sad state of affairs.  However, we can at least avoid ADDING to the problem, and that is why it pays to take whatever steps possible to avoid creating additional, excess yarn twist. The previous post indicates how to do this:  smoothly unspooling yarn from the outside of the skein or cake into which it is wound.  

(PS: Since the last post, I found a demo of a neat-o gadget which helps with smooth unspooling: a "yarn susan." The demo at the link does not mention the twist issue, but does clearly show what unspooling smoothly from the outside of a skein ought to look like.)

--TK  

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Ball winders, part 2: avoiding yarn twist

In the immediately previous post, TECHknitting blog showed many uses for a ball winder. "Sometimes," said I, "it is necessary to wind and re-wind yarn three and even four times to get long-color repeat yarns to lay as they should." (Said not so succinctly, but that was the gist.)

Several alert and knowledgeable readers wrote in to comment that I had better watch out--all that winding and re-winding would impart a twist to my yarn, a twist I might live to regret.  "Perhaps you should not wind and re-wind quite so freely" was the consensus.

My education has included lab classes to learn firsthand the value of experimentation, yes sir, so I determined to get to the bottom of this scientifically. Here's my lab report.
_______________________________________________
LAB REPORT on TWIST in YARN 
due to WINDING YARN 
on a BALL WINDER
by TECHknitter
January 18, 2011

QUESTION TO BE ANSWERED

Does winding on a ball winder cause yarn to twist?

ANSWER

It is possible to avoid imparting twist when winding and re-winding yarn on a ball winder.

TOOLS EMPLOYED

• scotch tape (taken from where it usually lives, thus upsetting everyone here at chezTECH)
• four tape measures, each with an inch side and a centimeter side
• my trusty umbrella swift
• the ball winder at the root of the matter

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Step 1: The tape measures were scotch-taped together into a flat 4-yard long snake, all the inch marks on one face, all the cm marks on the other

Step 2: The 4-yard long tape was wound onto the umbrella swift, laying smoothly.

Step 3: the tape measure-snake was wound from the umbrella swift onto the ball winder.

RESULT

If the tape measure was smooth on the umbrella swift, it wound smoothly onto the ball winder.  If the ball winder handle was turned one way, the inch side faced outward, if the handle was turned the other way, the cm side faced outward, but in neither case was any twist imparted to the "cake" of tape-measure on the ball winder. NO TWIST.

I'll say it again: If the yarn lay smooth on the umbrella swift, it didn't matter which way the handle was turned.  There was NO TWIST in the flat tape.

However, now it gets interesting.  As soon as the tape-measure was attempted to be CENTER-PULLED out of the cake into which the ball-winder had deposited it, there appeared the TWIST the commenters prophesized.  In other words, there was twist, yes, the alert commenters were 100% correct.

However, lucky for me and my ball-winding ways, it wasn't the winding which caused the twist--it was center-pulling the resulting cake which twisted the tape. 

"it is center pulling ... which twisted the tape."

But now it gets even MORE interesting. Pulling from the outside of the tape-measure cake also produced a twist UNLESS I took the trouble to turn the cake as I tried to "knit" the tape. Fastening the tape-measure (more scotch tape, yes) on a lazy susan (stolen from the kitchen) then pulling the tape-end resulted the lazy susan spinning around, and the tape coming off with a smooth un-spooling and NO TWIST.

 CONCLUSION

There are two important consequences:  first, when using the ball-winder to wind FROM a skein, the yarn being re-wound must not be center-pulled from the skein to the ball-winder, for that would twist the yarn.  (This is a corollary of the fact that center-pulling from a cake twists yarn: the same would happen from a skein!) Instead, the yarn skein being re-wound must be unwound from the skein's outside.

Luckily for me, this I have almost always done, putting the skein into a deep basket from which it cannot jump when pulled.  I might preen and say I unwound skeins from the outside on purpose, but that'd be lying:  rewinding from the outside rather than center-pulling resulted from mere lazy disinclination to battle tangled skein innards (known, in strictly technical terms, as "yarn barf.")

The second important consequence is that yarn from cakes which is to be unwound for either knitting-up or further re-winding must be smoothly unspooled from the outside.  Once again alert and clever commenters have come to the rescue, and two different solutions have been proposed:

• a lazy-susan-type device with a spindle onto which the yarn cake is impaled, and which, smoothly spinning, unspools yarn from outside the cake when the outer yarn end is pulled  OR
• a toilet-paper holder or similar spindle onto which the cake--having first been wound onto a toilet-paper core--is placed to smoothly unspool the yarn from the outside of the cake

SUMMARY

IF you center-pull yarn from skeins or cakes, you will get twist.  IF, however, you always unwind cakes or skeins from the outside, AND smoothly unspool caked yarn via a lazy susan or core-and-spindle, then winding and rewinding will NOT TWIST THE YARN. 

In this manner, it is possible to make full use of a ball-winder as shown in the previous post, and all without imparting twist.
_______________________________________________
Well, that's the end of the lab report, and all's well that ends well.

Although now I come to think of it, "well" is a relative term. I still have to explain why the lazy-susan has migrated from the kitchen to sit by the ball-winder, and why the paper towel dispenser from the basement is upstairs wearing a yarn cake on a toilet-paper core.  However, at least the scotch tape is back where it belongs, so that's a start, right?

* * *

A big thank you to the commenters on the previous post: Honnay, who first flagged the problem and Mercuria and Jennigma who explained further.  (Talk about scary--they're all three engineers!) Many thanks also to GJabori who suggested the lazy susan, and June, who explained further, as well as suggesting the toilet paper core and spindle. Thanks for reading, thanks for commenting and good knitting!

--TK
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The ball winder--a useful tool, especially with long color repeat yarns

 Note--this is part 1 of a two part series on ball-winders.  The second part, about imparting twist to yarn by winding, can be found here. 

* * *

For many many years, there was no ball-winder at chezTECH.  After all, most yarn comes in an orderly skein, and the occasional hanked yarn was not too hard to wind by hand. However, a few years ago, a ball-winder did sneak in here.

ball winder

At first, it was only used for hanked yarns, being taken down and put up for the occasional use.  Over time the darn thing proved more and more useful, until now it is never put away because it's practically indispensable.  Specifically, it has gradually become the practice around here to re-wind nearly all yarn before use.  The more I do it, the more it saves my hide because rewinding finds trouble before the knitting starts.

• Knots are easier to splice out during the rewinding process, rather than having one (inevitably) pop up in the middle of a complex lace or stitch repeat.  For non-spliceable yarn, better to wind two separate balls. The coming end clearly announces itself so the join can be put at an inconspicuous place.
• In rustic yarns, the bits of brush, dirt and other trash spun into the yarn show right away and can get picked out before the knitting starts.
• Weak strands: even factory-standard yarns feature this problem from time to time, while some thick-and-thin yarns get SO thin in spots as to require editing.
• Insect damage (ewwww)!  Old woolen yarn from yard-sales, de-stashing swaps, store clearances always gets re-wound before letting it fraternize with existing stash ever since nasty wormies were found actually crawling around some garage-sale yarn. 

When using long-color-repeat yarns, the ball winder is particularly useful.

• Not all purchased skeins are wound in the same directions of repeat.  Winding the skein using a ball winder reveals this instantly.  By winding-off and then re-winding, it is possible to make all the yarn lay in the same direction.  
• Alternatively, sometimes the yarn ought to lay in the opposite directions.  For example, the two cakes of yarn below each contain one entire repeat of all the colors in Kauni EQ (rainbow).  Each is wound opposite to one another in preparation for knitting a symmetrical rectangular scarf.  By starting at the outside of the left cake and ending at the inside of the right cake, the scarf will begin with a purple end, followed by a complete color repeat up one side, a blue middle where the last of the left ball is to be spliced to the first of the right ball, then a matching color repeat down the other side and the scarf will end as it began, in purple. (For an explanation of why the cakes will be knit in that order, click here.)

2 cakes of yarn, each containing a complete repeat of all colors 
in rainbow Kauni (EQ) each wound opposite to one another

• In very, very long repeats, such as the Kauni yarn above, it is scarcely possible to match up color repeats--repeats which are scattered over several different skeins-- without winding and splicing and re-winding, and sometimes, splicing and re-winding again--tedious to do by hand.  To get these two complete color repeats required splicing parts of three different skeins together and three bouts of winding.  Making them lay opposite required one cake to be rewound for a fourth time. 
• Some otherwise gorgeous long-color-repeat "art" yarns may contain colors which might be jarring, such as a stripe of black in a skein of pastel colors, or a color from a completely different colorway altogether. (Hello Noro, I'm talking to YOU!) Winding into a cake shows the whole color scheme in a glance, making it easy to "edit out" unwanted colors. 
• Worse, sometimes long-color-repeat yarns have colors missing, such as where two disparate colors are joined by a knot.  Much better to find out before the knitting begins.

In a similar vein, when trying for identical twins from self-striping sock yarn put up in 50-gram skeins, the ball winder easily lets--

• Yarns from the two different skeins lay in the same order.
• Each sock start at the same color repeat. 

Bottom line: if you don't have a ball-winder, it obviously doesn't mean you can't knit. Many fine knitters don't ever use them and I got along pretty well without one for, literally, decades.  However if you DO have one, you may find it worthwhile to use it more regularly, and the more so for long-color-repeat yarns.

* * *

This is part 1 of a two part series on ball-winders.  The second part is about how to avoid imparting twist to your yarn as you wind and rewind it. 
--TK
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A neat little edging for garter stitch

Worked back and forth by knitting on every row, garter stitch makes the easiest-to-create of all hand knitted fabrics. However, where the edge is exposed, such as on a scarf or afghan edge, there is often trouble. There may be waving, ruffling, stretching. This trouble may announce itself at the time of knitting, as when an edge comes off the needles a bit loose and wavy, as shown below.

Garter stitch fabric, a bit loose and wavy, before edging

However, somewhat loose fabric is not the only situation where this trouble may arise. Even tight, well-executed garter stitch fabric may face this problem in the future, as it stretches into ruffles while it is worn.

Today's post shows an uber-easy edging which will cure existing garter-edge problems and prevent future ones.

Tight (back) and loose (front) garter stitch fabric, edged

This edging can be applied with a knitting needle, although it is easier to do it with a crochet hook, as illustrated. This technique is called "slip stitch" and creates a neat little chain around the garment.  The chain constrains the edge.  Once edged, the garter stitch fabric can stretch sufficiently to preserve the knitting's stretchy nature, but not so much as to permit ruffling.

As far as appearance, chain edging garter stitch offers a simple design element, suitable to all. Both MrTECH--that fashion-averse curmudgeon, and MsTECH--that teen fashion-setter, find this edging attractive--a rare case of agreement between these fashion-opposites.

Here's how, in 3 steps.

Step 1: Insert the crochet hook (or knitting needle) through the edge of the fabric.  Take a note of just WHERE on the stitch you are inserting--as long as you insert into the same part of every stitch, you will get a pleasant, consistent edging.  I think it looks best to insert a bit off the very edge, leaving a bit of the original garter edge showing above the chain as in the photos, but you must use your own judgment--some prefer the look of a chain right along the very edge of the fabric.

Once the hook (or needle) is through the fabric, catch the running yarn and draw up a loop. Now, go to the next stitch of your garter stitch fabric and again insert, catching the yarn on the hook or needle. The below illustration shows the hook inserted through the fabric, from front to back, catching the running yarn, and about to pull the second loop through the fabric edge--the first loop was pulled through the same manner.

Step 1

 Step 2: The second loop has been drawn through the fabric. There are now two loops on the hook on the front face of the fabric.

Step 2

Step 3: The last step is to draw the second loop  (the one more towards the business end of the hook/needle) THROUGH the first loop (the one more towards the handle).

As the steps are repeated and the just-pulled-through chain drawn through the one before it on the hook or needle, you will see a pleasant-looking chain forming along the edge of the garter stitch fabric. The chain only shows on the front face of the fabric--there is a neat "stitched" look on the back of the fabric.

The edge of the fabric will not ruffle and stretch when edged in this manner.

Step 3

Of course in this, as in all things, "use makes master" as the Latin saying goes. If your edging is coming out too tight or too loose, change needle or hook size (or pull more or less hard) until you get the "just right" tension you're looking for: firm but not unyielding.  It's very easy to pull this edge out and re-do, so mess around until you like the tension --you'll know when you get there.

Happy knitting --TK
PS:  There is a view of another edged garter stitch scarf--a quite tailored one, on Ravelry, if you click here. When you get there, click on the top photo, and then on the "+" sign on the photo, and you will get quite a closeup of the front and the back of this edging on the mustard-colored scarf at the link.

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Unkinking yarn before reuse--why it is a good idea

A whole lot of test knitting goes on around chezTECH--for every idea which pans out, there are many (many.many.many) which don't.  As a consequence, a whole lot of yarn gets recycled--unraveled, unkinked and reknit.  TECHknitting blog has already shown HOW to unkink yarn, but I thought these photos might show WHY it's such a good idea.

* * *

A hank of unraveled yarn before unkinking

* * *

Before unkinking, closeup

* * *

The same hank after unkinking

* * *

After, closeup

The final step: the unkinked hank wound into a cake on a mechanical ball-winder:

Unkinked yarn in a cake

I believe you can see that this unkinked yarn will knit up so much better than the "before" ramen-noodle yarn.

Unkinking does add delay to the schedule, to allow the yarn to dry. However, wrapping the wet yarn in a thick towel and stomping on it removes an amazing amount of water. Cunningly spreading the hank on drying rack positioned over a radiator or hot-air heating vent can reduce the delay to an overnight, rather than 24 hours. In the summertime, spreading the hank on a drying rack in the shade on a breezy day has a similar speeding effect. (Don't dry yarn directly in the sun--it can become both coarse and faded.)

Best, TK
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Curling scarf rescue mission--part four: lining the scarf

This TECHknitting series on curing curling stockinette scarves has looked at the problem, at solutions which don't work, and at two solutions which do work:  drop-columns and transforming stockinette into ribbing. 

poster child for stockinette curl

Today's poster child for curling is a multi-blue scarf.   Although you can't tell in its wound-up state, this scarf has two tapered ends and an applied edging.  Drop columns or forming ribbing would mean taking off, then reapplying the edging and unraveling, plus re-knitting one whole end--a LOT of work.  Further, with no excess yarn in stash, re-knitting and re-edging is a doubtful proposition: every inch of un-picked and unraveled yarn would have to be in perfect shape after unkinking for this scarf to come back together. Very risky!

Of course, this isn't the only sort of scarf which cannot be fabric-reworked.  Below are two other scarves-- a cheerful, beautifully-designed flower intarsia scarf and a lace scarf--which would be ruined by drop columns or ribbing. Luckily, however, all of these scarves have had their curl straightened by this post's solution: lining.

Stockinette curl cured with a polar fleece lining

LINING--materials

TECHknitting blog has already featured several tutorials for lining knitted garments--hats in headband style and in fully-lined style, mittens with side thumbs and front thumbs.  The lining recommended in those posts is polar fleece--a wonderful fabric which does not unravel when cut, so no hemming is required.  Also, polar fleece stretches--highly compatible with a stretchy fabric like knitting. However, polar fleece is not suitable to lace in style or elegance.  Therefore, this post also shows a lace scarf lined in silk.

LINING--how to

Here's how the multi-blue scarf was lined.  The first step was to steam-block the scarf.  This made it lay as flat as possible.  The scarf was then pinned to a big piece of cardboard to be measured--the pinning was necessary because measuring a scroll is impossible.  The lining material was cut a bit big, and then sewn in, turning a tiny bit of the fabric under as the sewing went along.  The work was done using ordinary polyester sewing thread and the overcast stitch. The fuzz on polar fleece rises up to hide the stitches, so if your sewing is not technically polished, no problem--the sewing is really truly invisible on the finished project. 

Unlike the little stitches illustrated in the post on overcast stitches, the stitches on the multi-blue scarf are rather large: one sewing stitch per each knitting stitch of the edging.  The thread was used doubled, and the needle was inserted between the yarn plies of the innermost line of edging stitches.  It would be possible to simply insert the thread under one arm of the knitting stitch, as well--whether to take the sewing needle through the plies of each knit stitch or under one whole strand of each knit stitch is a matter of personal preference.

The colorful and cheerful intarsia scarf shown below was knit by Sandra Woods, (Passionateknittr on Ravelry) and the photos are used by her permission. (Many thanks, Sandra!)

Intarsia scarf before lining--all rolled up

The before and after shows that lining was really the only option here.

Intarsia scarf after lining with polar fleece

Further, the lining on an intarsia scarf does more than simply cure the roll.  First, the floats on the back are hidden.  Second, the many ends can be securely fastened without having to make the back pretty. Finally, the bright red color of the polar fleece lining adds a strong design element.  A completely different effect would have been obtained, for example, by using a different color.  This opens design possibilities.  Matching scarves could be made for two sisters, say, of different temperament and personality.  Each scarf could be identical in the knitted work but quite different in finished effect via different colored linings.

Cotton lace lined with silk

The cotton lace scarf to the left was lined with silk.  Unlike polar fleece, silk is a woven fabric which must be hemmed after cutting and before being stitching in place on the scarf-back.  I hemmed the silk by hand, folding the edge under twice and backstitching the hem in place.  The hemmed silk lining was then overcast-stitched in place on the back of the cotton scarf, with the hem line on the inside, hidden forever against the purl face of the scarf being lined.  As you can see, this scarf was lined in a contrasting color--orange china silk on a fuchsia scarf. (Polyester lining or poly-silks work, too!) Thus, the lining not only cured the stubborn curl, but added an strong design element. Other views of this scarf can be seen here.  Addendum, 1-17-2011:  Lisascenic on Ravelry has kindly allowed me to link to her silk lined scarf, on which the lining was sewed differently--sewed over the edge of the knitting, which gives a very interesting look, too, almost like a knit-lined silk scarf!

Of course, linings are not restricted to hand-knit masterpieces such as intarsia or lace: they work very well in utility situations also.  On the last post, Fibercrafter-Sally left a comment about using a knitting machine to make simple stockinette scarves for charity.  Stockinette rectangles could be made on a knitting machine, then cured of their curl by being lined with polar fleece.  If the polar fleece lining were stretch-stitched on by sewing machine, these kind of machine-knitted scarves could be churned out by the dozen.  Some nice effects could obtained by the contrast between the yarn and the linings (and think of the matching lined flip-brim hats which could be made...)

Summary

The series started with three curly scarves, and ended with three flat scarves.

Before--three curly scarves

After--cured of their curl, hanging

After--cured of their curl--closeup

After--cured of their curl, laying flat showing front and back

With best regards for a happy and healthy new year--TK

* * *

This is part 4 of a four part series.  The other posts are:
Curling scarf rescue mission, part 1: the problem and the solutions which don't work
Curling scarf rescue mission, part 2: the drop-column method
Curling scarf rescue mission, part 3: transforming stockinette into ribbing

Inserting no-sew zippers in knitwear--the video

Here is a link to an Interweave Knits video on a TECHknitting technique.  (The fully illustrated zipper installation article is here.)

As shown on the video, the trick to inserting no-sew zippers for knitwear is to use a "knitpicker," a tiny latch hook.

The video shows BOTH of the techniques illustrated in the above link, as well as the Winter 2010 Interweave Knits article on zippers.  Specifically, the chain method AND the live-loop method are demonstrated by Eunny Jang, the IK editor.  

Using these tricks, an item can be STARTED from the zipper edge--TECHknitting blog just featured a 3-part KAL of a little zippered purse started from the zipper edge.  Alternatively, the zipper can be added at the END of the project: once the zipper has been prepared by using the knitpicker either to make a chain OR to draw through live loops, the zipper becomes a knittable object--as easy to attach as seaming two pieces of knitting together, or attaching an I-cord edging to a sweater's button band.

I believe these tricks can make adding zippers to knitwear much easier than methods calling for sewing.  I hope you will enjoy the video tutorial of both of these new methods--chain as well as live loop. --TK

* * *

Addendum, December 26, 2010. 

Valsew on Ravelry offers this very clever trick for those of you who have sewing machines.  The idea is NOT to use the machine to sew with, but instead to use the sewing machine as a MARKING and PUNCHING tool along the edge of the zipper tape, as follows:

• Why not use your sewing machine with a unthreaded topstitch needle for even hole spacing and prepunching, as well as a consistent distance from the edge of the zipper tape?  You may match your knitting gauge by sewing on a piece of plain paper (again with no thread in the needle) and adjusting the stitch length until it matches your gauge. 

Thanks, Val, for permission to re-print this valuable tip!

* * *
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Curling scarf rescue mission--part three: transforming stockinette into ribbing

Here is today's problem: a tightly rolled stockinette dark blue scarf.

The previous post in this series showed how to transform a curling stockinette scarf like this one into a lacy and delicate drop-column fabric which lays flat.  However, this dark blue scarf is intended for a (not very fashion-forward) man--lace would not do in this case. Instead, this curling scarf was cured of its curl and transformed into a robust fabric, neutral enough to suit everyday fashion by all genders--a ribbed scarf.

The basic method begins just like the drop-column fabric of the last post: a ladder is dropped lengthwise down the scarf.  However,  instead of leaving the ladder in the fabric, we are now going to latch the ladder up again as a column of knits against a purl background.  Like the drop-column method, the ribbed scarf which results lays flat.  Unlike the drop-column fabric, the ribbed fabric is sturdy and can be worked in any fiber at all, from acrylic to merino to yak.

THE WHY

Stockinette curls because it is wider on the front (knit) side than on the (purl) back side. It therefore follows that if there were a more even number of knits and purls on BOTH sides of the fabric, the fabric wouldn't curl.   In fact, when you look at non-curling fabrics, you see this is the case: ribbing, garter stitch, welted fabrics, basket weave, seed stitch--it doesn't really matter in what arrangement the knits and purls are: as long as there are knits and purls on both sides of the fabric, the fabric won't curl.

Although many knitters may not realize, it has long been known that a 50-50 distribution of knits and purls is not necessary to break up the curl of a stockinette fabric.  Many years ago, Meg Swanson (that knitting guru) introduced the "purl when you can" method for starting a color pattern right from the edge of a sweater.  The idea is that working even a relatively few purls "when you can" operates to counteract curl.  Applying this insight toward transforming a stockinette scarf into a ribbed one, it turns out that it is not necessary to have a 50-50 split of knits and purls on both sides of the fabric; luckily, because dropping and latching all those columns would be a lot of work.  Experimentation has established that transforming every fourth column is sufficient to defeat the roll. Here is a closeup of the fabric front after the ribbing has been formed.

 Here is a comparison of the fabric front to the fabric back after the ribbing has been formed. 

THE HOW

 As stated above, the loose ladders are latched up using a crochet hook.  The work proceeds from the back (purl) side starting with the loose stitch at the column bottom, and the ladder rungs are hooked up as a knit column against a purl background.

 You might find it easiest to hold the fabric folded in your hand, then latch up the loose ladder rungs which stick up at the fold by drawing each rung through the one below it.

As far as spacing of the columns, this is the same as for the drop column scarf--the three edge stitches are never touched to avoid tension issues, then every fourth column is dropped.  If your stitch count does not fit neatly into this system, no worries.  The excess stitches are put between the scarf edges and the first dropped column where they will never show.  If working out the column distribution gives you a headache, click over to this chart. which shows the best possible distribution of dropped columns across all stitch counts from 15 to 50.

Some other points:  The idea for getting live stitches onto your needle, dropping the columns and binding off after reworking the fabric is identical to that for the dropped-column fabric.  There are, however, three important differences in the work.

First, unlike the drop-fabric scarf,  the ribbing transformation of today's post does not require the cast on to be removed.  In other words, to transform stockinette into ribbing, you need only remove the bind-off, getting all the stitches of the scarf top onto a knitting needle or stitch holder, but you need not touch the stitches at the scarf bottom.

Second, it is best to drop only 1 column at a time, then latch it back up before going on to the next column, and this is especially important if your scarf is made in any fiber other than sheep's wool.

Third, the ladders are dropped to within FIVE stitches of the bottom, rather than two as for the drop-fabric scarf.  Then, at the top of each latched up column, the crochet hook is taken to the knit side of the fabric and the last five ladder rungs are latched up as knits against a knit background, rather than against a purl background.  This makes the top and bottom match, and gives a neat little width-wise curl at both ends of the scarf.

One final and very important point remains: blocking.  A stockinette scarf being reworked is an item already quite set in its ways, the more so if it has previously been worn and/or blocked.  As you'll see when you drop the ladders down, the yarn has taken on a strong set, as shown by the evident kink.  While a scarf originally worked in a k3, p1 ribbing would not curl, a scarf re-worked into this ribbing will, until you change its ways by blocking.  Originally, I tried steam-blocking the model scarf of this post, but that was insufficient.  Only wet-blocking with some pretty severe tugging succeeded in changing the yarn set.  The scarf does now lay flat, but it did not until it was blocked.

* * *

Still to come:  Not every curling scarf can have its fabric reworked:  a lace scarf on a stockinette ground, or a color work scarf, for example would be ruined by reworking, and it would be hard to rework a scarf which has a special bind-off.

Two down, one to go

In the last post of this series, we'll flatten a scarf with a special bind-off: that last model scarf hanging all curled up in the middle, between its two now-flat siblings.  'til then, good knitting!

--TK

Addendum 2011: Have a look at this post on the blog site "Completely Blocked" to see how blogger Cyd rehabbed her stockinette scarf to lay flat by converting ribbing.

ADDENDUM, January 2016:  If you like the look of a drop-column scarf, you can take it to the next step with PINSTRIPING!  Have a look at this post and see what you think.
You have been reading TECHknitting blog on rolling scarf rescue, part 3

Curling scarf rescue mission--part two: the drop-column method

Here is the problem, a curling stockinette scarf made of blue and purple sparkly yarn.

Today's post shows a method called the drop-column method, which cured the stockinette roll and made this scarf lie flat. The drop-column method could hardly be easier.  Every fourth stitch, a column of stitches is dropped down the scarf length to create a ladder.  Then, the scarf is steam blocked. Once blocked, the drop-column fabric goes from wildly curly to flat.  Here is a picture of the front and the back of the same scarf, after the drop-column method has been applied.

Front and back

Despite how easy the drop-column method is, I almost didn't include it in this series for five reasons.

• It really was designed for WOOL.  If you try this method on any fabric except wool, you take the chance of RUINING YOUR SCARF, yes, maybe R.U.I.N.I.N.G. it FOREVER.  You have been warned--the drop column method is for wool alone!
• The finished look is quite lacy, not a look suitable for all situations.    
• The technique is rather primitive
• The resulting fabric is delicate--it snags easily, for example
• When the time comes to wash it, a drop-column scarf needs to be handled with the UTMOST care: hyper-gentle hand washing, laid flat to dry, NEVER, EVER in the washing machine.

Yet, despite these objections, in the end I decided to give this method its own post because it has three indisputable things going for it.

• IN WOOL, it really, really works.  
• It is really, really easy. 
• It is really, really fast.  

Bottom line: if you want to cure the roll on a WOOLEN scarf knit in stockinette, if you would wear a lacy scarf and if you are willing to care for a delicate fabric, let's take a look at the drop-column technique of curing stockinette roll. (If this is not your situation, remember, there are two more posts to come in this series!)

MY SCARF IS ALREADY CAST OFF--CAN I RE-WORK IT NOW? 

Are you surprised to see a method using live stitches recommended for restyling an already-finished scarf?  Way back in 2006, in the second TECHknitting post ever, knitting's inner nature was discussed. That post stated that any single knit stitch maintains its connection with all the other stitches in its row and its column, even after the knitting process is complete.

In practical terms, this means that knitting can be restyled even years after it first comes off the needles.  In even more practical terms, this means that yes, you can put the stitches of an already-knit scarf back on the needles and re-work the fabric, transforming curly rolled-up stockinette into a non-rolling drop-column fabric.  Here's how.

CATCH THE LIVE STITCHES at the 

TOP and BOTTOM of the SCARF on 

KNITTING NEEDLES

Restyling knitting is actually fairly common.  For example, re-working the length of a garment (making it shorter or longer) has already been dealt with in an illustrated post. The first step in length-restyling is the same as in fabric-restyling: getting the stitches back on the needles.

Basically, there are two methods.  First, you can carefully unpick the original bind-off, catching each live stitch on a knitting needle as the bind-off is released.  Alternatively, you can carefully snip a single stitch in the middle of the bottom row, then unravel in both directions from the middle, again catching the stitches on a knitting needle as they pop loose.  Click over to the length post for further details and an illustrated how to. You only need to follow along in that post until you get the stitches situated correctly, right arm forward (third illustration, step 6).  After you've gotten that far along, come on back to this post!

 

For the drop-column method,  not only is the bind-off undone, but the cast-on is also undone.  Again, this can be unpicked or snipped, and again, the length post has illustrated details (removing the cast-on is the same process as removing the bind off.)  After you have the top and bottom of the scarf on knitting needles, it will look like the illustration below.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH YARN TO USE IN YOUR BIND OFF

In the illustration above, note the mini-skein of yarn at both ends of the scarf.  If you don't have any excess yarn from the scarf in your stash, then when you put the live stitches on your needles, you must unravel an additional two rows, in order to have enough yarn to bind off the top and bottom when the restyling is complete.The model scarf used up all the yarn, so the mini-skeins represent the top and bottom two rows which were unraveled and are being held in reserve for the bind-off.

DIRECTION OF DROP

Usually, ladders are dropped in stockinette top-to-bottom, rather than bottom-to-top.  If you are having a hard time telling which is which, you will see that there is an odd sort of half-stitch at the very edge of the bottom, which is absent at the top. In the illustration below, the half stitch is shown--it is the little extra purple stitch peering around the left side of the "real" blue edge stitch.

However, if you can't tell top from bottom, it really isn't all that important:  Stockinette is essentially reversible, being only one-half column off between top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top (which is why, just like when you unzip a provisional cast on, you may find that you get one less stitch working "up" (top needle) than working "down" (bottom needle) . Whichever way you run out the column of stitches, though, you will get a ladder.

SPACING THE COLUMNS TO DROP

The edge three columns are not worked in any way--we leave them alone to avoid stirring up tension issues at the side edges of the scarf.  Across the rest of the scarf, the idea is to drop every fourth stitch (3 stitches undropped, followed by a ladder).  If your stitch count will not fit evenly into these constraints, not to worry--the excess stitches are hidden between the edges of the scarf and the first dropped column on each side.  The edge flips over 180 degrees at the first dropped column, perfectly hiding any excess stitches.

If math is not your strong point, you can click through to this chart which shows where to slip stitches and where to drop them in order to distribute the columns as evenly as possible for all stitch counts between 15 and 50.

The illustrations below shows the chosen stitches dropped off the holding needle and run down three stitches.  The left picture is unstretched, the right, stretched.

At the bottom of each dropped column, stop the ladder two stitches from the bottom, and catch the loose stitch on a safety pin or stitch holder.  You don't want to get any closer than two stitches or you run the risk of making a hard-to-fix loopy mess.

 BIND OFF the SCARF BOTTOM

When you have run out all the columns, take a free knitting needle in your right hand, and the holder needle with the bottom stitches in your left hand, then bind off the bottom of the scarf--the chain bind off is very good for this situation. As you come to the loose stitch at each column-bottom sitting on its holder, undo the holder and place the held stitch on the tip of your left needle, then bind it off together with its left-hand partner, two stitches bound off as one.

BIND OFF the SCARF TOP

The next step is to bind off the top. Bind off the ordinary stitches in the usual manner.  When you come to the top of each ladder, grab it with your fingers and twist it into a backwards loop, then place the loop on the left needle.  This twisting maneuver transforms each ladder's top rung back into a stitch capable of being bound off.  Bind off all the top stitches including the twisted loops. Again, chain bind off is a good choice.

STEAM BLOCK the SCARF

The last step of all is to steam block the scarf. Below are before and after photos of the fabric--the before represents the look of the fabric when the columns have been run out, but not yet steam-blocked, the after shows how the scrunched-up ladder rungs blossom open from the blocking process.

The ladder rungs, before and after steam blocking

To get from "before" to "after," as you make each section of the scarf steamy with the iron, spread it apart with your hands by gently patting it wider.  When the steam dries away, the rungs will remain in the relaxed, open position shown in the after photo.

WHAT WILL MY SCARF LOOK LIKE?

The sparkly blue sample scarf corrected in this post came out quite loose and lacy. This is partly because it was knit loosely, partly because the yarn was of a nature to easily relax during the steam-blocking process. Pictured below is a different drop-column scarf, this one in red, which came out a bit differently.

If you compare the blue to the red, you'll see that the red scarf was knit tighter, and its yarn did not relax as much from the steam-blocking.  As a consequence, the red scarf's ladders are narrower and the fabric came out more wavy (bumpy) in cross section.  However, the stockinette curl has been cured on both scarves by the drop-column method, and both have been transformed from tight unwearable tubes into (delicate! lacy!) flat scarves.

STILL TO COME in this series

The next (third) post in this series will feature a method which works for all fibers, which is more robust than the drop-column method shown here, and which does not end up with a lacy look--a method more suitable to everyday use by all genders.  The last (fourth) post will show a method suitable for scarves which can't have their fabric re-worked: a lace scarf on a stockinette ground, for example, or stockinette color work.


'til next time, good knitting
--TK
You have been reading TECHknitting blog on curing curling scarves, part 2

Curling scarf rescue mission--part one: the problem and the solutions which DON'T work

"Why does my scarf curl?" and  "How can I stop my scarf from rolling?" must be among the most common questions asked and re-asked on internet knitting forums everywhere.


The root of the question is almost always a plain stockinette scarf -- a rectangle of fabric made back and forth, knitting on one row, purling the next -- although sometimes the question arises from a lace scarf with a stockinette background.  The problem is not the yarn, nor the technique--the problem is inherent in stockinette stitch itself.  In other words, stockinette fabric rolls because that is its nature. 

Knowing this after the fact, however, doesn't solve the problem when you've got a tightly curled piece of knitting in your hand--a piece which seems a useless disappointment.

It makes me sad to think of all the excitement of a first project turning to disappointment like this, so I've been knitting around and around until three different solutions have been worked out.  Specifically, I've knit some stockinette scarves which curl like mad--three of them.

Over the next three posts,we're going to flatten each one of these and turn each into a lovely, wearable scarf.  No longer do curled scarves have to be unraveled or put in a drawer: from now on, they can be reworked or corrected.

However, before we get to the rest of this series and show solutions which work, let's take a quick detour into solutions which don't work, or at least, which don't usually work very well.

Blocking, and why it doesn't work very well

Blocking is often recommended for curling the stockinette curl, either steam blocking or regular wet-blocking.  This may possibly work on a slick fiber like cotton or bamboo which has been LOOSELY KNIT, and is worth a try in that situation.   Yet on animal fibers, or wool or woolly acrylic, this solution is of limited usefulness. The fact is, it is practically impossible to block the curl out of stockinette without taking a real chance that you'll have to resort to actually ironing it.  Once on this road, you might find you have to iron the life right out the knitting before it will consent to lay flat.  In other words, if you chose to cure stockinette's curl with blocking, then when you finally do succeed in getting the curl out, the knitting has a real chance of having become a limp rag.  More commonly, a severe blocking tames the problem temporarily, but the curl returns as the scarf is worn.

Edging, and why it doesn't work very well

Another popular suggested cure is putting a non-curling edging onto the scarf.  Seed stitch, moss stitch or garter stitch are often recommended.  It is true that these fabrics do not curl (and are therefore an excellent choice for the next scarf!)  However, the usual result from applying a non-curling edging to a curled scarf is that, although the edging itself does not curl, the scarf to which it is attached will continue to curl, taking the edging right along with it.  There are ways to attach an edging so that the edging will not curl, but this kind of edging, called zig-zag edging, has to be knitted in, it cannot be applied after the fact.

Another species of edging often recommended is to crochet an edging onto the scarf.  This also will not work for the same reason a knitted edging will not work: the crocheting itself does not curl, it is the knitting which curls, taking the crocheted edge right along with it.

In the next post of this series (drop columns, linky below) we'll flatten the curled-up sparkly blue scarf shown at left. 

PS:  This is part 1 of a 4 part series.  The other parts are here:
part 2--drop columns
part 3--forming ribbing
part 4--lining the scarf