Double fold back steeks are a trick where all the prep work is done ahead of time. They come in two versions: with and without borders. In both versions, when the steek is cut, the edges spring away from the scissors with the cut-tails already firmly tucked under. No additional work has to be done to hide the cuts. The cuts can't be seen, and, worked in wool, won't come undone.
Below is a sample with dark blue borders ("B" and "E"). It has been folded so you can see inside and outside (small inset). The cut tails are hiding under "D," the folded-back steek.
Small inset: a steeked and bordered sample, folded over.
In closeup:
--A, outside stockinette fabric
--B, right garter stitch border, seen from outside
--C, inner reverse stockinette fabric
--D, folded-over steek ("steek facing") hides the tails.
--E, left border seen from inside
Click to enlarge.
Brief background
"Steeking" is a trick for tubes knit in the round. After knitting, the tube is cut with a scissors, so it lies flat. The above example was knit in the round, then afterwards steeked. Securing the cut edges is the chief concern in steeking. That's where today's trick, double fold-back, comes in.
Like all steeking, this method is really intended for wool, meaning the fiber that comes off the back of a living sheep. This is because wool is grippy. Steeking slippery yarns is asking for trouble. If I absolutely HAD to steek a slippery yarn, such as cotton or acrylic, double fold-back is the method I would choose. Nevertheless, you have been warned! Steeking works best in wool.
Double fold-back is quick and sturdy. However, due to its thick edge, its highest and best use is where bulk is of no concern, but a quick sturdy method is just the ticket: wall hangings, cushion tops, and perhaps, blanket edges.
In a way, this post is actually third in a series of TECHknitting posts about wall-hangings, especially those with words and sayings on them. However, double fold-back is not restricted to knitted sayings, but will work for any kind of wallhanging or cushion where the edge is knit in one color.
As mentioned above, double fold-back steeks come in two versions: plain and bordered. We'll look at the plain version first: the bordered version is merely a fancier variation.
Plain double fold-back steeks, the concept
In this top-down view of the finished product, the fold-back is two folds. Each fold is made along a "fold column," colored bright blue below. Each fold is held in place by a very thin crocheted chain stitch, shown in red, below. In the real world, the chain would be worked in a matching color, a yarn split of the original yarn, perhaps. The red is for visibility / demo purposes only.
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Large asterisk * marks the outer fold,Small asterisk * =inner fold, Bracket } = steek facing. This is "D" in the opening photo |
The outer fold becomes the new fabric edge, marked with the large asterisk above. In the plain (unbordered) version, this new edge is what the world sees: a tightly turned column of stitches, firmly flipping the fabric back on itself.
The inner fold, marked with a smaller asterisk above, tucks the cut ends between the fabric and the first fold. The cut ends are indicated by the little spikes. Two 180 degree turns have hidden the cut-tails forever: a jelly roll stuffed with yarn ends.
Viewed from the inside, the stretch of fabric between the folds is called the "steek facing." ("Facing" = a bit of fabric turned back along the inside of an edge.) It is indicated by the bracket, above.
This real-life sample (below) is pinned back on itself to display the steeked edge from both inside and outside. The red yarn fastens the top edge of the steek facing, the small asterisk points at the inside edge of the steek facing, the large asterisk indicates at the outside fabric edge as seen from both inside (orange arrow) and outside (purple arrow). The bracket again indicates the span of the steek facing.
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The large asterisk marks the outer edge as seen from the inside (orange arrow) and the outside (purple arrow). The small asterisk marks the inner edge and the bracket spans the steek facing.
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Four folds and how they curl up--top view
This sketch shows there are four fold columns: two on either side of the cut line. The fold columns themselves are highlighted in bright blue, and again, the red "stitches" show the top view of where the crocheted columns pull the fold columns shut on themselves.
The pink scissors show where the cut will be made.
Green borders the outer left (OL) fold column,
yellow borders the inner left column (IL).
Red borders the inner right (IR) fold column, and
tan, the outer right (OR) fold column.
The arrows show how the fabric folds up after the cut--two flips. As with the opening sketch, the lower part of the illustration shows the cut ends (little spikes) trapped inside the jelly roll of folded columns. And, it really is a jelly roll: as soon as you cut, the edges spring away from the scissors to roll over automatically. Large asterisk= outer edge, small = inner edge
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| As you cut up the middle between the two sets of inner folds (pink scissors) the arrows show the direction in which the fabric folds back on itself . In the folding, the cut-tails (little spikes, bottom row of diagram) curl to the inside where they cannot be seen and do not unravel. |
Spacing of the columns
In this real life demo, a line of beige yarn was run up the middle of the cut column. The rest of the below photo is color-coded same as the sketch.
OL: outer left fold column (green) 4 columns to left of cut column
IL: inner left fold column (yellow) adjacent to cut column
PINK ARROW: cut column (beige yarn--steek will be cut open up the middle of this column at the end)
IR: inner right fold column (red) adjacent to cut column
OR: outer right fold column (tan) 4 columns to right of cut column
As in the sketch, the fold columns themselves are highlighted in bright blue.
With this spacing, a double fold-back steek requires a "bridge" of 9 stitches, but other spacings are possible. For example, the inner fold column could be located one full column away from the cut column or even more, for extra security with slippery or thin yarns. As the inner fold column moves outward from the cut line, the outer fold line can also move.
It is also possible to re-locate the fold columns by half-steps. By squinting, you can see the V's in stockinette columns as upward-pointing (Λ) instead of downward-pointing (V). By switching back and forth between seeing upward Λ's and downward V's, you can move the fold columns over by a half-column at a time.
The actual spacing is knitter's choice. It depends on the slipperiness of your yarn and the item you are making. The yarn in the samples is
Patton's Classic: a 100% non-superwash wool yarn with good gripping power. Therefore, locating the inner column adjacent to the cut column was a fine idea. Further, this being 100% wool, I intended on
afterwards needle-felting the steek-facing to the back fabric face, so the steek facing would not be able to flip open under any circumstances. And further, this was meant to represent a pillow edge, where the back would never be exposed or get any wear. If this was a slippery yarn in a more exposed position--a blanket edge, perhaps--the column spacing ought to move out from the cut line accordingly. The take-away here is to figure out your column-spacing in your yarn, then cast on enough extra stitches for the bridge, according to the spacing chosen.
How to
Begin by fastening the red yarn.
Left below: draw a loop of red yarn through the fabric just above bottom edge, in the space between the cut column and the inner fold column. Thread the yarn tail through the loop
Right below: tug on the tail to tighten.
Left below: using the running yarn and the crochet hook, draw a loop through the fabric just above the bottom edge, on the outside of the inner fold column.
Right below: grabbing the running yarn from the fabric back with the hook, draw a second loop through the first. Tugging on the second loop tightens the first. (BTW: Drawing one loop through another like this is the set up for an actual crochet stitch called "
single crochet.")
With tightened loops over the fabric edge bordering both sides of the inner fold column, it is secured against unraveling when the cut is made.
Slip stitching inner and outer folds in place
The work continues by firmly folding the fabric back on itself using slip stitching.
Fold the fabric so the inner fold column lays along the top of the fold.
Left below: insert the crochet hook from front to back, under both arms of the column's first stitch. Right below: draw a loop of the thin yarn through the loop around the hook, as well as under both arms of the stitch.
The new loop has pinned the old loop against the back of the fabric, and folded the column back on itself. The new loop is now on the front fabric face, towards you, and the thin running yarn is behind the fabric.
Insert the hook through the second stitch of the column and catch the hook around the running yarn. Draw this new loop of thin yarn through the column stitch and through the old loop. This is a slip stitch. Continue slip stitching along the entire folded column. Here is a half-minute video of the process--it is silent (no transcript).
If you prefer illustrations, below is the idea as laid out from the front of the fabric. In other words, if you could flatten out the work, it would look like this. The bright blue column is the fold column, and the red yarn is worked into a chain under this column, with the brown crochet hook.
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| Click to enlarge. The pink arrow shows where the crochet hook will insert next. |
If you fold the work, below illustration shows the path of the yarn under the arms of the fold column.
When you reach the top edge of the fabric, again secure both sides of the inner fold column. Next, continue securing across the top of the fabric until you reach the outer fold column, using the same single crochet maneuver as was worked at the bottom.
Once the reinforcing has reached the outer fold column, fold the fabric in the same manner as before, this time with the outer fold column at the top of the fold, and again proceed with slip stitching down the column as shown in the video. Below is the outer fold column in progress, laid flat so you can see what's going on.
Continue to the bottom of the outer fold column, then secure along the bottom edge of the fabric between the inner and outer fold columns, again with
single crochet.
Here is what one side looks like when the inner and outer fold lines have both been worked. When
both sides are done like this, it is time to cut. Upon cutting, the inner fold column (top of photo) flips to hide the cut ends, while the outer fold column (bottom of photo) flips to become the outer edge of the fabric. The fabric in the columns between becomes the facing.
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| View of the fabric front before cutting. |
To avoid repetition, I am holding off on showing the actual cutting. In the next section (bordered double fold back) there is a video of cutting, and the action is the same. So for cutting demo, read on.
Part 2: Border stitches picked up
In this variation, the inner fold column is worked identical to the no-border variation, with the
spacing the same as shown on the set up photo, above. However, the outer fold back column is a real 2-for-1 trick. By picking up stitches right through the fabric, not only do you get the live stitches for the border, but you also create the outer fold-back. This means that the outer fold back column must be picked up in the same color yarn as the background, because these are the stitches which form the foundation row of the side-borders.
Before working the outer columns, both inner fold-back columns are worked. This is the same as was done on the plain-edge version. For demo purposes, I again used red
heel reinforcement yarn for both inner fold-back columns. The fold columns are so tightly worked that a photo of the flat fabric would not show details, so here is a fifteen-second video of rotating the fabric, so you can see the two inner fold columns when done.
Transcript: As you can see, both inner columns have been worked.
After the two inner fold back columns are worked as shown above, it is time to work the outer fold-back columns, picking up live stitches.
Picking up the stitches
This 30-second video shows the process of picking up the live stitches through the outer fold column.
Transcript: Here, I’m creating the outer fold column by picking up stitches, color matched, on the crochet hook and then transferring them to the knitting needle. And, these are the live stitches on which the border will be knit.
You may be wondering what is going on with that strange fluffy yarn. Why not use regular yarn as it comes off the ball?
You may also be wondering why every single stitch in the outer fold back column is getting a live stitch picked up through it. As you know, the row gauge and the stitch gauge for knitting rarely match: there almost always more rows per inch than stitches per inch. With a one-to-one pick-up, there would be too many stitches across the row ends: if every picked up stitch were knit, the border would ruffle and look terrible.
The problem is that a fold column doesn't fold evenly unless every single stitch is folded back. Therefore, we cannot skip around, picking up fewer live stitches (the usual solution) to match row- and stitch-gauge. If we skipped a stitch here and there in the fold column, a puffy spot would develop where the stitch hadn't been folded by working through it. So, this trick uses a two-part work-around.
First, the stitches are indeed worked one-for-one through the row ends, but using thinner yarn. This accounts for the strange fluffy yarn in the video. Again, the main work is in
Pattons Classic, an all-wool worsted-weight yarn spun of three plies, but I picked up the stitches using a
two-ply split. Result: the picked-up stitches are only two-thirds as thick.
The second part of the work-around occurs after pick-up. In working the SECOND row or round, the stitch count is adjusted to match the stitch gauge by working decreases at the appropriate rate. On row 2 of the sample with the dark blue border, I used the dark blue to knit two picked-up stitches normally, then worked the following two stitches together as a knit-two-together (k2tog) decrease. This decreased away one stitch of every four; a twenty-five percent reduction, and one which matched my stitch gauge.
The picked up stitches were worked in the main color--the lighter teal blue--rather than in the darker-blue border color. The dark blue was added in one row / round above this foundation row. In this way, the decreases show less because they blend into the mass of background color. If the live stitches had been picked up on darker blue, the texture-disturbance caused by the decrease would have been more obvious.
Here's another important point. To pick up live stitches for the outer fold column, the hook is inserted TOWARDS the cut line → ፧ ← for both borders. This makes the border flip inwards when cut.
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Insertion TOWARDS the cut line (red yarn) ---> (L-to-R) (on the other border, towards the cut line would be <--- (R-to-L) |
The direction of needle insertion is different than previously. On the outer fold column of the plain-edge version, and the inner fold columns of both versions, it simply does not matter which way the hook is inserted--whether towards or away from the cut line. However, in the bordered version, it does matter. The border will flip the WRONG WAY-- outwards instead of inwards--if you pick up the live stitches on the wrong side of the outer fold column.
Here is a sketch showing the same situation as the above photo, but with the pick-up yarn added. The live stitches are picked up in the same color as the background, but here the live stitches are outlined in pink so you can see them. The inner fold column is demo'ed in red, the cut line drawn in the thicker red "twist," second column from right.
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| The crochet hook (brown) reaches under both arms of the outer fold column (bright blue). It picks up the live stitches (pink outlined) and places them on the knitting needle (gold). The inner fold line (bright blue) has been previous worked in slip stitch (red). The cut line in the thicker red. Click to enlarge. |
After the live stitches are on, it's time to knit the borders. (Note that, if you plan to work an all-around border, the borders are worked in a bit different order,
more on this alternative below.)
In the below example, the inner columns have been worked, the outer columns have been worked, the border is on. Here is the situation just before the cut--on this sample, as on the sketch, the cut line is marked in red wool.
Instead of pasting labels all over this photo, here is a half-minute video identifying the entire finished assembly as it looks before the final step of cutting.
Transcript: What we’re looking at here is, the outer fold column, the inner fold column, the cut column, the other inner fold column and the other outer fold column. From the outside, there’s the band, it’s on the outer fold column, then inner fold column, cut column, inner fold column, outer fold column and the outside of the other band.
And now, ta da! it is time to cut. Here are the action videos: The first, a minute long, shows the cut; the second, which is shorter, shows the aftermath.
Cutting: the video
Transcript: Now we’re going to cut up the cut column. So, remove the marking and now, carefully cut, not cutting through the reinforecement yarn…so, snip snip. And again, you want to make sure you’re not cutting through the reinfrcement yarn, so make sure you know where that is before you cut.
After cutting
After the last snip, everything folds right up: it could hardly be otherwise. The fold columns have been tightly pinched back on themselves. The work only laid flat because the fabric between the columns exerted an upwards pressure. Once the cut releases the pressure, the pinching slip-stitches force the outer fold column back and the inner fold column under. Result: a jelly-roll of knitting, with the cut ends for a filling.
Transcript: OK, now everything is going to just fold over automatically. This inner fold column is going to fold over, with the cut ends inside of there, and the outer fold column is going to fold over. On the other side, the same thing: inner fold column, outer fold column, and here is the item inside, with the columns folded over, and outside, with the borders or bands on the outside. Thank you very much for watching.
More about borders
Most of these examples show the border worked in garter stitch because that doesn't curl. Further, garter stitch is a great choice because its 3-D nature really pulls tight to the adjoining fabric, hiding the transition, and this is true whether the garter border is self-color or contrast-color. At left below, the border is stretched back over a finger, showing what the transition would look like if the garter border did not scrunch up to hide it. At right, two views of a garter border, one self-color, one contrast color. Seen close or far, the garter stitch border bellies up over the transition. In all three photos, the partial red dotted line marks the transition line between main work and border.
.All-around borders
In my little blue samples, I didn't pick up a border across the top or bottom. If you do want a continuous border all around the entire work, you would pick up one stitch per row-end along the cut edges as shown earlier, and also through each bound-off stitch along the top and bottom edges. Alternatively, you could start the work on a provisional cast on, then work the top and bottom borders on live stitches.
Another option for all-around borders is work both inner fold columns, then pick up the border stitches on both sides, put each set on a holder, cut along the cut line, slip the live side stitches back onto the needles from the holders, then work the border all around, on the now-flat piece. Cutting before knitting all-around borders actually makes working corners (much) easier.
All the first round of stitches would be picked up / worked in the background color, as explained earlier. Here is a real-life photo of a garter stitch border which goes all the way around a steeked banner. This is an inside view of a banner from
this post.
Another successful border plan is I-cord edging in contrast color. For this trick, you also pick up the edge stitches in the main background color, here, white. Then, you work the second row or round in the contrast color, here, black. The second row in black forces the white contrast dot to the back of the fabric, as shown in below photo.
The black round is the base to which the I-cord is attached. In other words, the I-cord is then worked around the entire edge with its third (innermost) stitch knitted together (k2tog'd) with each black stitch of the second row or round. (
Further directions on I-cord edging).
If second row or round hadn't been worked in black before working the I-cord, that speck of white background color would peep out in every round of the I-cord, instead of being trapped on the fabric back where no one can see it but you.
Stitch count adjustments made across the row-ends are done in second round, when you first switch to the black (or other contrast color).
Corners
Any kind of all-around border must take into account corners.
For a garter stitch border, the corners must be mitered, by increasing every second round, on either side of each corner stitch. This is similar to working a raglan increase on a top-down sweater.
For an I-cord border, the I-cord must be worked loose for a round or two going around the corner. The red circle in the below close-up marks the corner stitch (white dot). If you look closely at the blue arrows on either side of the corner stitch, you see that where the I cord goes around the corner, there are no white dots. This is because the black I-cord was detached for a round or two in these locations.
The inside facing
Holding down the facing formed by the folded back steek on the inside is not really necessary, especially on a wall hanging or cushion top, where the back gets no wear. The outer fold column firmly flips the whole assembly back so the columns between the inner and outer fold-backs become a self-facing. However, for a sure hold where the back will get wear--a blanket, perhaps--then a quick and painless hold-down would be to needle-felt the facing in place.
One final thought: left and right borders
When oriented bottom edge down, borders as seen from the fabric face are opposite to how they appear when creating. Fold columns left of the cut line become the right border. Those right of the cut line become the left border. Good to remember for buttonhole placement.
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Good luck with this and remember, however you use double fold-back steeking in real life, it is secure, sturdy, and quick, but bulky.
--For wall hangings and cushions: perfect--the highest and best use for this trick.
--For blanket edges: good, but do needle felt the facing onto the back of the fabric (wool) or even consider sewing if wool-blend.
--For cardigan front bands: maybe? Would work better if you fasten down the facing some way--maybe even sewing.
--But for an armhole steek: miserable--this would be too thick around the underarm and shoulder.
--TK
Other posts about steeks:
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