Where the ribbing ends: improving the transition zone

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includes a how-to
The transition zone where the ribbing meets the sweater (hat, mitten) is the subject of today's post.

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Where the ribbing meets the sweater is often a weak spot in knitting. Along with the change of stitch pattern comes a distortion in the column of knit stitches, especially when switching from ribbing to stockinette fabric. Although this is no earth-shattering condition, it's so easy to improve that you might as well--for the cumulative effect of little improvements is greater than you might believe.

For various arcane reasons, the transition zone between ribbing and the body of the garment is actually more of a problem for top-down ribbing. Therefore, as the second photo below demonstrates, the improvement is correspondingly more dramatic for top-down knitting. However, the first photo shows that bottom-up ribbing also benefits from an improved transition zone.

Here is the how-to:

FOR RIBBING STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM UP

For the purposes of this discussion, I assume you are at the point where you are going to switch FROM ribbing TO stockinette or a patterned fabric.

• On the LAST ribbing row, SLIP every knit stitch (slip them "open," also called purlwise"). Purl every purl stitch.
• After this last row or round of ribbing, switch to the larger needle you'll use for the body size, and begin the body of the garment.

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(Photo above) In bottom-up ribbing, the improvement is subtle, but still visible. The corrected knit columns bridge more directly from the ribbing to the body of the fabric (right arrow). Although it's hard to tell from this photo, the uncorrected transition zone (left arrow) features a bulkier transition from ribbing to the smoother stockinette fabric of the garment body.

FOR RIBBING STARTED FROM THE TOP DOWN

For the purposes of this discussion, I assume you have worked your garment down to the point where you want your ribbing to start.

• Using the needle size for the ribbing (usually a needle 2-3 sizes smaller than that with which you worked the body of the garment) work one last row or round in the body pattern (i.e.: the last row of stockinette, or whatever you were working).
• On the next row or round (the first row of ribbing) SLIP every knit stitch (slip them "open," also called purlwise.") Purl every purl stitch.
• After this first row or round, work the ribbing in the usual way to the desired length.

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(Photo above) The corrected knit columns bridge more directly from the body of the fabric to the ribbing (right arrow). The unimproved transition zone (left arrow) features wandering, zig-zagging knit columns.

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Marjorie, a reader of this blog, asks the excellent question of how to reconcile the technique set forth in the post--slipping the knit stitches--with the advice often given in patterns to start bottom-up ribbing on fewer stitches, and then increase to the larger body number of sitches "evenly in the last row." Per the photo (left) if the fabric above the ribbing is to be stockinette, or a near-stockinette fabric, it would be my advice to do all increases on a purl using an increase, such as backwards loop, which leaves a "bump." This "bump" will blend into the purls. By not making increases on the knit columns you will have preserved the attractive transition where the knit columns of the ribbing segue into the knit columns of the stockinette fabric above it.

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A final note: although 1X1 ribbing is demonstrated in bottom-up knitting, and 2X2 ribbing is demonstrated in top-down knitting, the directions given for bottom-up ribbing work for both 1X1 AND 2X2 ribbing worked from the bottom up.

Similarly, the directions given for top-down ribbing work for both 1X1 AND 2X2 ribbing worked from the top down.

If you want to work a 3X3 or larger, do a swatch to decide for yourself whether the slip-the-knit-stitches technique creates a noticible improvement over so wide a rib.

--TECHknitter

The TKIO--a cute way to start hats

includes a how-to
Following the idea that it is the little details which make the difference between "home made" and "handmade," here is a little "unvention:"* the TKIO, pronounced "Tik-ee-o." It's the TechKnitting way of making a little I-cord "O," a cute loop to begin a center-start hat, or a knitted ornament, or an egg cozy, or a potholder, or any other object made in the round. (Click pictures for close-ups.)

Really, you can make this little dingus any way you want to: at its heart, it is nothing but a short length of I-cord, with live stitches at both ends, doubled over and the stitches distributed onto double pointed needles (dpn's). If you already have a favorite method for getting live stitches on both ends of something, just skip to the photos in steps 5 and 6 below to get the idea, and then do it your way.

The rest of this post is about how I cast on TKIOs. If you're still with me, here's the--

HOW-TO

Step 1

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(Above) Cast four stitches on a double pointed needle by the backwards loop method. DOUBLE TWIST the first stitch (the double twist holds it on better for what follows).

Step 2

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(Above) Slide the 4 stitches to the right tip of the CO needle, and bring the standing yarn behind the work. Insert a second needle into the space between the first 2 backwards loops and draw up a loop of the standing yarn (standing yarn=yarn coming from the ball). In other words, reach through the space between the first and second backwards loops, draw up a loop of standing yarn, and keep it on the second needle.

Step 3

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(Above) Repeat this loop-drawing up manuever between the 2nd and 3rd CO stitch, and again between the 3rd and 4th CO stitch. You will have 7 stitches on two needles--4 on the top needle, 3 on the bottom needle. Push the first stitch cast on--the double twisted one--off the right tip of the top needle. Now you will have 6 stitches--3 on top, 3 on the bottom.

Step 4

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(Above) Knit a short length of I-cord on the TOP set of stitches, as illustrated, leaving the lower stitches ON THE LOWER NEEDLE.(TIP: If your lower 3 stitches seem to be very loose --AS ILLUSTRATED IN PICTURE 5-- catch the tail end together with the standing yarn and knit them together for the first stitch of the I-cord. On the next row of the I-cord, don't be confused that there are 4 stitches on your needle--remember to knit these two overlapped stiches as if they were one. Snug up the tail end and the bottom three stitches will stay tight.)

Step 5

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(Left) The short I-cord on the needles. (See notes to step 4 regarding the loose stitches on the bottom needle.)

Step 6

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(Right) When the I-cord is as long as you want it, push the three top stitches to the left tip of the top needle. Hold the right tip of the bottom needle to the left of the 3 stitches on the top needle and join by knitting 2 of the bottom stitches off onto a third needle. The result: the TKIO's six stitches (3 from the I-cord top, and the 3 from the lower needle) will be distributed in pairs onto 3 double pointed needles (dpn's) ready to knit further in any center-started pattern which needs a cute little hanging loop. (Tip: when joining, keep the "inside in." I-cord has a beautiful side--the front--and a less-beautiful side--the back, which often features the ladder-ish gap which formed between stitches 3 and 1. Hide this gap on the inside of the loop when you double it over.)

ADDENDUM October 2009: I went and knitted with a bunch of knitters in Utrecht, Holland, and they call these little loops "Teletubbies!!"

--TECHknitter
*As Marie Antoinette's hatmaker said: "Nothing is new but that which has been forgotten." In that spirit, I am confident that the TKIO exists somewhere else with a different name, and that I have not "invented" it. However, I never saw another and so (to use Elizabeth Zimmerman's famous phrase) have "unvented" it.

Mysteries of knitting part 1 - A tale of heads and arms, or: "why does stockinette curl but ribbing doesn't?"

Do you wonder why stockinette fabric curls and ribbing doesn't (and garter doesn't, and seed stitch doesn't)? Does it puzzle you why stockinette sometimes curls from side-to-side, and sometimes from end-to-end? Does it confuse you that garter stitch and reverse stockinette look so alike? Is it mysterious to you that "nothing but knit" makes stockinette if worked in the round, but makes garter stitch if worked flat?

These questions may seem random and unrelated, but they're not--the same explanation answers all.

If you're still interested, stick tight. It's a long post and there are going to be a few concepts juggled in the air, all at the same time. But, if you're willing to plow through three little experiments and a couple of explanations, let's go...

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Naming the stitch

Knitting, as you know, consists of loops drawn through other loops. Now, a loop is a fluid little creature. It's hard to say where one loop begins and the next one ends (which is one reason that knitting is so nice and stretchy). But once we pin this down, once we name the parts, knitting gets a lot less mysterious.

I'm going to arbitrarily name some parts of a knitted stitch: I'm going to say that it has *a head* and *two arms.* In some writing about knitting, the arms are called "legs". (A knitted loop also has a tail, but that is for a different post. We are mostly ignoring the tail for right now.)

First little experiment
Aligning heads and arms

Cast on 10 stitches any way you like, and make a tiny bit of stockinette: a knit row, a purl row, another knit row and another purl row. Knit three more stitches on your next knit row (no magic here--those three stitches are just to get you away from the distractions of the edge) and, here we go ...

When we "knit," we draw the new loop through the old so as to HIDE THE HEAD and EXPOSE THE ARMS of the old stitch. In more technical terms, we are aligning all the heads on the back face of the fabric, and all the arms on the front face of the fabric.

Do it. Knit one stitch. Peer over the edge of your needle--see how you're popping the head of the old stitch to the BACK of the fabric? Look again at the side on which you are working--see how you're lining up the little arms in V's on the FRONT of the fabric? See how ALL the heads with their nubby little bumpy heads are lined up on the BACK of the fabric? See how ALL the arms with their pretty little V's are lined up on the FRONT of the fabric? See how I can't get off the SHIFT key? That's because all these things are IMPORTANT, people!

The result: Due to the way the knit stitch aligns the head and arms, stockinette fabric features all the arms on the "front" of the fabric, where they lay nice and smooth, while all the bumpy heads were popped to the back, where they lie mostly hidden on the other side of the fabric.

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Now knit to the end of your row, watching the head-popping, arm-aligning miracle of each knit stitch and ... get ready to purl. Oooh. The excitement!

Purl three stitches (again, just to get away from the edge) and now watch what happens as you purl the fourth stitch. When we "purl," we do the exact opposite of knitting. This time we draw the new loop through so as to HIDE THE ARMS and EXPOSE THE HEAD of the old stitch. In more technical terms: just like with the knit stitch, we are again aligning all the heads on the one face of the fabric, and all the arms on the other face of the fabric. However, purl pops the head TOWARDS you, while knit pops it AWAY from you. Because you've turned the fabric around between your knit row and your purl row, purling the head TOWARDS you on the fabric back and knitting it AWAY from you on the fabric front creates that alignment I've been yammering about.

The result: All the heads are on the "front" of this reverse stockinette fabric, where they lay nice and nubbly, while all the smooth arms lie hidden on the back of the fabric.

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Second little experiment
Why stockinette sometimes curls side-to-side,
and sometimes curls top-to-bottom

Purl to the end of the row, and let's look at the front of that little swatch one more time together.

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See all the little V's of the arms on the front of the fabric? Those little V's, being 2 pieces of vertical yarn laying side-by-side, are WIDER than the head, which is only 1 little piece of horizontal yarn. (OK, there's also the tail which we are ignoring for right now-but that's horizontal too.) In addition, all those vertically aligned arms laying side by side are jostling for position--they're pushing on each other side-to-side, repelling one another like incompatible magnets. The result is a fabric which is actually WIDER on the front than the back!

Because the front is wider, stockinette curls from side to side with the knit face out. And this is also why you can't block the curl out of a stockinette scarf --the curl is built right into the structure of the fabric.

But wait a minute--the little scrap on your needles--yes, it is curling from side to side a little bit, but what it's really doing is trying to curl top-to-bottom into a horizontal tube--what's with that?

Well, part of the answer is that your needle is pinning the fabric, stopping it from expressing its side-to-side roll. But the real truth is even stranger.

You see, just as stockinette fabric is wider on the front than the back, it is LONGER on the back than the front. The heads (and tails!) draw a great deal of horizontally aligned yarn onto the back, so there's more horizontal yarn on the back than the front. All those horizontal heads are jostling for space back there--they are pushing each other away, repelling one another, making the fabric curl over end-to-end (top-to-bottom).

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If this is still confusing, here's one more run at it: If you put all the arms on ONE side of the fabric, then all the heads (and tails!) on the OTHER side, you get something surreal--something out of one of those melty Dali paintings--a fabric that's actually WIDER on the front than the back, and LONGER on the back than the front. In a long skinny piece of stockinette (a scarf) the side-to-side curl of the wider front fabric will predominate, in a short wide piece of stockinette (your 6 row swatch, a cast-off edge at a neckline or hat brim) the top-to-bottom curl of the longer back fabric will predominate.

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In a square, stockinette will curl on all 4 sides--from side-to-side AND from end-to-end. Here--I've done a bigger swatch for you so you can see without having to knit it yourself.

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Third little experiment
Why stockinette curls and ribbing doesn't
(and garter doesn't, and seed stitch doesn't)

So--now that we've been splashing around in the concepts of head alignment and arm alignment, we're finally ready to answer the question about why stockinette curls, and ribbing doesn't.

Stockinette, as we've said, curls from side-to-side because it is wider on the front than the back, and curls from top-to-bottom because it is longer on the back than the front. Which kind of curl predominates depends on whether the fabric is short and wide, or long and skinny.

However, ribbing, garter, seed stitch don't curl at all--not top-to-bottom, not side-to-side. And this is because there is a roughly equal number of heads and arms on EACH face of the fabric.

Knit a couple of rows in a few of these stitches and you'll see for yourself that it doesn't even matter how the heads and arms are arranged, whether in alternating rows (garter stitch), alternating columns (ribbing) or some other pattern (seed stitch) (flat-knitted seed stitch, a.k.a. moss stitch=k1, p1 every row on an odd number of stitches). All that matters for non-curling is that there be a roughly equal number of heads and arms on each side of the fabric.

Once the numbers are equal, the fabric reverts to something more normal: it isn't wider on one side and longer on the other. Because they have an equal number of heads and arms on both sides, garter fabric, ribbing, seed stitch and other similar fabrics are equally wide on each side, and equally long on each side, so there's no curl. Long story short: Same number of arms and heads on each side of the fabric=no curl. That's all there is to it.

Why garter stitch and reverse stockinette look so alike.

Garter stitch is made by knitting every row back and forth. Now, as you know from the first little experiment, knitting pops the heads of the stitches out on the back of the fabric--away from you. If you make garter stitch by knitting back and forth--first one one side of the fabric, and then on the other--you're popping the heads out on ALTERNATE sides of the fabric, and the result is one row of heads is alternated by one row of arms. In other words, in garter stitch, you're not aligning all the heads on one side and all the arms on the other, as you do in stockinette--instead, as stated above, under the explanation of curling, you're aligning them in equal rows on both sides of the fabric.

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As to why garter stitch looks a lot like reverse stockinette, it's because heads are a lot more assertive than arms. Stated otherwise: knitted arms lie in meek, flat, unassuming little V's. Heads stick up--they are bolder, more three dimensional. Garter stitch puts heads on both sides of the fabric. True, garter stitch also puts arms on both sides of the fabric, as you can see from the drawing above, BUT like assertive types everywhere, the 3-D heads predominate --they capture the eye, while the meek, flat arms retreat from notice.

In reverse stockinette ALL the heads are on the face of the fabric, in garter stitch, only HALF the heads are on each face of the fabric. But because of the presence of those assertive heads in both garter stitch and reverse stockinette, both fabrics look alike, although they are made differently. To distinguish garter stitch from reverse stockinette, just flip the fabric over and you'll never be mistaken. Garter stitch looks the same on both sides, while reverse stockinette features smooth stockinette fabric (the arms) on the other side.

"Nothing but knit" and circular stockinette

Now we're at the final question. All the stuff above about head and arm alignment makes it possible to explain why "nothing but knit," done in the round, turns into stockinette, while done back-and-forth it turns into garter stitch.

You won't be surprised to hear that the answer, again, lies in the alignment of the heads and the arms. If you knit there and purl back, you already know that you're aligning the all the heads on one surface of the fabric, and all the tails on the other surface of the fabric. In other words, knit stitch (done on the front of the fabric) pops the heads back and purl stitch (done on the back of the fabric) pops the heads forward, so all the heads always end up on the same side--the back.

In circular knitting, you never work on the back of the fabric--you're always going around and around on the FRONT of a fabric TUBE. In other words, you never "turn at the end of the row" because there IS no "end of the row." There is only a never-ending spiral tube. So, in order to make stockinette fabric--in order to align all the heads on the back and the arms on the front, all you have to do is knit. One more time: knit stitch pops the heads to the back. So, if you stay on the knit side--the front side of the fabric--all the heads will only be where you popped them: on the back of the fabric, the inside of the tube (reverse stockinette).

--TECHknitter
PS:  If you already HAVE a curling stockinette project--a scarf that looks like a jelly-roll, perhaps?--this can be corrected by various tricks.  Here are links to a 4-part series on tricks to "uncurl" stockinette

part 1--the problem and the solutions which don't work
part 2--the drop column method
part 3--transforming stockinette into ribbing
part 4--lining the scarf

The English purl stitch

This is fourth of a series on "how to make knitting stitches." Previous in this series are "The English knit stitch," "The continental knit stitch," and "The continental purl stitch." Please excuse the delay: the original drawings for this post were corrupted and it was d**ned annoying most discouraging to have to start over again. However, my friend and neighbor J.A. came over, and her hands are the model for the new drawings here, so thanks J.

step 1

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(Above) Hold the standing yarn (standing yarn=yarn coming from the ball) in FRONT of the work. Keep it under tension with the first, third and fourth fingers of the right hand. Insert the right needle under the RIGHT arm of the "old stitch" at the tip of the left needle (green). Be sure the right needle passes IN FRONT of the left needle, as illustrated. "Dip" the right forefinger (dotted red arrows) to wind the standing yarn (brown) around the right needle (solid red arrow).

step 2

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(Above) Once the standing yarn (brown) is wrapped around the right needle, swing the right forefinger down towards the floor. Dotted red arrows. This "locks" the standing yarn around the right needle.

step 3

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(Above) Draw the right needle -- with the standing yarn (brown) "locked on"-- through the old stitch (green) from front to back. Solid red arrow.

step 4

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(Above) Once the new loop (brown) is drawn through the old stitch (green), withdraw the left needle, and you will have a purl stitch waiting on the end of your right needle. Remember to draw the right needle to the FRONT again (as in step 1) before inserting it into the next old stitch on the left needle.

--TECHknitter

Uneven knitting, part 1: stockinette fabric--how to tame "rowing out"

The human eye is great at seeing even the most subtle patterns, and for good reason--for much of human history, survival depended on knowing whether that shadow might be ... a tiger in the long grass, looking for dinner!

For knitters, this means the eye immediately seeks out patterns in knitted fabric--an advantage if your sweater features lovely cables. But the eye's ability to pick out patterns is a disadvantage if your sweater features the Knitter's Bane: the "rowing out" of uneven stockinette fabric.

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Stockinette fabric is typically made by knitting across the front and purling back. If you knit at a different tension than you purl (a VERY common problem) your fabric develops those tiger stripes the eye is so well-suited to detect. The looser row (for most knitters, the purl row; but for some knitters, the knit row) pouches out and distracts.

Below is a three-part post attacking this problem. Part 1 lays out some traditional tricks. Part 2 shows some limitations on these tricks. Part 3 lays out a final trick--a maybe new way of thinking about the problem.

PART 1: TRADITIONAL TRICKS

Many, many tricks have been developed over the years to counteract the problem of uneven stockinette fabric. The four traditional tricks I've found best are laid out below.

Trick one:
Garter stitch and circular knitting

The easiest cure for uneven stockinette fabric is never purling. There are two ways to accomplish this: garter stitch fabric, and fabric made by circular knitting.

In garter stitch fabric, there is only knitting back and forth. There is no purling. Similarly, in circular knitting, stockinette fabric is not made by knitting there and purling back. Instead, it is made by knitting endlessly, round and round.

Accordingly, for garter stitch fabric, and for circular knit fabric, it matters not at all that your knitting differs from your purling. There simply isn't any purling.

Many clever designs exist for garter stitch garments, especially those created by the late, great Elizabeth Zimmerman. As to circular knitting, many things can be made in the round--hats, sweaters, socks, even square flat things like blankets and shawls can be made without purling by working in the round if they are started from the center and worked on circular needles.

Trick two:
Adjust the tension of your hands

A more challenging solution to differently tensioned knit and purl is to teach your hands to tighten up what's loose, or loosen up what's tight. To work this, you first have to figure out which way is looser, knit or purl.

Here's how: make some fabric, ending on a knit row, and leave the fabric on the needle. Lay the fabric on a table, knit side up. Dim the overhead lights, and slant the beam from an adjustable table lamp or flashlight to throw your fabric into relief. You know that the row on the needle was made by knit. The row below that was made by purl, the row below that (2 from the needle) by knit, and so forth. Find the looser rows, and count down from the needle to figure out how they were made--by knit or by purl.

Now you're set to mess around--to experiment. Can you increase the tension on what's looser? Is it easier to loosen the tension on what's tighter? Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither did you learn to tension your yarn in a day. Change takes time and attention. Plan to make a scarf. That'll give you plenty of length to fool with tightness and looseness, and you'll be able to see your results as the scarf gets longer. In the best-case scenario, the scarf ends smooth and even, and the problem is solved.

Trick three:
Different size needles

This trick is really an extension of the second. If your hands stubbornly resist your brain, if they continue to churn out stripy fabric no matter what you tell them, the next thing to try is tricking those hands into submission.

Your experiment with the beam of light already revealed which technique is looser--knit or purl. For this trick, arm yourself with a needle of a smaller size, then do the looser technique with that.

In other words, if you are working with a pair of size 6 needles, and your purling is looser than your knitting, take a size 5 needle to purl, and keep the size 6 to knit. Remember--it is immaterial what size needle holds the stitches to be knit, the finished stitch is determined ONLY by the needle making the stitch--the right needle. This trick lets you create the looser stitches around a smaller needle, making the looser stitches smaller, and therefore tighter.

It might take time to figure out this trick--your scarf might be quite long indeed by the end of the experiment. Also, I know knitters who must use needles TWO sizes apart to tighten up the loose technique, so if at first your fabric remains stripy, try, try again.

BTW: if you're making stockinette fabric by working back and forth on circular needles, you can work this trick by screwing two different size points on each end of the cable from an interchangeable tip kit.

Trick four
Pick yarns which hide the flaw

Novelty yarn is generally thick and thin and every which way. Who cares if the purl and the knit are different? Frankly, with most novelty yarn, its hard to tell if it was made by knitting or purling at all--garter stitch is the more usual method of creating a novelty yarn fabric. Handspun yarn is also commonly available spun "thick and thin." Variegated yarns (some of which are beautifully hand dyed) and tweed yarns both help hide undesirable fabric stripes with a randomly varying color pattern--the eye is fooled away from the uneven fabric surface by the undulating colors.

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All of the above tricks unquestionably work. For many knitters, these tricks solve the problem for once and for all. If you've just started attacking the uneven stockinette problem, one of these tricks could hold the solution you've been looking for. But, at some point in your evolution as a knitter, you may have bumped up against ...

PART 2: THE LIMITATIONS OF TRADITIONAL TRICKS

Garter stitch: Avoiding purling altogther can become tiresome. Garter stitch is bulky and slow to knit-- it takes a great deal more yarn to make the same length of fabric in garter stitch than in stockinette. Also, garter stitch is not suited to sleek fashions. A garter-stitch T-shirt or halter-top might be a bit odd.

As to circular knitting: at some point, perhaps the short rows back-and-forth across the back of a sweater neck or a sleeve cap, that old purling is going to rear its head. Then where are you?

As to changing your tension: If you can train your hands, this IS the best solution. Yet, experience shows that, for many knitters, when you're tired, or when you're knitting on autopilot, the hands may stubbornly revert.

The different size needle trick might work for you--it works for many--but when you want to knit with a new yarn, the relationships between the needle sizes might change--you might need two sizes smaller instead of one, you might need one size smaller instead of two. To succeed as a two-different-size-needle-knitter, you're going to have to be extremely serious about swatching each time you try out a new yarn. If this is you, great, problem solved. But, hmm...well... many knitters aren't really THAT serious about swatching.

And as for the last trick--using wild yarns, well... just as there is a limit to the number of garter stitch garments one wardrobe can absorb, so you may find that there is also a limit to the number of novelty tops, rustic handpun garments and tweed or varigated sweaters.

The upshot? Each of the tricks above works, but each is potentially limited in some way. If the limitations affect you, if you've tried these tricks and remain dissatisfied, then, the best and most lasting solution, IMHO, is what I am going to call ...

Part 3: NEAR-STOCKINETTE FABRICS

Near-stockinette fabrics are those which can substitute for stockinette fabric with no alteration to the garment pattern. Near-stockinette fabrics feature a subtle surface pattern of purling on the "knit" side. Hunt through a pattern stitch book--ideal is a small all-over pattern. These surface patterns work two ways: first, the pattern itself interrupts the stripe, and second, the pattern disguises any remaining stripy-ness by inserting another, more pleasing pattern.

For substitution into a stockinette fabric garment, the near-stockinette fabric you choose should not alter the structural properties of the fabric. However, it turns out that stockinette can take quite a bit of alteration and not lose its basic properties --the stitch to row ratio, the tendency to curl, the direction of that curl, the weight, hand (drape) and bulk of the fabric.




Another limitation on near-stockinette fabrics is to choose one which doesn't interfere with your garment shaping. Carrying up a line of knit stitches in a broken ribbing pattern is a lovely substitution for reverse stockinette in an aran sweater (see illustration of broken rib) but it can make decreasing for a set-in armhole challenging. A less linear, less insistent pattern, like crocodile skin or speckled purl would not raise that issue.

Don't conclude that the stitch patterns shown here are all you have to choose from--these three patterns are my particular "old standbys" for near-stockinette fabrics, but there are many, many others to choose from.

PS: This post is part of a three-post series. The other posts in the series are:
Uneven Knitting, part 2: Bunching, big stitches and lumpy fabric--the problem of too-long runs.
Uneven Knitting, part 3: Fixing the loose column in ribbing, texture and cables

Good luck!
--TECHknitter

Chain selvedge a.k.a. "slipped selvedge"

includes a how-to
If you slip the first stitch of every row (or every last stitch--makes no difference) you will get a lovely chained selvedge--a big improvement over the lumpy bumpy edges much knitting exhibits. When the time comes for picking up stitches (for a neck edge or a front band, or around the heel tab of a sock) you will be glad you have lovely, even chains to pick up through.

Here is chain selvedge by the "slip the first stitch" method, in four illustrated steps.

1. (Below) Knit the last stitch of the row through the back loop (tbl), as illustrated.

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2. (Below) Draw the new stitch (green) up onto the right needle (brown) with the right "arm" of the new stitch forward, as illustrated. Withdraw the left needle (blue), leaving all the stitches on the right needle.

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3. (Below) Switch the needles in your hands. The needle which used to be the right needle (brown) has become the left needle with all the stitches on it, the needle which used to be the left needle (blue) has become the empty needle held in the right hand. With the right hand holding the empty needle (blue), DO NOT KNIT the first stitch (green), but merely slip it PURLWISE from the left needle to the right needle. Knit the rest of the stitches as you normally would, until you come to the last stitch. Repeat from step 1 through 3 for the length of the knitted piece.

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4. (Below) If you have followed the above instructions, the slipped stitch should lie "open" as illustrated on the left.

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--TECHknitter

PS: Note that if you choose to work a slipped selvedge, it is very common to add 1 stitch at each edge of your knitting (2 stitches total).  In other words, if your pattern calls for casting on 30 stitches, you would actually cast on 32, thus assuring that your slipped selvedge in no way interferes with whatever the pattern instructions are.  Naturally, if you look over the pattern and see that the edges are simply plain anyway, you could just work the slipped selvedge on the two edge stitches without adding. Yet, even in this context, many confirmed slip-stitches would go ahead and add the two stitches anyway, out of habit.

How to make an I-cord

includes a how to
We have Elizabeth Zimmerman to thank for popularizing this simple, knitted cord (as she did so many other wonderful knitting tricks). If the illustration isn't self-explanatory, here are some written directions:

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1. Cast on 3 stitches on a double pointed needle (dpn). (For I-cord, I prefer the the "disappearing loop" method, but don't let this discourage you--ANY method of casting on 3 stitches will work very well.) Leave a tail dangling.
   
2. Slide the stitches back along the dpn so that the ball yarn comes out of the left side of the 3 stitches, and the first stitch cast on lies on the right tip of the left needle.
3. With a second dpn, pull the yarn around the back of the 3 stitches, and knit the first stitch on the right tip of the left needle from this position.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the I-cord is as long as you want.
5. Cast off by threading a needle with the ball end of the yarn, run this yarn though all three stitches once or twice, drawing up tightly after each three stitches.
   
6. Run the remaining tail through the middle of the cord, bring the needle out the side of the cord, snip the excess, and tug the I-cord to make the snipped tail slip back inside the I-cord forever. Repeat with the tail left over from casting on.
   

BTW: I-cord stands for "Idiot cord." Presumably the idea is that anyone could make one.
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Related posts:
I-cord from a mill
I-cord with added curl (and maybe beads)
I-cord tassels
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--TK

Velcro and hand knitting--a haiku of pain

Chalk screeching on blackboard.
Dentist's drill in my mouth.
Handknit hat ripping loose from the velcro tabs of my winter jacket.

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Next time I buy a winter jacket, it's honest buttons or a large toothed zipper. I hereby forswear velcro.

--Techknitter

Casting on from the middle--disappearing loop method

includes a how-to, there's a link to a video at the end, too

For knitted objects started in the middle, (shawl, hat) choose the "disappearing loop" method to cast on. Unlike the famous "Emily Ocker's beginning" of which you may have heard, disappearing loop is superior because:

• There is no slip knot, so there is no hard nub in the middle of your work.
• The first stitches are not crocheted, so they are not larger and heavier than the rest of the work.

These advantages make disappearing loop the cast-on of choice for lace and the tops of hats, but any center-start knitting (even I-cord!) looks better with disappearing loop.

HOW TO

1. Make a loop over two fingers of the left hand, as shown. The tail end lies OVER the ball end. In your right hand, hold a double-pointed knitting needle several sizes smaller than you will use for the knitting. Make the first stitch (follow the red arrow) by reaching OVER (not through) the loop, and catching the standing yarn (standing yarn=yarn coming from the ball, also called the "ball end") "up from under" to form a stitch which lies over the needle.

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2. Make the second stitch (follow the red arrow) by reaching THROUGH the loop, catching the standing yarn "up from under" and drawing the standing yarn back out of the loop, to form a stitch which lays over the needle.

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3. Make the third stitch (follow the red arrow) as you made the first one: reach OVER (not through) the loop, and catch the standing yarn "up from under" to form a stitch which lies over the needle. Click here for an explanation of how each finger is deployed in the illustration below.

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4. Continue, making each odd stitch OVER the loop and each even stitch THROUGH the loop and until you have the EVEN number of stitches you need (if you need to cast on an odd numbers of stitches, see point 7, below)

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5. Distribute the stitches onto 3 or 4 dpn and join the work by using the standing yarn to knit through the first stitch cast on. Do not bcome discouraged if the needles drop out--which they WILL do several times, until you finally prevail. (HINT: try different needles until you find the ones which work best for you--bamboo needles are maybe easier for knitting with few stitches where needles are apt to fall out...)


6. After several rounds, tug on the tail end. Ta da! The original loop into which you were working will disappear, and your work will feature a beginning rosette of the even, attractive stitches you worked into that loop. (HINT: give the tail an experimental tug right away, after first joining the work just to be sure the loop CAN tighten and didn't get tangled while making the join. If the tail end did get tangled up, try, try again.)

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7. If, for some reason, you need an ODD number of stitches (a seven-section hat top?) make the loop with the BALL end on top, and make the first (and all odd) stitch(es) by going THROUGH the loop for the first stitch, then OVER the loop for the second (and all even) stitch(es). This way the odd stitch with which you want to end (the last stitch) is "held in" by having been made through the loop.

A final note: Does this sort of cast-on look familiar to you from another context? Perhaps you have used this technique in making a kind of provisional cast on called "invisible cast on." For invisible cast-on, instead of making a loop into which to work, you hold a length of scrap yarn along a straight knitting needle and conduct this same series of manuevers over and under the needle and the scrap yarn. You then withdraw the needle and leave the loops on the scrap yarn until you're ready to expose the stitches. When you withdraw the scrap yarn, you'll see live loops, waiting to be knitted up.

However, IMHO, there exists a far better provisional cast-on (illustrated here) so I'd save this trick for working into a "disappearing loop" for center-started knitting.

ADDENDUM September 2009:  As beautiful as this cast-on is, some folks have been having a hard time following the diagrams.  In real life, you could learn this trick in 5 minutes, but it IS hard to learn from diagrams, no doubt about it.  At any rate, if you like the look of disappearing loop, but are having a hard time of it, then click over to this post: Knitting from the center--belly buttons and the umbilical waste cord method."  Although they do take a little longer, knitted belly buttons end up with the same structure and look as disappearing loop, and are easier to learn from diagrams.

ADDENDUM April 2017:  Here is a video from a reader, Judy Vallas, showing how to do this cast on.

--TECHknitter

Adding a new ball of yarn in the same color

Today: "Joining yarn," or "What to do when you're at the tail end of the old ball of yarn, and you need to add in a new ball of the same color." (Here is a LINK to a post for adding in balls of a different color for multi-color knitting).

An urban myth of knitting is that new yarn always ought to be added at the end of a row (side of the fabric) (scroll).

On the one hand, if you are knitting an item to be seamed, this advice can be good (see trick the third, below).

On the other hand, for items where the edge of the knitting is the edge of the garment (scarf, shawl, stole), or for items where you plan to add an edging, this advice is pretty bad. Adding yarn at the end of a row can leave a big loopy gap along one side of your knitting, and/or a lump where the ends are worked in. The side of your work is probably an inconvenient spot for that gap/lump.

Also, advice to put the yarn change in the seam is of little use to circular knitters.

Another myth is that yarn should be "tied in" with a knot. I've ranted elsewhere against knots in knitting--even slip knots, and won't repeat here. I will add, however, that even the tightest knot has the potential to come undone over time with the kind of wear a knitted garment will get.

Anyway--enough about what won't work. Here are three tricks for adding a new ball of yarn.

Trick the first--felting
(fair warning: if you're squeamish, skip straight to trick the second)

Evidently, the oldest kind of yarn-made fabric is nalbinding. It is made with a large-eyed flat bone-type needle, using short lengths of yarn--originally, the sort of primitive yarn spun by rubbing it between the palms.

Obviously, a major nalbinding issue is how to attach each short length to the next.

Nalbinders solved this problem long ago--maybe in the ice ages--by felting the ends of the yarn together with (this is the squeamy part) spit. Today, most choose to use water, but if you're lazily knitting in bed .... well, just resolve to thoroughly wash your knitting before wearing.

HOW-TO felt the ends

Overlap the ends of the yarn in your hand--by maybe a couple of inches. Add a small amount of the liquid of your choice, and rub the ends between your fingers and your palms or between both palms, until the ends felt. Yup, that's it.

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Of course, the more you practice, the less lumpy the join will be--you can fool with separating the plys in plied yarn before you felt, and fool with the correct amount of liquid, and fool with the rolling action of the felting and fool with the amount of the overlap. However, this isn't rocket science--if cave (wo)men could do it, so can you. A couple of quick experiments will show you the best technique to make the resulting join pretty much invisible in whatever wooly yarn you're using. And of course, by this method, there are no ends to work in.

BUT--felting works best on wool--preferably thickish wool. Felting is a poor choice for thin yarns, such as lace, because even the most careful felted join will show against the lacy fabric. And felting works not at all on non-wool yarns. Which brings us to...

Trick the second--overlapping

HOW-TO overlap

Overlap the new end and the old end. Knit THREE stitches with both yarns, then drop the old yarn.

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Be sure there are several inches of EACH end hanging down.

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The overlap may look bulky, but this is temporary.

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Several rows or rounds AFTER the joining, carefully adjust the tension by gently pulling on each end in turn. In heavy work, pull tight enough so that the stitch attached to that end will shrink behind the not-pulled stitch and disappear. In lace work, tug each end carefully only as hard as it takes to make all six overlapped stitches the same size--see photo of lace work below.

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The central stitch, in which both yarns lay unpulled, will be slightly larger than the stitches on either side, but even in loose lacy knitting, where there is little tugging, this join hides.

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If you're working in heavy wool, you clip the ends after you've washed and blocked the garment. Leave a short end (1/2 inch) still sticking out--over time, it will shrink into (and felt onto) the fabric as the garment is pulled and twisted in everyday wear. After several further washings, when you're sure that little tail will shrink no further, you can clip it down as far as the fabric surface with a clear conscience. In woolen lace, where both sides of the fabric are designed to be seen, wash and block the item. When dry, stretch the area of the overlap several times to adjust the tension before clipping the excess very near to the fabric surface.

With non-wool yarns, three stitches MIGHT be enough to hold the ends for all times, and it might not, depends how slippery the stuff is. I find that superwash wool, for example, requires more, so I'll sometimes work 4 overlapping stitches. If you have doubts, then use the overlapping method of join PLUS, for insurance, work your ends in further using whatever method you generally use, before you clip the excess. (Working-in ends will be the subject of a future post...)

If there is a pattern to your knitted fabric, think about placing your overlapped stitches there, rather than out in a flat, smooth stockinette stitch area. The 3-stitch-overlapped join is nearly undetectable, but by placing it in a pattern--where the eye is already predisposed to accept a disturbance--you have additional insurance that no one will ever notice.

Trick the third--for items to be seamed

A reader of this blog, Noricum, gets the credit for this trick.

For garments which will be seamed (sweaters made in pieces, for example) the idea is to change balls at the side (seam edge) and leave a long tail from the new ball AND the old ball. When the time comes to seam the garment, use the long tails for the sewing yarn--remember to cross the yarns, one going up, and one going down, in such a way as to draw closed the gap where the new ball comes in. Thanks Noricum!

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PS:  Here is a link to a post with 10 (!)  different methods of working in ends in knitting, eight of which are "as you go."
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--TECHknitter