The Knitting Fiend

In my previou post, I mentioned my plot to create the most complicated knit toys in the world teach a large number of knitting techniques using silly toy patterns.

I learned a new method of working short rows, and I’ll describe it here. These are tidier than the wrap and turn method I’ve described and used for the knit rat. (Mind you, the wrap and turn method is just fine for many applications, but this one is more invisible. So, it’s worth learning.)

You know what short rows are, right? You knit (or purl) across a row and turn before all the stitches are worked. Then you purl (or knit) back. The row is “short” because you turn before working all the stitches. This generally forms little wedges like the one shown to the left. (That particular wedge was knit to make the rat, which is pointy at the nose and flatter toward the tail.)

Short rows are often used to knit in some sort of bulge. Examples of bulges include sock heels, bustline darts, really warm doubled over earflaps, and of course knit rats.

Needless to say, I use short rows to shape the pumpkin in my soon to be published knit pumpkin pattern. I’m discussing the new short row wrapping technique here so the zillions of people who will knit the pumpkin can refer back and see the full description of the method.

Ok, so you look at that wedge above and say “No problem, I just stop knitting turn and knit back. Easy enough. I don’t need any more information” Well. . . Almost.

The problem is that if you just turn, the knitting tends to form a little hole at each turning point. So, knitters need to do something to prevent a hole. There are several methods, and I’ve learned a new one that I like better than the one I used to use. So, here’s my new favorite method:

Yarn Over Method of Short Rows:

• When you are first working the short row that begins on the knit side, you knit across to the last stitch you are told to knit. (There will still be some stitches on the left hand needle.) Turn the work; the purl side is facing you and the yarn is in the front. Now, work a backwards yarn over by bringing the yarn to the back under the needles, and then taking it over the needle to bring it to the front. Purl the next stitch on the left needle tip and work across the row as far as required. There will be an extra loop on the needle as a result of the yarn over. Don’t worry about the yarn over yet.
• When you are first working a short row that begins on the purl side, purl across and turn before finishing the row. Turn the work. The knit side is facing, and the yarn is in the back. Now, bringing the yarn forward under the needle then take it to the back passing over the needle. Knit the stitch on the left tip and continue across the row as far as required.

At some point, you will begin working a larger number of stitches and you will come across these yarn overs. To avoid creating an extra stitch, you will need to knit or purl the yarn overs together with the stitch just to the left of the yarn over. The specific method is a bit long to describe, and no one is ever going to describe it within a pattern.

Here are the details:

• If you are working a purl row, purl until you reach the yarn over. (Above, left, my finger points to the yarn over). Insert your right needle tip knitwise and slip the yarn over to the right tip. Then, slip the next stitch on the left needle knit wise. Slip both stitches back to the left tip. (The purpose of this is to change the way the stitches sit.)
  

  Then, insert right tip through the back loops of both the yarn over and the stitch, as show to the right. Wrap yarn and purl. This fuses the yarn over and the stitch and closes a hole that would form if you hadn’t done this fiddly thing.

• If you are working a knit row, knit until you reach the yarn over. You will want to knit it together with the next stitch, but you will notice the yarn over is seated wrong; the right leg will be behind the needle. To reseat it, insert the right tip in front of the right leg of the yo as show below, left. Slip the yo; then slip it back to the left tip with the right leg in front of the needle. Knit the stitch and yarn over together; see below right.

That’s it. Of course, this will make more sense if you knit the pumpkin — I’ll be proof reading and clicking “publish” on that today!

• Filed in how to knit.
• The wrap and turn method is discussed in How to knit short rows.