Loose Edges

[StephanieD]

I'm a VERY new knitter. I pretty much have the knit and purl stitches down, but my edges are always loose and ugly. Does anyone have any tips on tightening that up?

[PCARR69]

You can try slipping your first and last stitch. Just don't knit or purl it and move it to your other needle. This is supposed to keep your edges much more even. I hope this helps.

 

Patricia

Golden CO

[squish_52]

i make the first stitch and just pull the yarn a wee bit it helps give it a more clean edge

[shortylam]

One trick I learned from the SnB book: you knit/purl the first stitch as usual, then as you knit the 2nd stitch, pull the yarn a bit tighter. That way you'll have a nice edge.

[Bookchick29]

You can try slipping your first and last stitch. Just don't knit or purl it and move it to your other needle. This is supposed to keep your edges much more even. I hope this helps.

 

Patricia

Golden CO

 

I think you're just supposed to slip the first stitch, not the first and last. If you slip the first and last then that stitch never gets knit. But if you slip the first stitch, then the edge stitches only get knit on every other row. It makes a very nice neat edge that looks like a knitted stitch from the side. This is also great if you're working on an item that will need stitches picked up from the edges because then you have a obvious place to pick up each stitch.

 

ETA: Oh and remember that if you're going to use this technique, you always want to slip the stitch purlwise on each row regardless or whether you're knitting or purling the row.

[Crocus58]

I always knit the last stitch then slip the first stitch. It makes a very nice edge.

[StephanieD]

Thanks for all of the tips you guys! I'll give them a try!

[moonspinners]

ETA: Oh and remember that if you're going to use this technique, you always want to slip the stitch purlwise on each row regardless or whether you're knitting or purling the row.

 

 

I'm like Stephanie....very new to knitting and I noticed how my edges are not neat at all. I appreciate all the tips thus far. To slip the stitch "purlwise" does this mean that the working yarn must be in front of the needle and for "knitwise" the working yarn should be in back of the needle? I don't quite understand "purlwise" and "knitwise."

[Crocus58]

I knit continental (pick) and I knit the last stitch regardless of whether I'm on a knit stitch or purl - I'd assume the theory would work with either knit or purl, as long as you are consistent.

[moonspinners]

Here's a site I just found for knit tips: http://www.lanagrossa.com/service/stricktipps/index.html

The site gives several ways of working the edge.

[Bookchick29]

I'm like Stephanie....very new to knitting and I noticed how my edges are not neat at all. I appreciate all the tips thus far. To slip the stitch "purlwise" does this mean that the working yarn must be in front of the needle and for "knitwise" the working yarn should be in back of the needle? I don't quite understand "purlwise" and "knitwise."

 

Purlwise just refers to how you put the needle into the stitch. So for purlwise, you would take the right needle and enter it into the stitch like you're going to purl it (with the right needle tip facing away from the left needle tip) then slip it.

 

Bringing the yarn to the front to slip the stitch isn't necessary for slipping the first stitch. Some patterns that will have you slip a stitch in the middle of a row will tell you to slip with the yarn in the back or slip with the yarn in the front.

[moonspinners]

Thanks, Tiffany! I'm going to try the different ideas.

[Aggie May]

What stitch are you doing? All knit (Garter Stitch) or knit one row, purl one row, (Stocking Stitch).

Start off just knitting every row and get your edges tidy before you go on to purl.

If you are not having a problem with the middles of the rows, cast on 10 stitches then you get to start and finish the rows more often.

If you just think, "Smooth & even" as you knit your stitches, you will get them smooth and even.

If it is just the edges of your knitting you are having a problem with, it may be to do with how you turn your work so be aware of how you do it and make sure you have the yarn sitting free of the needles when you go to start the next row. (You may be accidentally catching the yarn around the needle at the start of the row.)

Sometimes the problem can be from pulling the yarn too tight, rather than not pulling it tight enough.

So, think "Smooth & even" and relax as you knit and see what happens.

Hope this helps.

Have fun.

Colleen:hug