Because of a fascinating discussion on the Knitting Beyond the Hebrides list about various methods for picking up and knitting and/or knitting up techniques, I offered this workshop space to anyone on the list to submit their alternative methods and photographs. We have some to start with, and more are on the way.
MEM's Old Favorites
This is how I have understood the instructions to "Pick up and knit" which I have done by two different methods. For the first photos I did, back on a blog post, I used a piece of lace edging with a slip stitch chain for the pick-up edge. Someone, perhaps Nancy, thought this might make a difference in the result, and after thinking about it, I thought she might be right. Thus, I knit two plain stockinette stitch swatches and re-did the methods: The picked up stitches look fine, but they are a tad tight.
I knit on, and the front wound up looking like this:
It does have one row that is a bit tight (blue pointy thing,) but that might not be a bad thing, if one were working with something loose that could stand some tightening, like some necklines I've knit.
The back looks like this: really no ridge:
The back loop of the bind-off chain is there, but it looks fine, I think.
Knitting Up: I learned this term either from something I read by Elizabeth Zimmerman or Meg Swansen, and I don't recall which or where. Anyway, they liked the term, and thought this a bit easier than picking up the loop. I always use this on sock gussets, and most other places. I go under both loops of the bind-off or slip-stitch chain, whichever I'm working with my right-hand needle, pulling the new stitch through under that:
Stitches look about the same, maybe a little less tight. Here's how it looks after a few rows are knitted:
Looks about the same as the first method, not tight. The difference is in the back, which has a definite ridge, that results from going under both loops of the edge chain, be it bind-off or slip-stitch:
So, I guess the decision point is: Do you want the ridge? If so, where do you want it?
(Part I, copyright of Little Yarn Shoppe of Horrors 2005, all rights reserved.)
Veronik's Tubular Method
You will recall that Canadian designer Veronique Avery offered her tubular method, which was mentioned in the post of Sunday night. You can refer to it again, by clicking on her name.
Jaya's Method
This documents the pick up and knit experimental swatch I did:
This is a picture of the swatch in its entirety. Technique 1 is on the bottom; technique 2 on the top, and technique 3 on the right. I each case, the first row on the WS was a knit row, followed by a knit row on the RS, and then a bind off in knit on the WS. So each "border" is identical. Any differences are due to the picking up technique as well as the edge from which i picked up.
This is a closeup of the first technique. Note that it is done on the cast on edge. I used the knitted cast on, so there is some looseness there.
Technique 1: With RS facing you, *insert needle tip into loop of knitted cast on stitch, pull a loop through. Repeat from * to the end. You can see a row of knitted stitches below the first purl ridge.
Here is a closeup of Technique Two. It is worked along the cast on edge. The looseness on this edge is due to the stretching that occurred b picking up all the stitches at one time. I used a double point needle, because that is all I had on hand. If I had used a circular, I would have slid the stitches on the cable which would have reduced the stretching and made the pick up easier.
Technique 2: With right side facing *insert needle tip into both loops of the next bind off stitch from front to back. Repeat from * until all the bind off stitches are picked up. Turn and knit back. Note that there is no initial knit row. The purl ridge is the first thing you see. That's the value of doing this. You don't get that initial knit row.
This is Technique Number 3. It is worked on the side edge of the swatch. I did not work a chain edge, so I picked up using a stitch/row ratio of 3:4, picking up a whole stitch along the edge.
Technique No 3: With RS facing, *insert needle into edge, pull a new loop through, slip it to the left needle, and knit it again. Repeat * to the end. You can see two rows of knit stitches above the edge below the purl ridge.
Copyright 2005 Jaya Srikrishnan All rights reserved.
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