Jessimuhka Knits

Rebekkah and I were discussing the effect twisted stitches have on finished items this morning and I decided to upload pictures of an extremely biased hat I knit with twisted purl stitches.

This is the right side, it's modeled off an Old Navy hat Andrew saw and liked. I used Rowan Wool-Cotton and US 3 needles. All the purl stitches are twisted, resulting in the slant.

Here's the wrong side, where it's easier to see the twisted stitches. (Photos can be clicked to make bigger) While there's nothing wrong with the hat, it's not the effect I was looking for, and if I was doing color work or something similar the bias could cause unpleasant distortion. I think it's important to know what you're doing with your knitting. Now I can use twisted stitches when I want them for a certain effect, and get a non twisted result the rest of the time. What was causing my twisted purls was wrapping the purls the wrong way.

Edit: I forgot to add that I knit this hat in June 2004, when I'd been knitting about 4 months. I think it was my last FO with twisted purl stitches.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 03:18 PM | Permalink

This is the first in a series of tutorials I'm writing on how to fix common knitting mistakes without ripping back. I'd like to thank my BF Andrew for being a good sport about taking dozens of close-up knitting pictures. If you have any concerns, or suggestions for upcoming installments, please leave a comment.

This tutorial shows how to fix a missing yarn over that is discovered on a subsequent right side row. The first step is identifying the mistake. The pattern in the sample piece is k1, *YO, k2tog* [repeat to last stitch], k1. A yarn over (YO) occurs between two stitches. Look at the picture below and try to determine where the YO should be.

The red arrow shows where the YO should be in this pattern. Reading your knitting is an important step in fixing problems without ripping out the entire offending piece.

Next, knit in pattern up to the space where the YO should be.

Now, place the tip of your right needle, from back to front, under the second horizontal strand between the two stitches.

Place the horizontal bar untwisted on the left hand needle.

Insert the tip of your right needle into the stitch from front to back (do not twist the stitch), then pick up the first horizontal bar between the stitches and draw it through. (you are knitting into this stitch, but instead of using yarn from the ball to form a new stitch, you are using the horizontal bar in the space between the stitches above it)

Drop the second horizontal bar off the left hand needle. You will have a twisted stitch on the right hand needle.

Slip this stitch back onto the left hand needle, untwisting it as you do.

You are now ready to continue knitting in pattern, the missing YO has been replaced.

Finish the row, and then look to see if you can even find where you fixed your mistake - probably not!

Occasionally the newly added YO will be a bit smaller than the other YOs, especially if you are a tight knitter. Don't worry, this will even out with blocking.

Coming Soon: Volume Two - The Mis-Twisted Cable

Posted by Jessimuhka at 02:17 PM | Permalink