Arrrrggghhhh!!!!! Dumb Stockinette Stitch
Ok you know what I've discovered this past week...... stockinette stitch when knitted flat for a scarf just sucks lol....... for the past four days I've been fighting with a camouflage scarf I wanted to do in stockinette stitch because I wanted to try something different (meaning something other than the usual garter stitch scarf) and while it looked great the darn thing just rolls up into this tube like thing... So I tried doing a seed stitch edge on both sides and that didn't stop it from rolling... So I tried doing a garter stitch edge and even that didn't stop it from rolling. Then I did a 5/1 rib pattern with seed stitch edges and the darn thing still rolls up.
I gave up, ripped it out and now I'm making a hat because I can almost knit a hat with my eyes closed and I know it will turn out exactly like I want it.... grrr!
I gave up, ripped it out and now I'm making a hat because I can almost knit a hat with my eyes closed and I know it will turn out exactly like I want it.... grrr!
posted by David at 4:04 PM
10 Comments:
Stockinette is the devil.
This scarf might look good in camo http://helloyarn.com/irishhikingcarf.htm
if you are looking for a pattern that doesn't roll but isn't garter.
These tips are for preventing curl, when using the loom, but the concept should help you when using needles...?
When making a flat piece, the side edges tend to curl. This can be prevented several
ways:
1. If your piece is made with a knit stitch (either e-wrap or flat), put one or two purl
stitches at or near the end of each row.
2. If your piece is made with a purl stitch, put one or two knit stitches at or near the
end of each row.
3. Knit your piece with a stitch pattern that incorporates both knit and purl stitches,
such as a garter stitch (knit odd rows with e-wrap or flat wrap stitches, knit even
rows with purl stitches).
Beginning and ending edges also tend to curl when knit with just a single stitch, such as
the e-wrap stitch. To prevent this, knit the first and last few rows by alternating stitches
on each row. For example, knit rows 1, 3, and 5 with a knit stitch, and rows 2, 4, and 6
with a purl stitch, then knit the piece, and finish off with the last 6 rows alternating knit
and purl rows as in the beginning.
I just recently went through this too with stockinette. I had really hoped that it would turn into a lovely scarf but as you said it was nothing but a tube (boo hiss!). I did read somewhere that to prevent this you could do as american girl in italy suggested or (I think) apply a crochet edging to it. Of course I didn't do either of these, but ripped mine out as well. :-)
I'm just beginning knitting so I don't know if I'll be any help here but in my search for some help on knitting I came across a forum or a post somewhere that dealt with this exact issue. Someone suggested slip stitching at the beginning and ending of rows or just at the ending I can't remember *L* See lots of help I am. If I come across it though I'll post the link for you. There were a few ladies that had thier certain techniques for this.
Ok well fortunately I had this site saved in my favorites but unfortunately couldn't find the posts I was looking for..however I did find another one. A woman had also knitted a scarf in the stockinette stitch and was asking how to block so it would stay flat. Here is the reply she got.
My bet is that you knit your scarf in stocenette st. (knit one row, purl the next etc.) this stitch will always roll unless bordered by garter, seed or some other stitch. Blocking rarely if ever helps. Some people say crocheting an edge helps but minimally.
Stockinette makes a lovely, although plain, fabric. If you want to do a stockinette scarf, add three to four stitches of seed or garter stitch as borders on each side and four rows at the top and bottom. This will keep the fabric stable and it won't roll.
Hope this helps..guess stockinette isn't the best stitch to use for scarves unless you don't mind using the other stitches to border it.
Wow this post got lots of comments. Thanks guys for that and the advice. I tried everything you all suggested and it still rolled so I'm gonna move on to some other things for awhile.
No, if you did all those things, it won't roll. However, that is why you do it in st st so that it rolls, don't you? If you want it to stay flat, you have to stabilize those edges in some way.
If you put a side border on it in seed stitch, or garter stitch, that should do it. I usually do about 3-4 stitches; knit the first stitches on every row, for example. That is why all those scarves have borders!! Or crochet, but I don't like that very much.
You could knit them in the round into a tube and that would be best -- they seem to want to be a tube anyway! haha
Of course, you have blocked them, right? That is always necessary -- but I don't have to tell you that!
You can also go back in when youre done and do something called "worming" where you pick up 3 stitches and do a process of knitting a couple rows then decreasing and picking up another from the body of the scarf. I have instructions for it in machine knitting, but that's easily translated into hand knitting if you're interested. I use it for necklines because I hate making neckbands and such.
No I am done with stockinette stitch scarfs for now. I still have to try and figure out that two-tone brioche stitch thing and I've got some caps I'm working on... and I'm finally back into working on our website.
That worming process sounds super complicated Nick and I would probably tear all of my hair out trying to figure it out lol.
And tallguy I DID do all of those things and it DID still roll. No I didn't block it because I was using acrylic yarn and I don't think you can block acrylic yarn lol.
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