Here’s a swatch I knitted to sample for a baby blanket.
My questions are:
Why are my edges so ugly? :mrgreen: How can I make them even and nice? I think on one of the videos on this site, MissWonderfulSitePerson recommends slipping the first stitch of every row off, in order to have tighter edges. Am I doing it wrong?
Why does the ribbing in the middle (yes, that’s ribbing) not look like ribbing?
why is the top right edge curved where I started binding off? Is it because I’m slipping off the first stitch of every row?
I also don’t slip the first stitch, because then I get all confused about what I knitted and what I didn’t…I do the Debbie Stoller thing where you knit (or purl) the first stitch in a row, then insert the needle into the second stitch and then tug the yarn tight. It leaves me unfailingly straight rows.
Also–sometimes if I pull the yarn too tight when I’m binding off, it curves the edge more than I’d like.
In one knitting book I have it says we get the extra loose stitch at the beginning of the row because we knit too tightly the row before. See, this book says that while it may not seem like we’re pulling tight, the yarn is spreading out over the row and by the time we get to the last stitch, it gives us one ginormously loose stitch. It recommends knitting the first 3-4 stitches of a row tighter than normal and the last 3-4 a little looser. This way, it spreads the tension out a little more evenly across the row.
It also says this will go away with practice. It still hasn’t gone away for me.
But I tried the slip at the beginning of the row and it made things worse. SO…I too knit the first stitch (or purl) and just tighten it up to the needle. The selvages aren’t perfectly pretty, but it’s hand crafted and the little mistakes are just love showing through.
I do slip the first st of every row–when I turn my work I just slide my needle in through the front of the stitch as if I were going to knit it, then move on to the next. I come out with a nice even chain-stitch-like edge. I do this on every row, wrong side and right side.
To me it looks as though when you started to bind off you either skipped the first stitch or started binding off too tightly for it to curve inward like that. Binding off has to be done a bit loosely, and you don’t want to slip the first stitch on the bindoff, just while working.
As for the twisted look to your knit stitches, I wonder…might you be inadvertantly twisting your stitches as you are making them? That might account for the look of your stitches and the edges of your work. Knit a few short rows very slowly and watch the yarn as you knit. The yarn should shouldn’t cross over itself at the back of each stitch. Does that make any sense?
Another vote to slip the first stitch. I always do this and my edges come out nice and straight. Whatever I am supposed to do in the pattern is how I slip the stitch.
I also think that when you started binding off, it was too tight. Try and keep it loose and you should be even.
The reason that you may be twisting your stitches is that you may be knitting through the back loop rather than the front loop. Just a thought but you may want to check this.
Good luck - I am sure that it will turn out great!
Wow, this has been very helpful! I’ve done about 4 inches of the blanket, and have been doing what nstssj recommended, pulling the second stitch tight, and it looks a whole lot better. I think I’m going to combine that idea with what CountryKitty is recommending - to knit every first stitch, regardless of pattern, and then tighten it up.
Sanibelle, I’m not knitting through the back loop, so I don’t think the knit stitches are crossed… hmm…
MamaDawn, that’s a good idea - I’ll definitely try a loser bind off.
suseeq, you were right - I did a few more rows of ribbed stitch, and it looks a whole lot better. Yay!
And alleusion, I LOVE how you put that - it’s handcrafted and the mistakes are just love showing through!!! I think I’ll make that my signature line :mrgreen:
