I finished a cardigan and the picked up buttonband (k1p1 ribbed)
flips inward. I have wet blocked but that didn’t help. Does anyone have
any ideas as to why this happened or how to fix?
Main body of cardi is stocking stitch.
Buttonband flipping in
Hello
I’ve recently picked up a button band too and I ripped out the entire band and reknit it after some help from rox knits tutorials.
It think these were the videos I watched. In particular the formula for how many stitches to pick up. Whilst modern patterns tell us a certain number, I have read/heard vintage patterns used to say to pick up as many as your gauge requires, so not a set number but instead work it out for yourself.
In the second video there is a formula for how many stitches to pick up and it is surprisingly easy to work out. You can figure out your gauge of rows from the stocking stitch body you already knitted and the gauge for stitches from a section of ribbing already done (maybe cuff or bottom band was ribbed? If not make a ribbed swatch to count stitches on).
My button band turned out exactly the right gauge after following the formula for my own gauge rather than the number given in the pattern.
In addition, Rox gives a tip of how to prevent the very bottom of the band from curling up and looking shorter. In fact she makes an extra row so that one row does curl but visually it looks straight and even. Now I saw that part too late for my band, I’ll use that tip in future though.
I fixed my own curl by (after band is complete and happy with the gauge) picking up across the bottom of the band and immediately casting off.
At the time I wished I’d photographed a before and after as its such a great improvement. If you decide you want to do this later on after fixing your band I can explain it in more detail (if you do the method of an extra row you won’t need this).
Gauge is only one aspect of what might be causing the flip. Other people will probably have other tips too. This is just from my recent experience. Maybe it will help.
Thanks…will check that out.
You could try hand sewing a strip of bias binding or a ribbon over the “flip point” on the inside of the cardigan. Use a stitch that has plenty of give (i.e. not running stitch or back stitch).
I have tried this with varying degrees of success on hems, bands, etc. that were flipping up.
Stocking stitch loves to curl, and will do it at the first opportunity it gets.
Another possibility is crocheting a vertical line of slip stitches over the flip line from the front of the work.
Again I have tried this with varying degrees of success.