Hello
I never heard of this but it sounded interesting so I tried it out on a swatch I had.
I don’t know if this is exactly as intended but it has definitely worked to reduce curling. You can see my swatch is turned on its side, so side edges now become top and bottom, and I’ve worked my interpretation of the speedbump on the top edge, you can see it laying flatter (top right) whilst the rest of that edge is still curling (top left).
The bottom is also curling a lot.
Mine is not stocking stitch with a garter boarder as I just grabbed a swatch I had so mine is on reverse stocking stitch near the edge. I used a different yarn although it doesn’t show on this photo well.
I picked up a purl bump for each pick up stitch. You could pick up a knit leg, just pick up the same leg if the V each time to keep your row straight.
I went into the stitch purl wise, wrap, brought through creating 1 stitch on the right needle, then repeated. 2 stitches on right needle. Pass first over second stitch for a bind off. This leaves 1 stitches on the right needle.
Work into the next stitch/leg on the curling edge in the same way to produce another stitch on the right needle.
2 stitches on needle.
Pass first over second to bind off 1 stitch.
1 stitch remains on needle.
Continue the full length of the scarf or edge.
With one stitch left cut yarn and Pass through the stitch to finish it off, weave it.
I found it a little tricky to work this with only 1 needle (if I was picking up knit wise along the very edge of a fabric I would just use the right needle) so to help out I used a left needle too. It helped me pick up the stitch from the fabric so I could get my right needle in to work it. The left needle also helps with with passing one stitch over the other for the bind off.
This picking up and immediately binding off could also be done with a crotchet hook which would probably make the job easier.
It does make a good firm edge and my swatch is not curling at all.
With going in purl wise I have been able to keep my needles and yarn to one side of the fabric as you can’t go “through” the fabric if you are working a few stitches in or between a stocking stitch fabric with a garter edging.
Why not knit up a swatch and have a go? You could try out on the right side of the work and then on the wrong side and see which result you like the best?
I rather like it and even if i didn’t do this “right” the result works and I think I could use it some time in my knitting. It’s always good to have more tips and tricks.
Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
By the way, “bind off” just means the part where you pass one stitch over the other. It’s what you do to finish your project or the last row in a scarf, the part where you end all the stitches.