Hi, I am knitting Yarnspirations knit baby turban. I am having a problem understanding the part of the pattern titled Cross Stitches. Not sure what I am doing wrong. Thanks for any help.
Help with pattern
You need a cable needle or spare double pointed needle - you’re essentially going to be doing a sort of ribbed cable section.
- Slip 12 or 16 (depending on the size you’re doing) onto this needle, then start working the stitches on the left of the ‘main’ needle, making sure the held stitches are going to be behind the work you’re now doing.
- Then you do 2 x 2 rib for 12 or 16 stitches, after that, you work another 2 x 2 rib using all the stitches on the spare needle.
Repeat these 2 steps to the end of the row. The row after is plain 2 x 2 rib, which you continue with until you have the length you need.
Thanks for your reply. After working all the stitches should my work still be flat or does it connect in a circle?
It will still be flat, until you sew it up at least cute pattern, good luck with it!
Thank you. I’ll keep trying. Can’t seem to do it.
Don’t know what I am doing wrong…I just can’t figure this out. There are a total of 32 stitches. I removed the first 16 stitches and held them behind my work. I then k2, p2 the remaining 16 stitches on the main needle. At that point the working yarn is at the end of the row of the left hand needle. I have done cable work before, but it was always removing maybe 4 or 5 stitches in the middle of a row. I guess my issue is I can’t figure out how to work the 16 stitches off the holding needle with the yarn at the end of the left hand needle and the new stitches starting at the far right of the holding needle. Hope this is understandable.
Hi. I remembered seeing this thread about wide cables a while ago, there is a suggestion here to look for a thread on ravelry, I wonder if it would help you?
If its no help then sorry.
Thank you for your reply. I think I figured out my problem. I am using circular needles. I have used them before when making scarfs or lap robes and was able to knit to end of row and then turn my work.
Glad you found a solution.
I didn’t find a solution after all Don’t know why I am having such a hard time with this. I wish I was able to see a video of someone doing this pattern with circular needles. I contacted Yarnspirations and am awaiting a reply.
Don’t think of the circular needle as any different than 2 straight needles. You’re working back and forth on these needles.
Once you’ve knit the first 16sts, you’re still working the front side row. You haven’t finished the row until you work the sts that are on the spare needle. Once you’ve worked that second set of 16sts you can then turn, switching the needles in your hands and work the back side row.
Try to think of this cable cross as if it were in the middle of a row, similar to this video and probably other cables that you’ve worked. The yarn end is at the end of the left hand needle and your next stitch is the first one on the spare needle. It’s a bit of a stretch but you don’t have to pull too tightly on the yarn strand.
Hello
I hope the video from @salmonmacwas helpful and the reminder of this being worked flat.
I just had a go and its crazy hard with 16 stitches, as you pointed out the working yarn is far left and the stitches held behind begin at far right.
What I did might not be ‘right’ but you never know, it might help.
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I left a longer yarn strand as salmonmac said.
Slip 16, hold at back, leave longer strand when starting to work the remaining 16. Mine is a couple of cm in the final result which sounds a lot but it is totally hidden inside the fabric twist, on both sides. I’m going to try to show a photo after this so you can see both sides (neat) and the long strand if I pull it out at the side to show you. -
After ribbing the first lot of 16 it’s time to knit the held stitches. I had mine held on a cable needle and if you have one this maybe be easier to maneuver.
I tackled each stitch individually, quite slowly.
I brought in another needle which I’ll call the spare.
Worked stitches on right needle, unworked on cable needle behind and the spare needle I brought in on the left and used it to slip into the first stitch on the cable needle (slipping in from left to right so it doesn’t twist) and keeping the spare on the left as though it is the left needle. In slipping this stitch i needed most stitches near the points of the needles and rather than pushing the stitch off the cable needle my approach was more like gently removing the cable needle from the stitch (possibly too confusing. Stitch staying still, needle moving, its because its hard to move the stitches with everything so tight)
Once there was a single stitch on the spare needle it released the tension a bit and that needle has a little more movement in it than the cable needle, making it easier to knit into the right needle.
I did this for each single stitch and although j had to be careful mkt to let stitches fall off the ends of the needles, employing the spare needle was very helpful in giving just a little more movement to get the right needle I to that left stitch.
I did find the second, third forthnrows after this pretty tight, it was like a mini sleeve joined jn the roud almost, but after a few rows ribbing it released. I didn’t do the 24cm of rib at the start which actually might have helped but I was just trying a sample.
You could use your circular needles as straight needles but if you have a spare straight needle to use as I did this might help. Having the stitches on the shorter cable I think helped me too.
That’s right side, wrong side and I’ve untwisted to show the yarn length between which is fully hidden by the twist.
Please note one of the needles has the stitches, the other I’ve just poked through the cast on edge to hold the fabric down for the photo. They are not both working needles.
Well, don’t know if it will help or hinder but I wish you luck.
I know @Shintoga answered this already. It is flat until sewn up, I agree.
But I just want to add that when I did my sample, because of the twist it looks like its been joined in the round. I was convinced I’d got it wrong and was making some odd twisted and knotted up baby size sleeve. As I continued though and got enough rib rows away from the twist row I was then able to spread the stitches out more and shape the fabric with my fingers so that it sat flat, with a twist.
I just want to say this incase this was an added confusion when you tried the twist.
Maybe you’d got it right and just needed to work more rows to release the tension on the fabric?