Hello knitters
I have read about hem flip before, in browsing general knitting type articles, but it had never happened to me and I had thought it an odd thing to have articles on when it never happens… until now.
It’s happened.
The info I have read gives tips such as using a smaller needle for a ribbed hem and calculating rib gauge separately to stockinette gauge, altering stitch count at the transition, these are all things I do in any case.
My current sweater has flipped its hem despite using the same yarn, needles, gauge, previously used. The only difference is the depth of the hem, this one is short whilst others have been more substantial.
Is this the reason it has flipped?
None of the articles I’ve read mention the depth of the ribbed hem as being the problem and yet in my own sweater it seems this must be the reason.
Thanks, the Patty Lyons is one of the pages I have previously come across but don’t recall it mentioning depth of hemand cant see mention of itnow, mayb im mising it. The slip stitch at transition is the opposite to the one roxanne richardson demonstrates as a smoother transition (slipping purls on the right side to keep them set back between the knits) but I used neither in this project as I’d used the same gauge for rib with this yarn before without problems.
I’m a little annoyed with myself for making the shallow hem, I just had no idea this would happen having never had it before.
I can only really hope it stops when I wash it.
I have half a thought on surgery to make a deeper hem but, oh dear, I’m not sure I have the yarn for it and the transition row had decreases and several yarn strands introduced for the intarsia colour work, it just doesn’t sound like a row of surgery I fancy trying with all those things going on.
I have some contrast colour slip stitch crochet planned in certain parts of the hem, maybe that will stabilise it a bit.
Or I am just wishful thinking
Do you both use the slipped stitch method to avoid flips? I don’t understand why I’ve never had it before if it’s a common thing, especially as I just about only make sweaters.
I actually don’t use it routinely. I tried it just to see how it worked. Usually the hem is deep enough or tight enough not to flip when worn. I credit gravity with a nod to blocking.
I’ve had this too on a narrow hem. Luckily it was a top down sweater. I didn’t lengthen the hem but did pull it back to work the slip knits at the transition.
I’ve only really experienced flip with a narrow hem.
I don’t like the pulled in / blouson look of traditional rib so I mostly knit patterns where the stitch count doesn’t change between the rib and the body stitch. I usually work the rib on a smaller needle than specified by the pattern.
Also, I always work my purls in ribbing using an eastern wrap. This uses less yarn and I think mitigates the flip.
Thanks. That’s really useful to know you only had the hem flip with a narrow hem too. It’s quite comforting when someone else had the same issue!
I also don’t like the hem pulled in and I have done, like you say, hems without a change in stitch count at the transition and a smaller needle than the pattern. On this one (and my last, in the same yarn) I had a bigger difference between the hem and main gauge so had adjusted the stitch count to accommodate the rib so it didn’t pull in too much, this hem had 10 additional stitches and overall should be laying flat and straight down from the body. The width of the hem looks fine, not too wide or flared, not pulled in… but the flip.
Well, I have to wait until the end to resolve this. See what happens when washed, or steamed.
I have at least learned to either avoid a shallow hem or use the slip stitch method.