My stockinette is not v's

General Knitting
1

I found a pic on the internet to illustrate what I mean:

I don’t know if it’s just the yarn I am using or the angle or what, but my stockinette is looking more like a very even straight line, then diagonal line than a V. I like the way this looks, but is this OK or would someone look at the baby blanket I am making and go “AMATEUR!”

Maybe it’s just the way my eyeballs are seeing this.

I am making the Debbie Bliss Baby Shawl, size 7 needles, Caron Simply Soft in Country Blue.

2

It’s possible you’re twisting the sts. Do you wrap the yarn around the needle the same direction purling as knitting? When you go to make a knit stitch is the leading leg of your stitch in front or behind the left needle?

3

Here is a better picture, mine is more even than the first one and more like this:
http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/2113291/P10100011-main_Full.jpg

I knit continental, and exactly like the video on here shows. Now that I look at it more it might be more of the angle I am looking at it. I never really noticed it before, but with this blanket & this yarn it really looks more like
l/
l/
l/
l/

and not
V
V
V
V

4

It could be the yarn biasing, but I never heard of SS doing that. You might try handwashing what you have, or a swatch, and see if it still looks that way afterward.

5

Could it be caused by a difference in tension between purl and knit stitches?

Does it look that way when you knit in the round?

6

I don’t think it’s you – I think it’s the way the yarn is plied. Check out this article:

http://www.knitty.com/issuefall05/FEATwhyply.html

7

I had that happen to me too. It was aPeurvian yarn from Little Knits. I thought it was rather attractive.

8

I think it is the yarn too.

9

My experience is that different yarns have a different “look”. The more twisted the yarn is the less of a V you will get.

I use alot of Berroco Pure Merino and it looks like
l/
l/
l/

a less twisted yarn looks like:
/
/
/

But if you pull the stitch apart you will see the distinctive ladder.

I actually think the stitch definition is nice with the l/l/l/l look.

I did a Wallaby with Cascade 220 and one with Berroco Pure Merino and there was an amazing difference in the way the stitches look, but both were nice.

10

THe chemo cap that I sent for Mason’s mom did that. I thought it was a fluke from knitting in the round or something. I kind of liked it but didn’t know why it happened.

11

vote here for the yarn as well…I have had it happen to me once…and never again…(and funny…I haven’t used that wool again!)

12

Very interesting about the yarn twist making a difference. I love it when I learn something new

13

I used Debbie Bliss’ Rialto. I have more of it. I need to make something and see if it happens again.

14

a HA! Maybe that is it! Mine looks exactly like that!

I had never noticed this happening in my knitting before, either straight or in the round so it looked strange to me. I looked at other pics of this blanket in Ravelry, and on the pattern pics themselves in the book and lo & behold- many look like mine!

I do think it’s very pretty though.

15

That link really explains what I wondered about from time to time as I knit.

16

That makes sense because Rialto is not plied at all.

17

Usually you don’t get the bias plying with a mass market acrylic though, but it could be.

18

I don’t know whether it’s my eyesight, or some mental “quirk” - but I’ve never ‘seen’ the ‘v’ in knitting. to me they look like upside down U’s.

19

I have had this happen to me sometimes too. I always figured it was the ply of the yarn as I knew I wasn’t twisting my stitches and it didn’t always happen. Very interesting article from Knitty!

You’re not alone Renee!

20

That’s true, they are more upside down Us though if you pull on the item they become more V like. It depends on the gauge you knit at too I think. Tighter gauges crowd the sts more and they turn out like Vs.