I’m following a pattern for a baby cardigan, I’m a total beginner and am trying to learn how to knit. The pattern calls for 57 stitches and 10 rows of rib, knit one purl one. I am not exaggerating, I have tried to do it about 10 times and been really careful to make sure that I knit the knits and purl the purls but no matter what I do it just looks like one big mess and no ribs in sight!!! I can’t do continental style knitting yet, I ‘throw’ the yarn - is this the problem?
What could I be doing wrong?
Please help, I am about to give up entirely and forget the whole knitting thing as I am clearly rubbish at it!!!
Have patience! It takes a while for ribbing to look like it should, especially 1x1 ribbing.
If you’re knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches then you’re doing it right.
If you’re remembering to bring the yarn back between the needles rather than over the needles after making your stitches and have the right number of stitches then you’re doing it right.
Knitting continental style is not ‘better’ than knitting English style - they are both a means to an end, producing a handmade knitted item.
Keep persevering, practice is the only way to become proficient. Take your time and don’t expect perfection with your first few items. These things take time.
Hang in there, maybe try a different project first then come back to the cardigan.
This is actually a common problem for beginners. When you do ribbing, you have to knit and knits and purl and purls as they face you, so that you end up with something like this:
kpkpkpkpkpk
kpkpkpkpkpk
kpkpkpkpkpk
kpkpkpkpkpk
See how the columns of knits and purls line up? My guess is that you are off by one stitch, so that you are ending up with this:
kpkpkpkpkpk
pkpkpkpkpkp
kpkpkpkpkpk
pkpkpkpkpkp
See how the columns aren’t lining up there? That’s seed stitch. To keep in ribbing, just remember that if you end with a knit, start with a purl, and vice versa. HTH
Since you have an odd number of stitches and the rib is worked over an even number, you’re going to begin and end the 1st row with k sts. So you’ll start the 2nd row with a purl stitch and end with a purl. You’ve probably been starting all rows with a knit st and ended up with seed/moss st. Maybe that will help.
Thank you everyone, I have done it!!! I was one stitch out as you suspected and I have now completed my 10 ribbed rows! Feeling much more confident now.
Melanie.
glad you got it :cheering: my best advise on this is to take your time and learn what your purls and knits look like. this way you can leave your work half way on a row and when you come back to it you will always know which stitch is next.
