I am knitting a sweater in stockingnette stitch with a roll collar.
Everything was going fine until I picked up the stiches for the neck from the stitch holders using a circular needle. After knitting quite a few rounds I noticed that the collar was rolling to the inside of the sweater with the purl side showing outside. This is exactly backwards from what I wanted. I wanted the stockingnette to be showing when the collar rolls towards the outside of the sweater. I ripped it out and now I can’t figure out where I should be starting or what direction I should be going in to have it come out this way because, of course, I did NOT make a note of what I had done !
Am I making any sense at all? I would so greatly appreciate any advice before I start on this neckline AGAIN !
I love the look of the rolled collar on a sweater. I can understand that you don’t want the collar to curl to the inside but even with the curl to the outside, it’s the purl stitches that are going to show: If you have the sweater turned right side out (the way you would wear it), move the stitches from the holders onto your circular needle and knit all rounds. That way the collar will curl to the outside and the purl bumps will show on the curl. This is the natural way that stockinette curls. You can make it so the knit stitches show but you’d have to go against the natural curl of the stitch and tack the collar down to the body of the sweater. I’m not sure if this is what you want?
Thank you so much for your reply. I am afraid that I didn’t make myself clear with my question. My problem is I don’t know where to start and which direction I should be going in. When I start and pick up the stitches from the back neck holder, should the outside of the back of the sweater be near my right hand or should I be going in the other direction and have the opening of the neck of the sweater under my right hand? (I wish that I could make this a little more clear, sorry)
Do you have any idea as to what I am talking about?
Stockinette curls toward the knit side so pick up stitches with the outside of the sweater facing you. That way when you knit in the round the knit side will be facing you and will curl the right way. The curl itself will be showing the purl side which is the way it’s supposed to be.
In reply to your most recent question… the back of the sweater will be facing you when you pick up those stitches. Work your way around with the outside/RS facing you.
Thank you so much…now just one more thing…will I be knitting in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction? I guess I am having this problem because I don’t know how to look at something knitted in the round???
You always knit from the right to the left… just like when you’re using straight needles. The knitting itself in the round is really no different than with straight needles you just have your yarn on the cable.
Just remember that the needles are closest to your body and the circle of knitting will be away from your body. Look at how she’s holding the needles on the 4th picture down. http://www.knitpicks.com/tutorials/Knitting_in_the_Round_with_1_Circular_Needle__D116.html
Also…the working yarn will be coming from the right needle which is what you need to do to join for working in the round.
Well…if you need to look at it that way…looking down into the opening of the neck I guess you’d be going clockwise.
Since you’re always working on the outside of the knitting when knitting in the round there is only one way to go…right to left…that is you stick your right needle into the stitch on the left needle, wrap the yarn normally and pull through the stitch…
I think you’re knitting inside out. When you pick up the sts, make sure the knits are on the outside and that you pick up the sts on the side of the circle (neck) closest to you. The picture Jan linked to is how you should be holding your needles.
My problem was that the instruction said to “pick up stitches from back neck holder” then pick up shoulder stitches but they didn’t say WHICH shoulder. I am so sorry for not making myself more clear. I just found a pattern and it said to go from the back of the neck to the left shoulder so this is the direction that I will be going in and it is starting to make a little bit of sense now.
Knit the sts from the ones on the holder at the back neck, then with the RS facing you go on to the neck edge that’s right after that which would continue your path all the way around the neck to the back sts again.