I’m doing a dishcloth that has a WS and RS. I’ve not knitted anything that I’ve had to KNOW or KEEP TRACK of WS and RS. How do you do this?? Thanks!
part of it is just learning what the stitches look like. i have been known to put some sort of a marker on the right side too.
I deliberately leave a starting tail and just remember which side the tail is on. For most projects, the tail is to the left for RS.
What side the tail is on depends on what kind of caston you use.
Sarah
But do I have to hold my knitting differently? This just seems so confusing to me! :??
That is what I do.
No you don’t hold anything differently. Designating a row as RS or WS is just so you know which row you’re doing things on. For a dishcloth, there’s probably a pattern stitch or a design that shows best on the RS. For a sweater, RS/WS is used so you know where your shaping goes.
For now, put a safety pin or other marker in the middle of the first row that’s a RS and remember when you have that marker facing you, you’re doing a RS row.
sue
Think of the right side as the side you want the world to see.
So really, WS/RS should just alternate rows. So really the pattern is just “reminding” you which one you’re on. Is that right??
Yes–the pattern is reminding you what side should be facing you as you’re knitting.
you could slip a contrasting piece of yarn through a couple of stitches and tie a bow on the right side.
most often, i do the thing where i leave a tail. i almost always use long-tail cast-on so this is easiest.
For now, put a safety pin or other marker in the middle of the first row that’s a RS and remember when you have that marker facing you, you’re doing a RS row.
sue[/quote]
Is the cast on considered the first row? or is it the first KNITTED row? Thanks!
I don’t know what the pros say but I don’t count the cast on row unless the pattern says to. :oops:
Some people count the cast on as a row of stockinette.
I don’t count it as such. I cast on, and then count the first row of the pattern as row 1.
do you have a pattern that you are doing right now? is there a link to it?
I have found most patterns will only indicate the rs/ws when something has changed in the pattern. Like if you are doing a sock and you get to the heel flap… it will give you instructions that are not in the round so it will tell you which side is supposed to be facing you there. the first row of the whole pattern will tell you which is right and wrong and so on. if i can’t tell which is the right side just from the work right away i mark that first row so that every time i have that marker facing me i know that i have to do whatever i am supposed to do on the right side.
the pattern isn’t likely going to have you do two wrong side rows in a row, you know what i mean?
Brenda,
It’s a KAL dishcloth, so when I read the directions, it works out that every other row is RS/WS and it starts with Row 1-6, Knit across, and Row 7 is RS so that means Row 1 is RS and they aren’t counting the Cast on as a row. I really don’t know WHY she is telling us WS and RS. Yes, there is a picture that will come out of this, but if you keep track of the rows, there should be no question about what is done when. Thanks everyone for all your help! Next time when it REALLY matters, I’ll know what to do! 
well the thing that i have found is that sometimes i might accidentally skip a row in my instructions and the only way i will realize it is that my marker is on the wrong side of the work. This happens the most when i am distracted while knitting. 
Good point! I will mark my RS too! 
When I was first learning to knit, I had the same problem telling which was the right side, and which was the wrong side. So, I came up with a quick way to help me remember.
I used two different colored needles. I wrote at the top of the pattern which color needle would be holding the stitches when I was starting a right side row.