Hey all,
I’m knitting a tie for a friend at work, and I’ve gotten about 40 rows in, and it’s spiraling like crazy! I’m knitting every row, and usually the edges jhust curl a bit but this is nuts. I don’t think I’d even be able to fix it when it done.
I’m using size 7 US needles, and acrylic yarn…also here’s a pic of what I mean.
I don’t suppose there’s any way to avoid starting over? 
I don’t really know what to suggest, but something is obviously not quite right. Are you certain that you are performing the knit stitch properly? Are you accidentally increasing stitches on one side? 
Nope, I’m doing the stitch like I always have and have never gotten a result like this :s
I’m wondering if it might be the yarn. It looks like a fuzzy one, so maybe that could be it. :?? If you have some regular old yarn laying around, maybe you can knit a bit with that and see if the same thing happens.
Or, wet what you have and lay it flat and see if it will relax.
I wet it and layed it flat under a heavy book for like…2 1/2 days
It’s flatter, but still spirals a little…instead of all those tight spirals, there’s about 3 loose ones. I think it’s good enough to keep going on, and I’ll do the same thing when it’s done…Hopefully it works!
I put it into my bag to take to work, and when I pulled it out it was back the same way… 
I don’t know what to do…it’s for a friend and I’m screwing it up so badly. I feel like poop. :verysad:
Call it a design feature. Microsoft does…
sue
it may not be what you intended, but it IS cute…
So long as it spirals consistently the whole way, then you can pretend that the scarf was meant to be like that.
seriously.
Did you realize you made a pun? I agree with the others. It could be a take-off on the Dilbert tie, except in a corkscrew shape instead of just curling up. Does your friend have a sense of humor?
Haha I didn’t notice XD
Yeah he’s a huge goodfball. The only reason he wants the tie is so he can wear it with his Wal-mart vest
I’m still going to try to steam it or something after though.
Thanks guys, sorry for whining, I was just so downtrodden
It’s great if you can be lighthearted about this – it has been bugging me though, I just can’t picture why something like this would happen. Garter stitch is supposed to lie really flat - it always does for me, even when I knit on the tighter side which I tend to do. Aside from the spiraling, does the fabric look like garter stitch is supposed to look??
Can we see some close up shots? Maybe that would help.
I had the same problem. It was my first project, and I’ve never seen anyone else have this problem. I think it might be the yarn. Mine was Lion Brand Homespun, and I was also having a problem with the yarn twisting up very badly while I was knitting. So it may have something to do with either of these problems.
LoAnnie
I’m using Red Heart Super Saver… maybe that’s why?
Anyhow, here’s a picture, it’s the best I could get, anything closer was blurry
Hm. I think I have a theory… did you happen to use selvage stiches? If not, some knitters find that their edge stitches come out a bit loose, particularly on the left side. (I think it was the left side… one side more than the other, anyway. Selvage stitches are often used to correct that problem, which is why I asked whether you used them.) Since it’s such a narrow piece, it’s possible that if one edge is looser than the other, it might throw the alignment of the whole thing out of whack.
What exactly are selvage stitches?
I asked a couples ladies at work about it. One said it was because it was so thin, and maybe sewing a pice of fabric (like a lining) on one side would help. The other told me to try slipping the first and last stitches (I’ve been slipping the first).
hmm… you’ve been slipping the first? Your edge doesn’t look like I would expect it to. Have you been slipping it knitwise or purlwise?
If you were slipping the first st. purlwise and kintting the last st. it should look like this. Picture taken from here
Knitwise I believe…lol now I’m doubting myself
I am a knitting newbie (taught myself three days ago :cheering: !) I have a dvd that i used and my garter stitch looks just like it and the video here, but my scarf is twisting pretty badly. It is really pretty in a way, but I don’t think it will lay right when worn. I am using a fuzzy yarn, it came in a kit, and I am not slipping any stitches, I am working them all. Hope you don’t mind me putting this in your post, I didn’t want to start a new one on the same topic. THanks!!
I just read in “Sweater Design In Plain English” that if a yarn is twisted too tight (by the manufacturer, not by the knitter), it can result in the kind of pulling out of shape that you describe. So: it might not be your fault at all. It might be the yarn.
If I were you, I’d try the piece in another kind of yarn (if you can afford it and have the time) and see if the problem persists. And talk to your local yarn shop, if you have one – they might be able to steer you right if it is a yarn problem.