Trying to get a woven look for my edges

#1

A few years ago, I picked up a knitting kit and began a scarf. I was recently cleaning and found what I had started and immediately took up where I left off. I remembered the knit stitch like riding a bicycle. One small problem: Though the rows match in style, the edges looked markedly different. My old edges were clean and almost looked like a braid up both sides. But now they look bumpy and inconsistent.

I’ve read all the advice about pulling the stitches tighter to even out the tension in the end, but that doesn’t seem to bring me back to the nice, even, woven look that I used to do. I’ve even slipped the first stitch off without working it, but to no avail.

I have no recollection of what I was doing differently in the first or last stitch when I started this scarf, but I would love your help in figuring it out. What can I do to get a nice woven look on my edges?

Thanks in advance!

#2

Can you post a pic of what you did and what you’re doing now?

#3

You were probably slipping the first st of each row to make a chained selvedge.

#4

[COLOR="#330099"]
Slipping the first st: is that purl wise or knit wise? Which gives teh braid look? :think:

I can never seem to remember.[/COLOR]

#5

I’m not sure because I don’t slip; my sts look looser and messier than if I just knit or purl them. But I think you’re supposed to slip purlwise with the yarn in back. Another one that gives me somewhat better results is to slip the [I]last[/I] stitch in the row, then knit or purl the first one. Leave the yarn wherever it was for the sts in that row, in back for a knit row, in front for a purl row, and then it’s in the right place to knit or purl the first stitch.

#6

You guys are great! Thanks for your responses. I’ve attached pictures – not very high quality pictures, but I hope you can see the difference.

#7

That looks like mine when I slip the last stitch, yarn in front, as if to pearl.

#8

Yep, you were definitely slipping the edge sts before.

#9

Does it matter if I slip the first or last stitch?

#10

No, just do one or the other.

#11

And remember it’s important which side the yarn is on when you slip!