Turn!

OK, I have once again picked up my knitting and am doing some new boottees for a pregnant friend.
All going well until I have to turn - this is a new skill for me and has been going fine on the first couple of rows. However, I am following the instructions on how to turn from ‘2 balls or less’. The instructions say after turning, continue to purl to the end of the row. I’m working stocking stitch and am thinking that maybe I should alternate between knit and purl after turning to keep the pattern instead of just being very blind and following the instructions to the letter.

Firstly, have I confused you? and secondly - help!

You turn your work as if you’re at the end of the row, but you’ll be leaving stitches un knit for a time. This is done for short row shaping. Just follow the pattern, you’ll be purling on the purl side.

I think what you are doing is called short rows. You knit to a point on the needle, but not to the end…then you are supposed to turn the work around and work back to another point on the needle…etc.

Here is what I believe you are supposed to do after ‘turning’: work back across the row using the pattern stitch. AKA: if your bootie is garter stitch…then both sides of the work are the knit stitch. If your bootie is stocking stitch, then of course the wrong side is purled and the front side is the knit stitch.

I think patterns use the term “knit back to”…instead of what they really mean “work-in-pattern back to…” or “pattern back to”…

I hope this helps!

Thanks both - yep, they are short rows - I understand the logic of it and have got through it now! I [COLOR=black][B]have[/B][/COLOR] knitted wrong though - I just purled every turn row instead of what you rightly explained ArtLady - at least I realised my mistake! I’ll just have to make the same mistake on the other bootee so they match!
It doesn’t look too bad - just different but hey, knitting is all about experimenting!

Thanks again x

You added a little pattern design interest! :thumbsup: