The sweater on the mannequin behind me is the Featherweight Cardigan (not my design), knit with Malabrigo Lace.
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The sweater on the mannequin behind me is the Featherweight Cardigan (not my design), knit with Malabrigo Lace.
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Hi Staci,
I’ve learned so much from your tutorials and my knitting has improved beyond recognition. I am currently trying to pick up and knit from the row edge of garter stitch. I’ve had several tries but I’m finding it impossible to spot the two “legs” to pick up. Help!
Hi Mandy – you’re right, it isn’t as easy to see where to pick up and knit on the sides of garter stitch. But between the ridges you’ll see two “legs” – just pick up those strands.
Good luck!
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Staci I have come to rely on your outstanding tutorials as a source of learning new techniques as well as confirmation that I am on the right track on my various knitting projects. I am working on the Lion Brand “Cropped Raglan Sweater LB 70111” which does not indicate how many stitches to pick up per x number or rows as you mentioned in your tutorial. For the size that I’m making, I am to pick up 106 stitches. When you made this sweater do you recall if you used the suggested ratio of 3 stitches for every 4 rows? Thanks for your help Staci.
Hi Mae – yes, I don’t remember exactly, but I’m sure I went with the standard of picking up 3 stitches for every 4. Give it a try and see how it looks. If you’re working with a wool or wool blend, it should block out fine.
Good luck!
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Staci, whenever I see instructions to Pick Up and Knit, no one mentions the fact that the stitches will be backwards on the needle. Should that just be ignored?
Deanna – I have literally picked up and knitted thousands of stitches, and that never occurred to me. So you’re correct in saying that it’s fine to ignore it!
🙂
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Thank you for your wonderful site and tutorials.
I have just picked up and knitted on the side of garter stitch rows. This created a somewhat uneven ridge on the wrong side. Is that to be expected? Also, as another poster mentioned, it seemed like the picked up stitches were on the needle backwards or twisted, so I knit into the back of them for the first row. Does this sound right?
Thank you, Cathy
Picking up and knitting does leave a ridge on the wrong side. This is normal. I’ve never bothered with knitting into the back loop of this row (and never noticed any consequences of doing so), but knitting into the back loop is actually more correct.
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Hi Debbie…
I am starting a pattern for a shawl, that begins:
CO 3 sts.
knit 6 rows. Pick up and knit 3 sts from the long edge and 3 sts from the CO edge. (9 sts). I’ve watched your video on picking up stitches, but your piece was totally off the needles. I must be missing something, because this work would still be on a needle after the 6th row and I can’t see (and I’ve already tried!) how this can work. i bet you can help?!
Hi Lori – those instructions sound like the shawl starts out with a “garter tab”, and I do have a video on that! Here you go: https://verypink.com/2012/08/01/garter-tab-or-lace-shawl-beginning/
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Hello,
Thank you for posting this video.
will this work to make the neck of a turtle neck looser? I haven’t put the pieces of the sweater together yet but I think the neck is going to be too snug for my liking.
Amanda – it depends on the pattern you’re knitting and the way the neck opening is constructed. The short answer is no…if the neck opening is small, picking up and knitting extra stitches won’t help that. But if the neck opening is comfortably wide, you can pick up and knit extra stitches to make your turtleneck more of a cowl neck.
Good luck!
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Thank you Staci. I hope I haven’t wasted time and money just to make a sweater that I can’t get my head in. The pattern called for Llama/silk yarn and I couldn’t afford that, so I just went with some Ella Rae superwash wool and it doesn’t seem to give too much without stretching my double cable going up the neck. The gauge is correct according to pattern. Guess I will have to see after it’s done. Wish me luck.
Staci I am working on the log cabin blanket and also the ten stitch.
I am an experienced knitter but am struggling with picking up garter stitches. Perhaps its the yarn I am using… I watched your video multiple times, but I still feel like I am picking it up in the wrong place- because it doesnt look good, it gets kind of stretched out where the pick up is. Is it supposed to look like that? these garter blankets look so neat on ravelry…. Help!
BTW, I love your videos
Rachel – as long as you’re consistent with where you’re picking up stitches across the row, it doesn’t really matter exactly where you do it. Just be sure to watch your tension in that row – that may be the issue you’re having, if the stitches are too loose. If you feel like you’re still having trouble, I recommend that you visit your local yarn shop with your question – they can take a close look at your work and give advice.
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Hi Stacy, really nice videos would have there!! I was wondering if there is a video explaining how to even up the stitches of the work on the sides. When I knit in stockinette I try to slip the first stitch, but this way the sides tend to be long and loose. Then if I have to pick up stitches on the sides, big holes are created. Thanks a lot.
Can you tell me about the sweater in the background ? Thanks for ALL of you videos – sooooo helpful ! :0)
Hi
at first I would like to thank you for all your helpful videos and tutorials. Your website has help me back to knitting or really started me as a knitter after childhood poor attempts at scarves.
Recently I’ve been working on a pattern in the round where there are wrap and turns around two central focal points (beggining of sleeves). You do w&t both on knit and purl side temporaty knitting back and forth around these cental points (around the first point and then the second), after you make last w&t on the knit side of the first point you continue to another focal point (beginning of another sleeve) and repeat short rows with w&t on both sides. After doing the last w&t on knit side you again resume knitting in the round. The problem is you are supposed to pick up the wraps as you go. With wraps done on the knit side it’s no problem but the wraps done on the purl side are wrapped the other way round with the wrap loop from the right. This loop is actually part of the next stitch and when I try to pull it on the needle it becomes very tight. I’ve managed to knit the stitch and the picked up wrap but the stitch looks wonky and elongated every time and there it look like there is a hole.
I came up with this problem knitting the conversion pullover by Stephanie Lotven but I think I’ve seen this problem somewhere else too. Am I knitting something in the wrong way or there really is a better correct way to pick up wraps done on the purl side while doing the knit side.
Hi, Stacy! Thanks for this helpful video. Quick question, though. I am working on a blanket pattern (The Smith Blanket, which can be found on Revelry), and it requires the knitter to pick up and knit along the side of a knitted piece that is alternating sections of garter stitch and stockinette stitch. Since it’s a blanket, I’d like it to be as reversible as possible, so I’m trying to avoid ridges on the back side of the blanket. This is easy to do with the garter stitch sections, but I’m trying to figure out a way to pick up and knit along the stockinette edges without creating a ridge. Is that even possible? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!
Hi Allison – pu&k will always leave a ridge on the back of the work…the only way to avoid a ridge is to add a crocheted border, instead of knit.
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Hi Staci!!!
I so appreciate your awesome tutorials, you’ve been such a tremendous help to me! I am currently working on a project, a baby cloche, and I was wondering how to pick up stitches on dpns, I’m a bit confused as to how to do that. Is there a video you can direct me to that will explain this? Thank you!! ????????
Tasha – using DPNs to pick up stitches is no different than using any other kind of needle. The technique is exactly the same.
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when you pick up and knit is that the first row?
Kim, No – most patterns would have the next row count as the first row.
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Is there a secret to picking up stitches to knit along a “cable cast on” area? I can see my ‘V’s to pick up and knit for most of the neckline of a sweater, but in the cable cast on areas, I don’t see any ‘V’s.
Thanks a bunch!
Amanda
You
Hi staci@verypink.com,
I have used most of your tutorials. And you are my go to site if I get into trouble. Currently knitting 3×2 rib magic loop hats. Completed all pattern. Decreased at crown and finished off. Tried hat on and I want to extend from the original 100 stitch cast on. So that the hat fits overs my ears. Can you just a simple pick up on this end. Or should I rip back to the beginning of the decrease rows and keep knitting on.
Michelle – Ideally, you would rip back through the decreases, knit the hat longer, then reknit the decreases. Picking up stitches at the cuff is going to leave a ridge that will both show, and be uncomfortable to wear.
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