Friday, January 08, 2010

Reader Mail & Comments on Edges

Thanks for all the great comments on the last post. Hilda would be pleased!

A knitter I was chatting to yesterday commented that her grandmother used exactly the same technique, but she had also forgotten it until recently. I'm wondering how such a clever thing got lost between generations. What's interesting to me is that my Mum didn't think it was particularly noteworthy - but then you wouldn't, if it was something you'd been doing all along.

Anyone else been doing this all along?

Kirsten comments about the "slip the first stitch of every row" technique. Yup, it's terrific way to create a tidy edge - but it's only useful if you're not going to be seaming that edge. Slipping the first row of every stitch makes seaming more difficult - and a bit messier, IMHO. But for a scarf, or a baby surprise jacket, or blanket, or what-have-you - it makes a lovely edge.

Compare the two on the swatch... slipped on the right vs. not on the left. See - lovely!


The most important thing, however, is to be consistent about it. If you forget on a single row, it borks the whole thing up. A stitch marker at the edges can be helpful with this.

1 comment:

intavira said...

Also worth noting that this is the perfect edge for a heel placket. Makes picking up the stitches for the gusset a breeze - and the stitch count is always right!