Picking up stitches on the sides of a garter or seed stitch portion of knitting is a bit different than picking up stitches along the side edges of stockinette. I like to go under only one strand of yarn between the “bumps” along the side. Garter stitch and seed stitch are essentially the same in height (rows) as they are in width (number of stitches). If you pick up every other stitch in this way, the numbers work out perfectly. When you only go under one strand, there is less bulk on the wrong side of the fabric, making this the perfect way to have flat joins for a blanket.
Picking up stitches along the cast on and bound off edges is also very easy to do. Again, using only one strand of the cast on or bound off edge helps reduce bulk in the picked up seam.
Once you get the hang of this technique, you will have SO MUCH FUN making items that require picked up stitches along the borders of garter and seed stitch!!
Ah, the lowly knit stitch. Usually, the first thing that a new knitter learns is the knit stitch. Then we make a garter stitch scarf or a hat in the round. Sometimes, experienced knitters forget how wonderful this most basic stitch in knitting can be.
The Oxford dictionary defines basic as:
an adjective: Forming an essential foundation or starting point; fundamental.
a noun: The essential facts or principles of a subject or skill.
The ubiquitous knit stitch is indeed the foundation for everything in knitting. In a way, it even shows us how to purl, considering that the purl stitch is a mirror image of a knit stitch. We can cast on by knitting the stitches onto a needle.
We vary our stitches by manipulating the knit stitch. Everything starts with knit. (Well, actually, everything starts with “e”, but we are talking about knitting here.)
Notice that when we tell people what we are doing with two needle ends and some yarn, we refer to the activity as “knitting”, not “purling”. And it is certainly not weaving, crocheting, quilting or macrame, although some non-crafty people lump all of these things into one big category of “things I don’t know how to do, even though my grandma tried to show me once”. There are a couple of ways to look at the knit stitch. If you are working a piece flat, back and forth, the fabric that is produced by the knit stitch is referred to as “garter”. This fabric is bumpy on both sides, and has furrows. Mind you, if you worked a flat piece back and forth in all purl, it would still produce garter fabric. (Remember, purl is mirror of knit, so if you only purl a flat piece, you will get the same result as if you onlyknit a flat piece.)
Another fabric that consists of only the knit stitch is anything that is joined into the round and worked in knit. In that case, you are only working on the outside of a cylinder of knitting, and piling knits on top of knits in the round produces stockinette stitch. The fabric is smooth on the outside and bumpy on the inside, and without the deep furrows of garter stitch. Think of a knit sock worked in the round. All knit stitch. All on the outside of the stocking. Voila, stockinette stitch.
The Poncho a la Mode is knit in the round in one piece. (Ok, it has some rib at the very beginning so the edge doesn’t curl.)
Even though this is the first stitch we learn, it can create variety of very sophisticated looking items. Some of the most beautiful blankets and shawls are made with only the knit stitch. The “Mrs. Watson” is one great example.
On huge needles, thick yarn for a garter stitch blanket looks like something straight out of a fancy catalog.
Thin yarn on tiny needles is extremely warm and can be the foundation of an amazing shawl.
And, believe it or not, the Newport Summer Shrug is only the knit stitch! There are yarn overs, but isn’t that just a manipulation of the knit? No purling in this one!
And when is a flat piece in all knit stitch not garter? You can manipulate what you are doing by starting a yarn at the other end of a circular knitting needle to create “purl” rows! Check this out! Sliding Garter Blanket. My newest pattern on Ravelry!
Coming up! In part 2 of this blog about the knit stitch, I will discuss picking up stitches around garter.
There are a couple of ways to look at the knit stitch. If you are working a piece flat, back and forth, the fabric that is produced by the knit stitch is referred to as “garter”. This fabric is bumpy on both sides, and has furrows. Mind you, if you worked a flat piece back and forth in all purl, it would still produce garter fabric. (Remember, purl is mirror of knit, so if you only purl a flat piece, you will get the same result as if you only knit a flat piece.)
