Whenever we want to add a button band, an afterthought edging, top-down sleeves or a sock gusset, we have to make an initial set of stitches from the existing fabric. This process is often called “pick up and knit”, and it is extremely helpful when we want to avoid seaming pieces of our project later on.
The classic approach to picking up stitches along the side edge of the fabric is to insert the right needle into a space between the first and the second edge stitches, wrap the needle with the yarn and pull this wrap through the fabric forming a new stitch on the right needle.
This method works great in most cases, but when we are making a project that is reversible or is intended for babies or people with sensitive skin, the ridge formed at the bottom of the line of picked up stitches might look and feel too bulky.
I faced this issue when I was knitting a modular blanket for a baby girl. The blanket is made of triangular elements that are arranged into squares in such a way that each new triangle starts from the stitches picked up from a side edge of a previous triangle. That means a lot of picking up stitches, and a lot of ridges formed by this method.
To avoid the unnecessary bulk, I used a super simple trick that makes a huge difference in the look and feel of the blanket. It turns the project into a sleek fully reversible knit without cumbersome ridges.
In this tutorial, we’ll see how it works.
If you plan to pick up stitches from a side edge of the fabric, it is better NOT to add any selvedges to that edge. Picking up stitches from a “naked” edge is usually less confusing, and you can use the trick explained in this tutorial without messing up the selvedges.
To download an 8-page PDF with the step-by-step photo tutorial about this method, click here to join the All Tutorials Club 2022.
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If you enjoyed this tutorial,
here’s something else you might find helpful:
“Neat Side Edges” Book
Learn twelve ways to make side edges of a knitted project nice and tidy. Plus, ways to fix side edges, and a way to improve edges of finished projects.
Happy knitting!
