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Consuelo
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
582 Posts |
 Posted - 04/04/2012 : 06:04:38 AM
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For years I have heard that most people have different tension when they purl. I never believed I did. Ha! I am currently knitting a double knit project in the round and I'll be darn if the purl side isn't longer than the knit side. I can't believe it!!
How about you?
Consuelo
"Perfect" is the enemy of good! |
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anderknit
Permanent Resident
USA
2550 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2012 : 07:22:36 AM
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After knitting for 20+ years, a relatively new knitter suggested a different way for me to thread my working yarn in my left hand (I knit continental), and voila, my purl stitches and rows are much more consistent with the knit side. Much less "rowing out."
"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.' " |
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Consuelo
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
582 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2012 : 08:51:34 AM
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How terrific. I'm an English knitter and maybe someone out there has a new way to hold the yarn to even things out.
Consuelo
"Perfect" is the enemy of good! |
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Ceil
Permanent Resident
USA
1564 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2012 : 6:06:15 PM
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Hi, Consuelo, it's good to "hear" you at KR!
I'm a Combination knitter (which is probably what anderknit refers to as well), and it revolutionized my knitting, tripled the speed and made purling more even. HOWEVER, when I was first learning, my purls did come out looser, so I had to tighten up a little. Those I have taught this method to either get tighter or looser, so there will still be some adjustments to make. It's rare that a new combo knitter gets everything going immediately. But, it's a great method. I got it from a friend, who pointed me to Annie Modesitt. She writes about it in "Confessions of a Knitting Heretic" and it's on her web site, in action! Google her and you'll find the site.
Ceil
(Ravelry: ceilr)
Time is never a factor when joy is involved. |
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Panhandle Jane
Seriously Hooked
USA
607 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2012 : 6:22:29 PM
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Ceil, I second the recommendation for Annie Modesitt's method. My purling, whether English or Continental, has a much better tension now.
Blog--http:\\www.panhandleknitandsew.blogspot.com
Ravelry--panhandlejane
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ikkivan
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
429 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2012 : 06:43:21 AM
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When knitting stockinette flat, I try to be really conscious of my tension, deliberately working more tightly on the purl rows. I find that whether I'm knitting English (overall my tightest method) or continental (my loosest method), my purl rows are looser. Depending on the yarn (some seem more forgiving of this than others), sometimes I will knit continental and purl English for the most even fabric ... I use the tightest stitch of my continental method, knit stitch, with the loosest stitch of my English method, purl stitch.
Donna, with intentions always bigger than her available time. (OkieDokieKnitter on Ravelry) |
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azblueskies
Permanent Resident
2294 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2012 : 07:10:45 AM
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Thanks for the tip on combination knitting, ladies. Had never heard of it but just happened to have a spare pair of needles and some yarn on me so I hopped over there and tried it. Very interesting. Will start a new project tonight using that method. Produces a much tighter stitch than the way I've been doing it but maybe that's because of the difference in tension between knitting and purling the old way.
azblue
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So much to learn, so little time. |
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marchm
New Pal
1 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2012 : 08:47:04 AM
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| [The owner and knitter of the RED NEEDLE in Savannah addressed this problem with my knitting. I now just go down one size needle on the purl size. Works beautifully and does not change my gauge at all. |
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Irish Red
Warming Up
USA
58 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2012 : 09:03:18 AM
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Ceil and ikkivan, I agree with both of you. I too am a combination knitter and find English purling and Continental knitting work best for me to keep it even. I am practicing on occasion to even out my continental purling so that I can be faster overall, but this works in the meantime.
The Industrious Bee |
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robin.cadmus@gmail.com
New Pal
4 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2012 : 10:04:03 AM
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Cat Bordhi has a youtube video regarding this problem.
Happy Easter to you all... |
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carlyta
New Pal
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2012 : 12:38:01 PM
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Yes, I've noticed that too. I seem to be more relaxed when I'm purling and I'm even more relaxed when I'm knitting with circular needles.
Carlyta |
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LauraSue
New Pal
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2012 : 1:20:52 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by robin.cadmus@gmail.com
Cat Bordhi has a youtube video
Robin, link? |
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EllieJ
New Pal
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2012 : 1:30:39 PM
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I find that whenever I go from a knit stitch to a purl stitch that I have to be really careful about knitting tightly. I've tried lots of techniques to even out the tension, and I'm happy to have a few more to try.
Ellie
I'm more than a knit-wit. |
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kathfemme
New Pal
4 Posts |
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Ceil
Permanent Resident
USA
1564 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 6:07:21 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by marchm
[The owner and knitter of the RED NEEDLE in Savannah addressed this problem with my knitting. I now just go down one size needle on the purl size. Works beautifully and does not change my gauge at all.
But what happens when you knit garter stitch in the round? (I am doing that now!)
Ceil
(Ravelry: ceilr)
Time is never a factor when joy is involved. |
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Ceil
Permanent Resident
USA
1564 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2012 : 6:08:56 PM
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The other point is, re: Combination knitting, is that purl and knit use the same amount of yarn per stitch. With English and Continental, the purl uses MORE yarn than the knit stitch.
Ceil
(Ravelry: ceilr)
Time is never a factor when joy is involved. |
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CherylA
New Pal
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 04/07/2012 : 7:23:48 PM
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Loose purl stitches are easy to correct. My grandmother taught me to 'Knit on the needle' or to form the knit stitches just below where the needle starts to taper off to form the point (just where the 'yellow paint' remains when the rest of the pencil gets sharpened to the lead point) and to 'Purl on the tips' or to form the purl stitch around the tapered end of the needle.
The purl stitch takes the smidgiest bit more yarn than the knit stitch. So the stitch is inherently looser than the tighter knit stitch. I have knit this way for 20 years, it produces a very even fabric, no row gaps or ridges on the purl side, my gauge is consistent with pattern directions, and I don't have to carry around another sized needle or extra needle to form purl stitches. Hope this helps. |
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CherylA
New Pal
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 04/07/2012 : 7:33:35 PM
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| Sorry, am belaboring a simple point. I totally forgot to add that by forming the purl stitches around the tapered end of the needle, it automatically tightens up the purl stitches, and evens out the yarn when the knit stitch is formed around the needle itself. Works for both English and Continental styles. |
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Consuelo
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
582 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2012 : 05:01:38 AM
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WOW! You guys are awesome... lots of good tips, especially Cat's video. I'm traveling and had not checked in here, pleased to see so much help. Thanks everyone.
Consuelo
"Perfect" is the enemy of good! |
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ikkivan
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
429 Posts |
Posted - 04/23/2012 : 09:01:19 AM
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marchm ... THANK YOU for reminding me of a tip I've read in the past but had forgotten! Even though I've had "satisfactory" results using a combination of continental knitting with English purling, as I posted earlier, truth be told, I usually avoid large swaths of flat stockinette like the plague. But just about the same time as this topic began, I had started on a summer tank top that is mostly stockinette stitch worked flat (ugh).
I decided to try your suggestion and must say it's probably the nicest, most even stockinette (worked flat) that I've ever knit. And it was super easy with interchangeable needles; I just knit onto the "correct" size and at the end of that knit row, I attached the next size smaller to turn it over and purl back on that smaller end. From that point all was set for smooth sailing. I just knit and purled my usual English way (faster for me) without having to be extra-conscious of what I was doing or how loose or tight I was working. Just wonderful!
Donna, with intentions always bigger than her available time. (OkieDokieKnitter on Ravelry) |
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What I didn't know about my knitting
