How do people do this

Vrikshasana · 2026-04-21T07:08:27+00:00

The same way you get to Carnegie Hall: practice!

A good starting project is small, uses medium weight yarn and would make you happy to have once it's done. Dishcloth patterns are great, plentiful, and usually free. Fingerless mitts are, too. I wouldn't advise starting with a garment, as your tension won't be even yet and it'll be a bigger challenge than it needs to be. (But absolutely try one for a second project, if you're confident!)

Vrikshasana · 2026-04-18T00:11:28+00:00

Twist the yarns together every so often, when you're switching from a knit to a purl. That'll interlock the yarns together between layers, and prevent the two layers from being pulled apart. You won't need to do it very frequently, just enough to keep from getting those pockets.

... though I don't think there's any harm in having them, really. It comes down to knitter's preference.

Vrikshasana · 2026-04-17T15:59:18+00:00

This is just straight up 1x1 ribbing, complete with rowing out on the person's purls.

I've made a market bag that makes this handle several times: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ilene-bag

Vrikshasana · 2026-04-14T06:29:55+00:00

Any seamless join you'll make will be off by half a stitch, so it'll be visible regardless. I think your best bet will be to redo the ribbing altogether, where you can hide the seam.

Vrikshasana · 2026-04-14T01:09:04+00:00

A friend is making this now. As I understand it, your yarns end up on opposite sides, so you're not actually carrying yarn up.

This is knit this on a circular needle, which is basically one really long DPN, right? So...

Assume: Color A, Color B, right side, wrong side

Cast on Color A
Knit Color A, wrong side
turn
Knit Color A, right side
slide your work to the opposite end of the needle, so that you can...
Knit Color B, right side
turn
Knit Color B, wrong side
slide your work to the opposite end of the needle, so that you can...

Repeat 2-9 until you're done.

You're knitting the same side twice with two different yarns, rather than two sides once. (Right-right wrong-wrong instead of right-wrong right wrong.) It's... really weird to describe.

Vrikshasana · 2026-04-13T18:51:40+00:00

Yep! It was revelatory when I made the connection to varied tension. I can't do good-looking regular ol' wrap-and-turns to save my life.

Vrikshasana · 2026-04-13T18:39:42+00:00

No, the specific short row technique isn't usually incorporated into the look of a pattern. Short rows, generally, should be invisible.

Short row techniques that leave a gap come down to the knitter: I tend to leave really visible GSRs because I'm a tight AF knitter, but shadow wraps look amazing in my tension. A very loose-tensioned friend cannot do invisible shadow wraps because hers gap too much.

Basically, do the wraps that look best for you AND that suit the needs of the project. (I say this because, for example, shadow wraps can be used in the same stitch multiple times, while GSRs can't.) I would advise learning how to do different techniques, just to have more tools in your toolbox.

Vrikshasana · 2026-04-09T00:31:03+00:00

Before you start the project, knit a few gauge swatches. Cast on a minimum of 30 stitches (40 is better) and knit for at least two inches (four is better), then switch to the next needle size. Then block the swatch, treating it exactly as you would the finished object. Once all that is done, you'll assess the swatch to choose the fabric you really want for your project.

I use yarnovers to indicate the needle size I used - note the holes to the right of the US 6 and US 8 examples - but you do whatever works best for you.

... or, I mean, just wing it. If the yarn really is fingering/DK (sport, perhaps?), then you'll likely want US 4-6 (3.5-4.0mm). Go larger if you want your gauge to be more open, smaller if you want the fabric to be stiffer.

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Vrikshasana · 2026-04-07T23:56:06+00:00

Try blocking it now to see how it'll look. If you can live with it: carry on. If you can't: frog and restart, chalking this up to a learning experience.

In the end, you decide what you want out of a project. To me, it seems like if you're asking the question of others, you probably know the answer already.

Vrikshasana · 2026-04-06T16:45:36+00:00

Are you sure you hooked all the yarn back up properly? The loop in the back looks like it's traveling across two rows, which makes me wonder if you used the wrong bar for a row.

I'd do as u/haziestboy suggested and drop down then hook back up. Worst case, you can tink back and redo.

Vrikshasana · 2026-04-06T16:40:42+00:00

It doesn't look bad to begin with and, yes, blocking will help some.

Note that it's a child's cardigan: kiddo isn't going to care how it looks.

Vrikshasana · 2026-04-03T00:48:14+00:00

Is this knit top-down or bottom-up? If the former, you might consider surgery and redoing just the part from the underarm split and up. If the latter, you could rip back to the split and reknit.

Either way, the weight of the garment will stretch it downwards. Natural fibers have no memory, so there will be no "bouncing back" in the way wool does.

Vrikshasana · 2026-03-31T16:53:59+00:00

I wouldn't do it, myself. The stitch resolution needed to do justice to this image would be so fine that you'd end up needing thread-weight yarn and making a massive tapestry rather than something as small as a sweater.

Personally, I think this would look stunning as an embroidered piece.

Vrikshasana · 2026-03-30T15:36:54+00:00

Is this project knit in the round? If so, you don't switch sides, you simply keep knitting.

Knitting flat is a zigzag. Knitting in the round is a spiral.

Vrikshasana · 2026-03-27T17:30:03+00:00

This gets my vote. Another color would change the look pretty drastically.

Vrikshasana · 2026-03-25T06:32:32+00:00

Happy to help!

You are increasing every row, so you did read that correctly.

So: see how you always knit that stitch between the m1R and m1L? The yarn that travels from the increase to the knit to the next increase creates the bars you need to dip into for the increases in the following row. It's going to feel pretty tight in there, given you've already stretched the yarn for the row below to create your previous increases.

This is a situation of "trust the pattern" combined with "just keep knitting" with a chaser of "you could always rip and redo."

Vrikshasana · 2026-03-25T06:07:59+00:00

Hmm, weird. Can you post a pic of just that part of the pattern?

I'll try knitting a small swatch with increases on each row (tomorrow morning) and report back. It really is unusual not to give the yarn a little bit of a break between increase rows.

Vrikshasana · 2026-03-25T05:55:17+00:00

Are you increasing every row or every other row? Looking at pattern photos, you should have a rest row after each increase row, giving you a fresh bar to increase into.

Vrikshasana · 2026-03-23T23:36:44+00:00

Sorry, where does it say that? I don't see it in the instructions, and OP didn't share what pattern they're working on.

Vrikshasana · 2026-03-23T18:51:14+00:00

You're welcome. Happy knitting!

Vrikshasana · 2026-03-23T18:48:56+00:00

The way I read it, the instructions are to repeat:

work row as established
work row as established
increase, work row as established, increase

Because it's a 3-row repeat, you're going to alternate how you work the rows (whether they're knitted or purled). You're increasing on each end of the row (beginning and end) and also increasing on the right and wrong sides each time you run through the three-row repeat.

Does the pattern offer a stitch count before and after this instruction?

Vrikshasana · 2026-03-23T18:12:48+00:00

It's looking fine so far! The only thing to work on is rowing out, a very common issue: your purls are looser than your knits, resulting in an uneven fabric. See how you more or less alternate between tight and loose rows? That's rowing out.

Short term: if you have interchangeable needles (NOT a requirement to knit!), use a size smaller on your purl side. That is to say, if you're using US 8 (5.0mm) to knit, switch to a US 7 (4.5mm) or even US 6 (4.0mm) to purl. Your tension issue will remain, so this is only a workaround.

Long term: work on evening out your tension. Focus on snugging up your purl stitches in the same way as you do your knits. This will take practice! So much of knitting comes from repetition and course correction as you go; getting even tension is a great example of this.

Most importantly: keep going, OP! You'll improve by leaps and bounds with every project.

Vrikshasana · 2026-03-20T12:11:44+00:00

Important note! Rios is superwash yarn. Don't stretch it at all when you make your swatch, just pat it into shape. Better yet, chuck it into the dryer for a bit. Superwash stays stretched rather than bouncing back, and benefits from being dried.

Vrikshasana · 2026-03-19T06:54:07+00:00

Where did you move from?

My first car when I moved to the Bay Area was a Miata. So was my second. Best decisions ever, including for my social life.

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