A New Short Row Method?

This title is posed as a question, as I’m not sure I’ve seen all the short row methods there are.  As of now, I am aware of W&T,  German, Japanese, and Shadow Wraps.  I used to only use the W&T short row, but I find that this method really only looks good when used in garter stitch.

I’ve tried German short rows, but am not sure I like the double st bit.  Shadow Wraps also make a double st, as seen in Norman’s video covering this short row method.

What finally set me on this journey is the pair of steel grey wool pants i am knitting for myself.  The first pair of pants was knit in 2-rnd stripes, so I worked the bum shaping in the waist ribbing, or rather, mid-rise ribbing as I don’t like things sitting at my actual waist!

In the solid color, I wanted to work the short rows within the bum area, not within the ribbing.  

How many times do you think one wants to work short rows across 90 sts, then close up the gaps, only to have to rip it all out again, before one either throws up one’s hands in disgust, or starts tinkering!  But I want these pants, so, I tinkered.

When I saw Norman’s adjusted Japanese short rows, which looked fabulous, I thought I’d finally found the ideal short row method.

However.  And isn’t there always a however?  As he was knitting a flat swatch, he was resolving (closing the gaps of) the short rows on both the RS and WS of the fabric.

But when we are knitting in the round, we are resolving all the short rows on the RS, not half of them on the WS.  And this caused issues when resolving the WS short rows, namely messy looking sts and gaps.  (Other methods I fiddled with also made messy RS resolutions.)

But the adjusted Japanese RS short rows were perfectly fine - just as in Norman’s swatch – the issue was only with the WS short rows.

As Norman worked a SSP on the WS (which is to say slip 2 sts separately knitwise, replace them to the LH ndl, then knit them tog tbl), it made sense that working a SSK on the RS would yield the same neat looking sts he achieved, but that so wasn’t the case!

I kept finding that the yarn bar just after the slipped st would be too small to lift up and manipulate, and there would be a gap between the slipped st and the previous knit st.  This is very likely from my propensity to knit snugly – LOL, I can’t help it, I don’t think I could knit loosely, if you paid me!  Like many, if not most, things in knitting, personal styles can affect outcomes.

So, then I tried lifting up the yarn bar *between* the last knit st and the slipped st and knitting it tog with the slipped st, and that still made an unsightly mess.

Then I tried tinking back the last knit st, before the slipped st, lifting up the yarn bar of this unknit st, then using SSK, and that still didn’t make it neater.  Either I found something that worked on the WS, but not the RS, or vice versa.  I almost gave up, and *was* going to work the adjusted Japanese short rows for the RS and one of my own methods for the WS ones.

My Aims

Besides a neat-looking face to the fabric, I also don’t want the dec sts to end up feeling like little bumps after closing the gaps, which happened a lot in my trials.  Naturally, I also don’t want loose nor twisted sts, and a neat-looking WS wouldn’t go amiss, as well.

Ideally, I wanted the process to be easy, without needing st markers, or using (what some might find to be) difficult decs, like SSP (slip 2 sts separately, knitwise, slip them back to the LH ndl, then k2togtbl.

Also, ideally, the decs used should mirror image each other, but, if necessary, I could live with the same dec used on both sides of the short rows.  

Balanced decs *might* be more important in short row heels, but I (almost) never knit short row heels, always preferring heel flaps and V-heel turns, so I can work heel st through the flap *and* the turn, or knit the flap and turn in color pattern.

My pair of pants don’t necessarily need mirror-imaged decs, although having them would be a plus.

I know, I am asking for a lot!

So, what finally worked

Aside

Please do tell me if the method I am describing below does have a name!  I have NO intention of claiming another’s idea.  I Googled, of course, but haven’t seen this method mentioned thus far.  

I have also checked Barbara Abbey’s “The Complete Book of Knitting”, Montse Stanley’s “Knitter’s Handbook”, and Priscilla Gibson-Roberts’ “Knitting in the Old Way” – a book I love, BTW, and is my go-to reference for sweater designing.

If this method appeals to others, I could make a video of it, if others don’t mind waiting for it, considering how much I have to do until hubby is mobile again.}

So, going back to the Japanese short rows, which is the diving board off which I dove! – forget about stitch markers, lifting up yarn bars, or double sts.  And, definitely forget about W&T!

Instead, just work the short rows, slipping the first sts after turning.  No markers are needed, as the gaps tell you the short rows are there, but markers can, of course, be used, if desired.

Note: The swatches are 21 sts wide, with 4, 2-st wide short rows on each side, and 5 St st center sts.  I used the same type of ndls for all the swatches - my old Addi Turbos, with the blunter tips.  And the swatches are as knit, not blocked.  I retook the photos several times, but the curved nature of short rowed fabric isn't the easiest to photograph!  Do Let me know if these photos aren't clear enough.

The coral swatch is knit with Lamb's Pride Worsted, using US 8's.

To resolve the short rows, when working flat – lower coral swatch:

On the RS, knit to 1 st before the gap, slip the next st purlwise. Then with the tip of the RH ndl, insert it from the front of the work (the side facing you) into the left leg of the st in the row below the slipped st. Lift it up onto the RH ndl, then k2togtbl.

On the WS, purl to 1 st before the gap.  Slip the next st purlwise.  With the LH ndl, lift up the left leg from the row below, and place it onto the LH ndl, slip the slipped st back to the LH ndl (without twisting it) and then p2tog.

Both the left and right sides of the lower coral swatch above (sts slipped p’wise) are lumpy, where the sts between the dec’s look receded, or, conversely, the dec sts look raised.  The effect is one of hills and valleys.

Upper coral swatch

The same as above, *except* the gap sts were slipped knitwise on both the front and back.

Comparing the left and right sides of the fabric in both the coral and tan swatches (below), it’s clear that a multiple ply yarn makes much neater sts. 

In the upper part of the coral swatch, this is lessened, but still not perfect, at least, perhaps, not until blocked. 

I’m definitely leaning towards slipping purlwise on the WS, but knitwise on the RS.  This method creates smooth fabric on both the RS and WS, with no knot-like sts at each closed gap, and it uses mirror-imaged decs.

When I slipped the RS sts purlwise, they don’t look nearly as neat, but, YMMV!

Before I dove into resolving sts in the rnd, since I had struggled with so many RS variations looking neat, I thought I would rule out the unbalanced nature of the yarn I was using, which is Lamb’s Pride Worsted, a single ply yarn.

Tan Swatches

The tan swatch was knit using BS’s Heritage/Harborside Aran, a 4-ply yarn, with US 9 Turbos.

The bottom swatch below employs slipping the RS gap sts knitwise and the WS gaps sts purlwise.  This I like best.

But, to make sure, the middle tan swatch below employs slipping the RS gap sts purlwise and the WS gaps sts knitwise, which isn’t as neat.

The upper tan swatch below employs slipping the RS gap sts knitwise and the WS gap sts purlwise, then the gaps were resolved as if in the rnd.  As my swatch was flat, I pulled the yarn across the back, to begin the row at the right edge, to emulate knitting in the rnd.

To resolve the WS short rows, when you get to the gap, you know the *next* st was slipped, so, lift up the right edge of the st in the row below the slipped st, put it up onto the LH ndl and k2tog with the slipped st.

The RS short rows are resolved as before.

The front of the pants, showing the short rowed rear

The rear of the pants – the lumpiness is the front underneath

right hip short rows

 

left hip short rows

Garter St

I tried working this method in garter st, but it makes a mess of it!  I would use W&T with garter st, as the wraps blend in with the ridges.

The photos show the short rows as knit, so the fabric hasn’t been blocked yet, but, overall, I’m happy with this method, as it doesn’t involve the fiddliness of some other methods.  YMMV, of course!  But do let me know if this method works for you, and/or if you’ve seen it elsewhere!

Onward!
Dawn

A Tail of Two Ends

Although there are many interesting cast ons, the one I invariably use is long tail.  It’s quick and easy, and I can either CO in knit, in purl, or in a rib sequence, depending on the edge I want.

The only trouble knitters find with long tail is *how* long to make the tail.  No one wants to find they’ve run out of tail yarn before the total # of sts have been cast on.  I also don’t like to have an excessive tail length left over  *after* casting on, much preferring to have just 4-6” of a tail.

So, how do I achieve this?  

Firstly, I find that getting the long tail length right is easiest with the weight of yarn I knit the most – in this case, worsted to heavy worsted.  I know, from experience, to allow 1” of yarn for each st, so I pull off about 10” of yarn for every 10 sts needed, then pull off almost 1 more length, for good measure.

If you’re not quite sure how long 10” is, measure the first length of yarn pulled off the ball – I keep a wood ruler near my knitting chair, for this purpose, also for measuring wraps per inch.  One can also just wind the yarn around the ruler, keeping track of the wraps, letting the yarn off, when it’s too much, and continuing the winding process, until the # of inches have been pulled off, with a bit extra for the ending tail.

For bulky yarns, I pull off about 12-13” of yarn for every 10 sts.  For DK wt., I pull off about 8” of yarn for every 10 sts.  You get the idea!

If I’m using a wt. of yarn I don’t normally use, like sport or fingering, I will CO 15 to 20 sts, knit a few rows in St st, then stop.  With the ruler handy, I will then pinch the end of the working yarn, as I slowly rip back 10 sts, then measure the amount of yarn those 10 sts required.  If in doubt, I’ll rip back another 10 sts and remeasure.

I don’t always eyeball the lengths properly, so, yes, I do need to rip out a CO now and then!  Alternately, one can use a tip presented by Arne & Carlos where they would just add in a separate length of the CO yarn, by pulling off enough length for the CO, then cutting the yarn and continuing to CO sts with the new tail.  Or by using the outside-of-the-ball tail, or a tail from a 2nd ball of yarn.  

Personally, I would only consider this method if I was casting on oodles of sts, more than 200.  But then, if I was CO a lot of sts, I would just pull off way more than I think I will need.  I’d much rather have a too long remaining tail, than a wonky CO edge, as a too-long tail can be trimmed, then the yarn length saved for grafting, repairs, or duplicate stitching over errors, etc.

When I weave, the thrums pile can build too quickly, requiring a system for their storage and organization, but knitting builds the pile slowly.  Just a corner of a small drawer holds yarn snippets, up to a few yards in length – everything not long enough to wind into balls.  

4-6” yarn snippets make (what I think are) perfect stitch markers.  As I don’t like hard stitch markers, in the pile, there’s always a color to contrast with what I’m knitting, so I don’t have to fiddle with an unyielding stitch marker.  It’s also one less gadget I need to buy.  

I also use these short lengths to mark shaping, as seen here in a pair of wool pants, by just weaving the snippet through a few sts on the row or rnd that has shaping, to facilitate counting.  If the yarn is at least the same thickness as my knitting yarn, the snippet stays put.

Longer thrums come in handy when I need to reinforce a wearing-out sock heel or ball of foot in my thicker house socks.  I’m not fussy about the colors, of even the yarns used, for mending socks – no one needs to look at the bottom of my feet!

Onward!
Dawn