Knitting Up Stitches

1. Don't bind off the front/back neck stitches. Easier to work with live stitches than to pick up. Consider using short rows to make the front neck shaping as you're knitting up the shoulders/armholes; you'll have live stitches to work with *all the way around* and the wraps on the shorted stitches will let you close up any holes, just like on a short-row sock heel.
2. Don't sweat the stitch count on the neckline when you're going to make something simple like 1/1 or 2/2 ribbing, just get a number of stitches good for the finishing method. Do try to pick up an equal number of stitches on each side of the front center up to the shoulder seams for symmetry. Anybody who is close enough to see that you fudged the stitch count on the back of the neck deserves an elbow in the gut!
3. If you're working a deep neckline (like the deep v-front of my boxy sweater) be sure to SLIP every first stitch on both the right and wrong sides just as you do with sock heel flaps. THis gives you a tidy chain edge - each link in the chain is one stitch to pick up. I know most sources tell you to pick up 2 stitches for every 3 rows when you're picking up on the vertical but that always gives me waaaaay too many stitches to work with.
4. If the pattern will let you, modify the neck opening and do as much finishing as possible as you knit the body. You may be able to incorporate vertical 1/1 rib into a deep neckline as you make the two front yokes. You still have to do *something* with the back neck, but you're inventive!

This is just me of course, but I prefer to get an even pickup that has no holes, THEN reduce the number of stitches in the first worked row.

As an example -

on a deep V neck I knit up one stitch on every row and then figure out how many I need to reduce to get the number I need. So if I had 50sts on each front side and I need only

35 I would K1, P2tog from the shoulders down (on both sides) 15 times then just K1, P1 for the rest of the row. Or if you are doing a K2, P2 rib you would K2, P2tog, P1, K2, P2tog, P1, etc. This will draw the stitches in evenly and leave no holes at all.

The same works on round necklines but I keep one stitch to one stitch across any live stitches I have on the needles. Always depending on the style of course, I usually like to cast off stitches across the back neck and pick up from the cast off edge as I think it helps keep the neck line firm and in shape.

This is why this group is so great, not only are they the friendlies group on the net but also they may be the most knowledgeable group!

Hugs & God bless, Dennis & Gail

V> Hi all,

Here's how I do it. First, I divide the neckline into fourths and put a safety pin in at the four points. Then, I calculate how many stitches I need to pick up in each quadrant. It is almost never an equal number, you have to fudge a little. Then, I take a needle in one hand and a slightly smaller crochet hook in the other, and pick up the stitches with the crochet hook and knit each one onto the needle as I pick it up. You should not have to do this more than twice in order to get the correct number of stitches picked up and on your needles.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

First advice , never cast of stiches you will need later i mean at the neck , when you stop knitting a stich , don`t cloe it moove it to another needle or holder , than when you pick up the stiches , you have those already and need only to pick up on the sides. Second advice learn to knit seam less [all in one piece ,,, etc,,, than you Start from the top and knit downwards. third advice , use a crichet needle when picking stiches and slowly work your way through the process , do it when in good mood put some nice music on and think nice thoughts... mirjam

Wooly in the case of a V neck i never Slip the last /first or any Stitch for that matter ,,,,

If i intend to knit a ribbing on i increase between the 3+4 stitches before and after the open v [ in my case since i knit downwards] but to those who knit upwards i advice to decrease the 3+4 together . I mostly don`t do ribbibng but knit on a straight side knitting [ like rice or all knit [= i increse but the 4 side stiches are ribbed by being all done in knit on both sides to and from ...

What i like are the many various ideas and practiced Advice you get mirjam

Me too...I have a topdown baby sweater almost finished....have one more sleeve to do and next is "picking up stitches" for the front bands.....I stopped 2 months ago and need to just do it and not worry.

Donna

Thank you everyone for fantastic advice as usual!

VP

Well Vp We all here have to keep our High standards ~!!!!! mirjam te:

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