(Untitled)

[nimbrethil]

I'm wondering about slipping stitches.  Specifically, I've noted that a lot of patterns are emphatic about whether you should slip a stitch purlwise or knitwise.  I assume they do so because it makes a difference in the FO, so I wonder what a knitter can assume when there are no explicit instructions.  My inclination is to always slip knitwise,

Comments

[anonymous]

Slipping knit-wise twists the stitch, whereas slipping purl-wise just moves the stitch across without working it, allowing it to keep the normal orientation. Generally speaking, unless it specifies otherwise, you always slip a stitch purl-wise.

As for working with longer circs with small projects... I don't think it's a BAD idea, per se... it's just that you don't need all that extra cable there getting in the way. If it doesn't bother you, though, then I don't see a problem with it. It's mostly a personal preference thing. (Unless, of course, you're working in the round -- you wouldn't want to use a 40" circ to knit a hat or something, unless you're working the magic loop or 2-circ method.)

(Sorry, mods, about the duplicate comment post -- I didn't realize I wasn't logged in before commenting.)

[nimbrethil]

Thanks! On a similar subject, when you've ripped out and are putting stitches back on a needle...how crucial is it to straighten any stitches that got twisted? I try to make a point of making sure all my stitches are situated properly, but sometimes I either forget or miss a few, and I just wonder how much difference it makes in the overall FO.

[erdufylla]

You can certainly do a twisted stockinette stitch -- it's a legitimate stitch pattern. (To do it, you would knit through the back loop every time, assuming the stitches are oriented correctly.) If you do it on accident, though, it might look a little odd, as your V would cross a little differently. Twisted st st is also a tighter stitch than plain st st, so if you intend to do it, you might want to go up a needle size.

There's a pretty good blog post that explains (with photos) about twisted stitches here: http://knitwhits.wordpress.com/2006/09/28/knitting-tip-2-twisted-stitches/

[nimbrethil]

Yeah, I've done twisted stockinette before (although I called it plaited stitch for the longest time because the first book I found referencing it called it such). I like the effect, but I tend toward being a tight knitter, which makes knitting through the back a pain.

[dichroic]

I find that when I'm putting stitches back on a needle, sometimes it's a lot easier to put them back twisted - well, not twisted, but with the wrong leg in front. If I do that, I just knit into the back of that statich when I get to it, to straighten it out. If you don't do this you will end up with a twisted stitch, and how noticeable it is depends on the yarn.

As for using a too-long circ, there's no real problem with it - just that if it has a stiffer cable it can be annoyingly in the way. A softer cable will be less so.