Picking Up Stitches in Open Rows

 A “typical” crew-neck sweater is worked in pieces starting with the bottom ribbing. When it’s time to shape the neckline, the work needs to be divided into three parts: left and right shoulders which are continued separately and the flat center section. Unless there is a specific reason (cotton yarn, say), it’s not advisable to bind off those center stitches. That neckline will have to go over someone’s head and every bit of flexibility counts.

The same holds true for the four-direction sweater. When the center panels are completed, the top row should be put on holders rather than bound off. When it comes time to pick up the stitches on the sides of the center panels, most of the spaces will look normal (shown in gray in the diagram) but  there will be the open row (shown in magenta in the diagram).

It’s a good idea to pick up a stitch in that open row; otherwise the top edges of the sides will be out of alignment with the base of the neckline. So we treat the space there just like any other space for picking up stitches and knit our merry way on the sides.

           

Now, picking up new stitches causes the very outer column of stitches, including  the open stitch, to roll to the wrong side. If this stitch is worked as part of the neckline, it will cause a bit of a glitch. To prevent this, decrease the selvedge stitches out by using a K2tog at the beginning of the panel and an SSK at the end of the panel. If the first and last stitches are purls, use P2tog and SSP instead.

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Until next time.