[Sophieroz]

Simple question--how many rows of garter stitch-or ridges-needed to keep stockinette knitting from curling? Also the sides? I have done this for years and never can decide how much to knit.

 

[bane]

I use g st as a border and I usually do between 4-6 rows for top and bottom , I g st 4 -6 at the beginning and end of rows. :thumbup:

 

[Sophieroz]

Thanks. I decided to go with 5 this time. Should work.

 

[Dcsmith77]

I usually do four, but I have done as little as two on an afghan and it worked because the work was heavy enough to lie flat. On smaller items four seems to work.

 

[SouthernGirl]

I usually do 4.

 

[barcar]

For some reason I prefer an odd number of stitches in the garter portion.

 

[MartyCare]

Dishcloth patterns often call for three stitches of seed stitch or garter stitch on the sides, to prevent curling. For the way I knit, I need more, so I do at least five stitches on the sides. On cast on and cast off edges, I do three or more rows of seed or garter stitch.

For hats and mittens, of course, ribbing controls one edge.
Carol K in OH

 

[gopher]

Simple question--how many rows of garter stitch-or ridges-needed to keep stockinette knitting from curling? Also the sides? I have done this for years and never can decide how much to knit.

On baby hats where I want the hem to curl, I stop the curling by doing ONE row of purl and then continue with the ST stitch. Works for me.

 

[dalex1945]

Unless the pattern specifies otherwise, I prefer to use an uneven number of garter or seed stitch, usually 5 stitches depending on the pattern. So, five rows of garter or seed stitch at the beginning, and five stitches on each edge.

 

[Dcsmith77]

I never thought about the advantage of an uneven number of stitches of garter stitch, although I do use an uneven number with seed stitch. What is the advantage, or is it just a personal preference?

Unless the pattern specifies otherwise, I prefer to use an uneven number of garter or seed stitch, usually 5 stitches depending on the pattern. So, five rows of garter or seed stitch at the beginning, and five stitches on each edge.

 

[ChocPieMom]

If you use the long-tail cast on, using an uneven number of rows for the border puts the beginning of the project on the right side of the border.

 

[AmyClaire]

There's no fixed answer; you have to swatch each project

The Techknitting blog says the only way to be sure is to vary the width of the garter on each side (make garter triangles that point in towards the center) so there's no "flip" line.

 

[AmyClaire]

Oh and I forgot to mention that because the row gauges are different between stockinette and garter, you will want to add short rows in your garter after every 5-ish rows of stockinette. Again, swatch to get the right ratio.

 

[Dcsmith77]

What a good tip. Never thought about it, but I'll use it in the future. Would look prettier, too.

There's no fixed answer; you have to swatch each project

The Techknitting blog says the only way to be sure is to vary the width of the garter on each side (make garter triangles that point in towards the center) so there's no "flip" line.

 

[ElianaL02]

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