How to Keep the Edges Straight While Knitting
- 1). Cast on two additional stitches to the number specified in your pattern. The extra stitches will serve as a border to keep the edges of the knitted fabric straight. You will be working an extra stitch at the beginning and end of each row.
- 2). Knit one of the extra stitches you cast on; this stitch is the first selvage stitch. Work the pattern as written, ending by knitting the last stitch (another selvage stitch.) Do this for each row. The pattern is centered between selvage stitches --- one at the start of the row and one at the end of the row.
- 3). Knitting the first and last stitches of each row will produce a garter selvage edge. This type of edge looks like garter stitch (the stitch pattern where every row is either purled or knit) but is still very stretchy.
- 4). To make a firmer garter edge, knit the first stitch of each row and slip the last stitch by inserting your needle knitwise into the last stitch and, without working it, transferring the stitch to the other needle.
- 5). Make a selvage edge that looks like a crochet chain by knitting the first selvage stitch of each row and purling the last stitch of each row. Alternatively, make the chain edge more stable by slipping stitches in pattern. For example, you could slip the first and last stitches of each right side row; on alternating rows (wrong side rows,) you would purl the first and last stitches.
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