Picking up stitches on the edge of your neck typically involves locating a horizontal strand of yarn between existing stitches along the edge, picking it up onto your needle, and knitting into it.
When adding a border or finishing a knitted neckline, you'll need to pick up stitches evenly around the edge. The process involves identifying a suitable point within the existing knitted fabric, inserting your needle, and drawing up a new loop. A common technique, as demonstrated in the provided reference, involves working along the side edge of knitted rows.
Steps for Picking Up Stitches on a Neck Edge
To effectively pick up stitches, especially along a vertical edge of knitted fabric (like the side edge of rows often found on necklines worked flat), follow these general steps, incorporating the method described in the reference:
- Prepare Your Edge: Ensure your fabric edge is clean and easy to see. Sometimes, blocking the piece slightly beforehand can help define the edge stitches.
- Identify Pick-Up Points: You will be picking up stitches from the 'selvedge' or edge stitches. The goal is to pick up a consistent number of stitches per row or stitch to create a smooth edge.
- Open Up the Stitch Work: As shown in the reference, sometimes you need to "open up the stitch work a little bit" to clearly see the underlying structure. This helps reveal the specific strands or loops you need to pick up.
- Locate the Strand: After opening the fabric slightly, look for the horizontal "strand" or bar of yarn between the edge stitches. This is often the target for your needle.
- Pick Up the Strand: Insert your needle (usually the right-hand needle) under that visible strand or bar from front to back.
- Knit the Picked-Up Strand: With the strand on your needle, wrap your working yarn around the needle and pull it through, as if making a regular knit stitch. This action picks up the stitch and creates a new loop on your needle. The reference specifically states, "we just pick it up and knit it onto our needle."
- Repeat: Continue along the edge, picking up and knitting stitches according to the required gauge (e.g., picking up 3 stitches for every 4 rows).
Why Open Up the Stitch Work?
Opening up the stitch work is crucial, particularly when working along a vertical edge. It allows you to:
- Clearly see that strand or bar of yarn that you need to pick up.
- Ensure you are inserting your needle under the correct part of the stitch structure.
- Help maintain consistency in where you pick up stitches along the edge.
By following these steps, you can successfully pick up stitches on the edge of your neck opening, preparing it for a knitted border, collar, or hood.
