View Full Version : What do you call this technique?

03-01-2010, 08:21 PM
Hi, everyone! I'm a relatively new knitter, having picked up the needles in October of last year. Before that I had become proficient at loom-knitting.

I'm writing up a brief tutorial for my blog, but I'm having trouble describing a technique I know from loom-knitting into needle-speak. I'm hoping maybe one of you will recognize what I'm trying to say?

When you loom-knit a hat, you can create a brim after about 4 or 5 inches, by taking the cast-on edge, and putting the stitches back on the loom, on top of the current live stitches. Then, you knit the live stitches over the old cast-on stitches on each peg, giving you a double-thick brim. After that, you can continue loom-knitting the traditional way until your hat is complete.

Is there a name for this technique?

I can picture how you'd accomplish the same thing with needles, but explaining it seems complicated. I'm hoping this is a well-known technique and I don't have to re-invent describing how it's done.!

Thank you for your help!

03-01-2010, 08:50 PM
In loom knitting you would knit a length and then put the cast on back on the corresponding peg and knit those and continue.

In knitting with needles....you would provisionally cast on (in my opinion), knit a length, and then k2tog the stitch on the needle with the corresponding co stitch.
To do this...you would rip out the pco, placing stitches on a needle and put the two needles together and knit one stitch from front needle and one stitch from back needle together. Its a 3 needle bind off, with out the bind off part...LOL

You can do the same thing with a regular cast on...but its way more obvious where your "join" is, and not as flexable.

Im not sure as to a name for this proceedure....but thats it explained.

I hope i understood and answered your question correctly.


Jan in CA
03-01-2010, 08:59 PM
I think she just wanted to know it's called.

I think it's just called a hem. It can be done in knitting with either a regular cast on or with a provisional cast on. It's often done with a purl row on the turning edge so it lays flatter.

03-01-2010, 08:59 PM
Yes, that sounds very much like what I'm talking about. Maybe I can just call it a "3-needle bind-off without the bind-off" like you did - I like that, LOL!

The only issue see with doing it that way, is that the project is for a small diameter item knit in the round on dpn's. That's going to get crazy with all of those needles!

Maybe I should just say "go buy a flower loom" and let those who want to use needles figure it out for themselves ;-)

03-01-2010, 09:00 PM
Oh, a hem! of course! That makes total sense. Thank you.

03-01-2010, 09:41 PM
I think it's like picking up sts along an edge and knitting another section.

03-02-2010, 07:30 AM
I know on some hats you knit the brim last by doing a pick up and knit. I have no idea what the weaving term would be.