It's week 3 of Indie June. Nikki Poulton guides us through short rows: a fabulous essential technique for your knitting toolbox. To celebrate, Nikki will be chatting to the wonderful hat designer Woolly Wormhead who explains why she's a big fan of the short row in her knitting.
Short Row Knitting
Short rows are well named - they are rows where you don't knit to the end before turning. This allows for shaping within your knitting, so that your garments and accessories fit better.
I had never heard of a short row when I first came across one in a pattern. When I came to the instruction to 'wrap and turn' I stared at the pattern, then at my knitting. Surely I wasn't supposed to just stop here and go back?! I was barely halfway through the row! As with most techniques, a little research revealed that it was actually quite straightfoward and I watched in awe as the top of the sweater I was knitting curved neatly into a yoke that fit me perfectly.
Shawls with short rows are some of my favorite things to knit - seeing the shape develop, watching how the short rowing affects the color transitions. The possibilities are endless. But short rows can be found in pretty much any item you knit, particularly in sweaters to create well-fitting and chic FOs.
Shape of you
If you've never short rowed, you're probably thinking that only knitting part of a row is madness. But trust me, once you see them in action, you'll be a convert too.
Nikki's Favorite Short Row Patterns
But where do I start?
If you're unsure where to begin, try some of the tutorials below. Online tutorials are a fantastic resource for learning new techniques and reminding yourself of ones you haven't used in a while.
Knitting designer and hat architect Woolly Wormhead shares her advice, inspiration behind her beautiful designs and how she first came across short rows in this exclusive interview.
An Interview with Woolly Wormhead
You are known for your innovative hat patterns, why are you so drawn to hats?
There are so many reasons I'm drawn to hats! They are the most 3-dimensional garment; they only have to fit around the brim and beyond that, you can go in any direction. And because our heads are not quite but almost spherical, that offers almost endless methods of construction. They are perfect education tools - a quick pattern offers lots of scope for teaching techniques. And it doesn't matter if it doesn't quite fit, it'll always fit someone. They are incredibly portable - I can take my work with me wherever I go. And finally, there's only one of them to knit...
When did you discover short rows?
I first used short rows some 20 or maybe 30 years ago when I knit my first sock, but I didn't really know then what they were called. Fast forward to 11 or 12 years ago, I started using them again when I started experimenting with sideways knitting. My first book - Going Straight, published December 2007 - is the result of all that early experimentation with sideways knit Hats. And it's still my favorite way to construct hats.
What is it you love about the technique?
Short rows are so versatile! They don't just give us the heel of a sock or bust darts in a vertical knit sweater. They are the increases and decreases when we knit sideways. And we can use them to make short row colorwork, such as Toph and Parallelo. What they are essentially is a 3-dimensional technique, and one that manipulates the fabric. Both of these are right up my alley.
What is your favorite short row tip or trick?
Arm yourself with several methods so that you can choose the best one for your knitting. There isn't a one-size-fits-all when it comes to short rows. Every knitter's tension is unique, and that will affect the short rows. And as we use short rows in all directions of knitting, sometimes on their own and sometimes stacked, and in all manner of stitch patterns, it means that some methods will blend effortlessly into the fabric and others won't.
For instance: for my sideways knit hats where garter stitch is the main stitch, I'd recommend generally German short rows. But if the stitch pattern is different, or double sided, I'd recommend the wrap and turn method. A w&t short row allows us to pick up the wrap from either side of the work, thus making it more versatile. A German short row is quick to knit and so much more graftable but they do have a definite right side and wrong side. I only use the Japanese method when I'm working short rows in stocking stitch in the round, and only on the purl side of the work, as that's how they work best for me.
The featured hats above are Joyce, Campello and Katara Elemental.
Explore Woolly Wormhead's fabulous knitting patterns by clicking here.
Nikki is a passionate crafter who loves sharing her makes, her favorite books and her current nerdy obsessions, on her podcast Tea & Possibilities.
An Interview with Woolly Wormhead
You are known for your innovative hat patterns, why are you so drawn to hats?
There are so many reasons I'm drawn to hats! They are the most 3-dimensional garment; they only have to fit around the brim and beyond that, you can go in any direction. And because our heads are not quite but almost spherical, that offers almost endless methods of construction. They are perfect education tools - a quick pattern offers lots of scope for teaching techniques. And it doesn't matter if it doesn't quite fit, it'll always fit someone. They are incredibly portable - I can take my work with me wherever I go. And finally, there's only one of them to knit...
When did you discover short rows?
I first used short rows some 20 or maybe 30 years ago when I knit my first sock, but I didn't really know then what they were called. Fast forward to 11 or 12 years ago, I started using them again when I started experimenting with sideways knitting. My first book - Going Straight, published December 2007 - is the result of all that early experimentation with sideways knit Hats. And it's still my favorite way to construct hats.
What is it you love about the technique?
Short rows are so versatile! They don't just give us the heel of a sock or bust darts in a vertical knit sweater. They are the increases and decreases when we knit sideways. And we can use them to make short row colorwork, such as Toph and Parallelo. What they are essentially is a 3-dimensional technique, and one that manipulates the fabric. Both of these are right up my alley.
What is your favorite short row tip or trick?
Arm yourself with several methods so that you can choose the best one for your knitting. There isn't a one-size-fits-all when it comes to short rows. Every knitter's tension is unique, and that will affect the short rows. And as we use short rows in all directions of knitting, sometimes on their own and sometimes stacked, and in all manner of stitch patterns, it means that some methods will blend effortlessly into the fabric and others won't.
For instance: for my sideways knit hats where garter stitch is the main stitch, I'd recommend generally German short rows. But if the stitch pattern is different, or double sided, I'd recommend the wrap and turn method. A w&t short row allows us to pick up the wrap from either side of the work, thus making it more versatile. A German short row is quick to knit and so much more graftable but they do have a definite right side and wrong side. I only use the Japanese method when I'm working short rows in stocking stitch in the round, and only on the purl side of the work, as that's how they work best for me.
The featured hats above are Joyce, Campello and Katara Elemental.
Explore Woolly Wormhead's fabulous knitting patterns by clicking here.
Nikki is a passionate crafter who loves sharing her makes, her favorite books and her current nerdy obsessions, on her podcast Tea & Possibilities.