A KNITTER’S GUIDE TO PICKING UP STITCHES FOR A NECKBAND
PLAN AHEAD
A great result starts with a good foundation. Smooth edges make the
process of picking up stitches easier and give the best result. There
is no need to work the selvedge “in pattern”—a plain stockinette
selvedge stitch will result in a perfectly smooth line of picked-up
stitches along a vertical edge.
Avoid slipping the stitches along an edge where you plan to pick up
stitches later. A slipped stitch spans two rows, so slipping the selvedge
stitches results in fewer selvedge stitches and can complicate the
pick-up process. It’s easier to pick up three stitches for every four rows
when you actually have four selvedge stitches instead of just two.
Place decreases and increases at least one stitch away from the
selvedge, keeping in mind that the shaping techniques will be visible
after the neckband is added, so they should be mirrored to maintain
symmetry. The V-neck in Photo 1 shows a neckline with right-
leaning k2tog decreases worked on the left front and left-leaning ssk
decreases worked on the right front.
THE PICK-UP PROCESS
Once you’ve prepared the neckline edge stitches, it’s time to think
about how stitches should be picked up along the selvedge.
Mark the Sections
Most necks that are worked from the bottom up will have a combina-
tion of horizontal bound-off sections, diagonal edges shaped with
decreases, and vertical edges that are worked even. The neckband
instructions may indicate a specific number of stitches to pick up
for each section, or they may indicate how many stitches to pick
up in total, with some suggested pick-up ratios in each section to
help you hit the target number. Clipping a locking stitch marker at
the transition points from one section to another will help you keep
track of your stitch count as you pick up stitches (and will help
you adjust your stitch count later, if necessary).
Photo 2 shows a swatch that simulates a right-front neckline
before stitches have been picked up. A vertical edge at the top
transitions to a short diagonal edge, then to a horizontal edge that
consists of three stairstep bind-offs. A marker separates the horizon-
tal center-front stitches from the vertical right-front stitches.
The stitches are bound off at the center-front neck—rather than being
placed on a holder—to provide stability in the neck opening and
prevent it from stretching out.
Pick-Up Ratios
When working in stockinette or stockinette-like fabrics, you will
typically pick up one stitch for every stitch along horizontal bind-off
edges because you are extending the existing fabric stitch for stitch.
Some stitch patterns, such as cables, produce a very different stitch
gauge than stockinette, so you will not pick up 1:1 along the bind-off
edge. (See the tips at the end of the article.)
It isn’t possible to pick up stitches along vertical edges at a rate of
1:1, given the fact that a stitch is wider than it is tall and there will be
more rows than stitches per inch. I f no ratio is specified, pick up about
two stitches for every three rows or three stitches for every four rows.
Inserting the Knitting Needle
For vertical edges and diagonal edges
Insert the knitting needle through the space between the selvedge
stitch and the next stitch (Photo 3) and wrap or pick the working
yarn and pull it through to the front.
PHOTO 1PHOTO 3PHOTO 2