Pick Up Stitches
Picking up stitches means knitting new stitches into the edge of existing fabric, such as at a neckline, button band, or after a heel flap.
Explanation
Picking up stitches is used to start a new section directly from the edge of an already knitted piece, without having to sew it on afterward. You insert the needle through the edge of the fabric, pull a new loop through, and repeat along the whole edge, typically at a neckline, along a cardigan edge to knit a button band, or along the sides of a heel flap to continue down toward the foot. It's common to pick up slightly fewer stitches than the number of rows to avoid the edge rippling.
Also known as: Picking up
How to do it
Insert the needle into the edge, draw the yarn through, and repeat. Along a vertical edge you pick up between the edge stitch and its neighbour; along a horizontal edge you pick up in the stitches themselves.
The key is spacing them evenly across the whole edge. If unsure, divide the edge into quarters with markers and pick up the same number in each.
The ratio
Along a vertical edge you do not pick up one stitch per row. Rows are shorter than stitches are wide, so the ratio is typically three stitches for every four rows. Pick up one per row and the edge comes out too long and ripples.
Along a horizontal edge, by contrast, you pick up one per stitch.
Getting the pick-up ratio right
Picking up stitches along an edge — for a neckband, button band or sleeve — fails in a specific and predictable way: too few stitches and the band pulls the edge in; too many and it flares and ruffles.
The ratio depends on which edge you are working along. Along a cast-on or bind-off edge you pick up one stitch per stitch. Along a row-end edge you pick up fewer than one per row, because rows are shorter than stitches are wide — roughly three stitches for every four rows in stockinette is the standard starting point. Around a curved neckline you do both, changing ratio as the edge changes direction. Where a pattern gives an exact number, distribute it evenly with markers rather than counting as you go.
Common mistakes
- Picking up one stitch per row along a vertical edge, which makes the edge ripple.
- Spacing them unevenly, so the edge pulls crooked.
Keywords
- pick up stitches
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- picked-up stitches
Frequently asked questions
How many stitches should I pick up?
Along a vertical edge, roughly three stitches per four rows. Along a horizontal edge, one per stitch.
Why is my neckband rippling?
Because you picked up too many stitches. Rip it out and pick up fewer — about three per four rows.
Should I pick up through one strand or two?
One full stitch in from the edge, working through both strands, gives the neatest and most durable result and hides the join. Picking up through a single strand right at the edge is quicker but leaves a visible ridge and a weaker band that can pull away under the weight of buttons.