I need to pick up stitches, but I want the purl bumps on the first row, not a flat knit row. How can I do this? If I do it from the back, the seam is on the outside instead of the inside.

Help, anyone?

With RS facing, pick up the sts as you'd normally do (I use a crochet hook). Once on your ndl (straight or circ) just P them instead of K. The picked up st can be P or K...you decide...and it has nothing to do with where the seam is so long as you pick them up on the RS. (When sts are picked up for ribbing, you alternate K and P in whatever desired sequence. The picked up st is simply the loop on the ndl.) The first row of sts worked after pick up is the WS so you'd K them so that the P st is on the RS.

HTH, or am I missing something in your query?
cam

Or maybe you need to pick them up with the WS facing you, but pick them up as if to purl, not as if to knit. So insert your needle from the back to front, wrap the tip like you do a purl st and pull the yarn through to the back.

Cam, I want a purl BUMP on the right side, so picking up as usual and THEN purling isn't giving me what I want. That gives me a knit row first, then a purl row. I want a purl row first. I don't even know if this is possible?!?

Suzeeq, I'm not following. If I do it on the wrong side (insert needle back to frong), my seam is then on the outside of the garment. Am I reading your instructions wrong? Have you tried it? Is there a tutorial somewhere?

Thanks!

Please forgive that this is going to sound like I'm talking to a 6 year old-- I'm just going through every possible step in order to figure out what's going on:
Let's say you're picking up sts along the neck edge of a sweater, in order to knit the neckband. With the right side (public side) of the sweater facing you, with the needle in your left hand (pretend it's a straight needle for the sake of argument), the pointy end pointing to your right, you pick up the sts. Now, with the right side/public side of the fabric still facing you, take the other needle in your right hand, attach the yarn and start purling, the sts being transfered from the needle in your left hand to the needles in your right hand. This will make the purl bumps come out on the right side/public side of the fabric. Or am I missing something?. . .

Please forgive that this is going to sound like I'm talking to a 6 year old-- I'm just going through every possible step in order to figure out what's going on:
Let's say you're picking up sts along the neck edge of a sweater, in order to knit the neckband. With the right side (public side) of the sweater facing you, with the needle in your left hand (pretend it's a straight needle for the sake of argument), the pointy end pointing to your right, you pick up the sts. Now, with the right side/public side of the fabric still facing you, take the other needle in your right hand, attach the yarn and start purling, the sts being transfered from the needle in your left hand to the needles in your right hand. This will make the purl bumps come out on the right side/public side of the fabric. Or am I missing something?. . .
Britty,
Do you not then KNIT the stitch AS you pick it up? So just loop your needle through the stitches first WITHOUT knitting or purling them, and then on the NEXT go-round, you PURL them? I've always KNIT AS I picked up the stitches, but you're saying NOT to do that?

(Forgive my density if I'm being slow....) I'd post pics of what I'm trying to do, but my DH is out of town with the camera.

Hey, if we had pics to work with, that would take the challenge out of this:) .
When you pick up sts, do you pick them all up and then knit them, or do you do it 1 at a time? I pick them all up, first, and then knit or purl them as required. So let's go back to that neckband example-- if you have to pick up, say, 60 sts, then I pick them all up so that I can be sure they're evenly spaced. So now I've got 60 sts on my left needle. Then treat them as if they were live sts, and just start purling away.
What pattern are you using, and where are you in it?

Okay, if you want it on the RS, then pick up the sts as if to purl. Insert the needle from the back of your work to the front and wrap purlwise.

Pick up and... implies 2 steps, as brittyknits describes, but is usually done as just one step which could be better written as pick up knitwise or pick up purlwise.

Britty, I usually pick up and knit each stitch as I go like this (http://www.knittinghelp.com/apps/flash/video_player/play/166/1) video.
I'm making Drops #101-23 with MANY modifications. I've made it before: here's a link to my Ravelry page (http://www.ravelry.com/projects/GinaKnits/101-23-top-with-lace-pattern-in-muskat)on it, but I wasn't happy with the pickups at the neck and sleeves.

ETA: That's the step I'm on: Picking up for the neck and sleeves.

Thanks SO much for your help!

Okay, if you want it on the RS, then pick up the sts as if to purl. Insert the needle from the back of your work to the front and wrap purlwise.

Pick up and... implies 2 steps, as brittyknits describes, but is usually done as just one step which could be better written as pick up knitwise or pick up purlwise.

Have you actually tried this, cuz I keep trying it and I get the stitches on the WRONG side of the fabric. I'm usually not stupid, but this is just eatin' my lunch here!

Ooooohhh-- the video explains it! Thanks for the link! Right-- okay, try doing this, instead: Pick up a stitch-- you can do one, or several in a row-- coming the other way, with a needle in your left hand. Then with the 2nd needle in your right hand, purl off of it, as if the stitch (or stitches) on the left needle were live instead of just picked up, if you know what I mean. It isn't the way you're used to doing it, but it will get you what you want, and you might be able to figure out how to do it the video way in purl, after you've done that.

To do it the video way, but in purl: do you see at about the 58 second mark, she's pushing the needle into the stitch she wants to pick up, away from her. Then at the 1 minute/1 second mark, she's taking the needle and going over the working strand of yarn then behind it, and then catching it and pulling it through the picked-up stitch, towards her? To do it in purl, do this:
Come from behind the stitch you want to pick up, with the needle and poke it through towards you. Then come above the working strand of yarn, then in front of it, and then catch it and pull it back through the picked-up stitch, away from you.

Try both ways and see which you like better.

Have you actually tried this, cuz I keep trying it and I get the stitches on the WRONG side of the fabric. I'm usually not stupid, but this is just eatin' my lunch here!

Yes, I have, the way brittyknits describes it in the 2nd part of her post just above this one. I don't know why you're getting the purl sts on the WS. Yep, pictures would really help...

Ooooohhh-- the video explains it! Thanks for the link! Right-- okay, try doing this, instead: Pick up a stitch-- you can do one, or several in a row-- coming the other way, with a needle in your left hand. Then with the 2nd needle in your right hand, purl off of it, as if the stitch (or stitches) on the left needle were live instead of just picked up, if you know what I mean. It isn't the way you're used to doing it, but it will get you what you want, and you might be able to figure out how to do it the video way in purl, after you've done that.

I'm trying this way --still getting the stitch on the wrong side the other way, so here goes, but one more (hopefully only one) question:
When you say "Pick up a stitch coming the other way" can you clarify? What exactly am I picking up? The way I usually do it (see video) you don't actually pick up anything but your working yarn between existing stitches. What do I pick up?

again....thanks SO much for your patience and help!

Cam, I want a purl BUMP on the right side, so picking up as usual and THEN purling isn't giving me what I want. That gives me a knit row first, then a purl row. I want a purl row first. I don't even know if this is possible?!?

Okay. When I orig posted :

The first row of sts worked after pick up is the WS so you'd K them so that the P st is on the RS.

I assumed you were working flat. My instr would give you P on RS in that case.

If I were picking up and working ITR I'd pick up the req'd sts (acts much like your CO when starting a project) and then would P the first round (even tho your pattern says to work M2 which starts with a K row). You picked up and then P'd and the pickup shows as a K row?

I've done the PU and then followed with P row on right side (ITR) and liked the results.

cam

If I were picking up and working ITR I'd pick up the req'd sts (acts much like your CO when starting a project) and then would P the first round (even tho your pattern says to work M2 which starts with a K row). You picked up and then P'd and the pickup shows as a K row?

I've done the PU and then followed with P row on right side (ITR) and liked the results.

cam
I did that with the first of these tops I made and just wasn't happy with the results. I sure wish y'all were nearby and could SHOW me how to pick up and PURL!:wall:

When I say "pick up", what I mean is the motion of putting the needles through the old stitch that is already part of the fabric, or when I say "the picked up stitch", I mean the old stitch that is already part of the fabric. When I talk about actually pulling the live strand of yarn, I'm calling that "catching". Does that make sense?

Okay-- now-- here's what I think you may be seeing: when you purl as you pick up stitches, each time you do it, each stitch you work, you'll get a loop on the needle. Right in front of that, you'll get a bar of yarn across it, so that the loop is coming out of the back side of the fabric. The right side of the fabric is facing you, but it looks like the loop is behind the fabric, is that right? If it is, then that's what you want! The bar of fabric immediately below the stitch is the purl bump. Yes? No? If not, keep asking, we'll get there. Or your husband will come home with camera and we'll figure it out with visual aides:) .

Just thought of something-- try this: cast on 10 sts or so and knit a few rows and then bind off. Then, try picking up some of those sts and purling them, the way you're trying to do with this sweater. Then keep going with whatever you're supposed to do with the next few rows. Are you getting that row of purl bumps you're looking for? If so, then that's it, and do the same thing on the sweater.

Y'all are being ever so patient. Thank you!

So I lied. I have more than one question.

Am I working right to left or left to right?
Is the raw edge of the fabric towards me or away from me?
Is the right (public) side on top or bottom?
Do I put the needle between stitches and pick up a bar and purl that?
Or do I put the needle through two as in the video?

I did that with the first of these tops I made and just wasn't happy with the results.

:(

Am I working right to left or left to right?

I work right to left...meaning my ndl is in the right hand and the crochet sts are placed on it.

Is the raw edge of the fabric towards me or away from me?

Away.

Is the right (public) side on top or bottom?

If you want the seam on the WS you pick up, as I noted, on the RS.

Do I put the needle between stitches and pick up a bar and purl that?

I pick up using new yarn. Insert crochet hook btwn sts, pull up loop and place on the working ndl.

cam

The way I usually do it (see video) you don't actually pick up anything but your working yarn between existing stitches. What do I pick up?

You pick up your working yarn. But do it as if you were purling. The usual way of doing it as in the video, is as if you were knitting.

Am I working right to left or left to right?
Is the raw edge of the fabric towards me or away from me?
Is the right (public) side on top or bottom?
Do I put the needle between stitches and pick up a bar and purl that?
Or do I put the needle through two as in the video?

Hmmmm, that's actually 5 more questions...

R to L or L to right depends how you do it. If it's as in the video, it's right to left. The edge is on top, the RS facing you. Put the needle through the st and purl it. In the video the needle isn't actually through 2 sts, it's through both strands of the BO edge, the chain.

I'm thinking of holding it differently-- I'm thinking of the fabric straight up and down, perpendicular to the floor. The public side is facing me, with the cast-off edge on top, closer to the ceiling (I'm assuming you're picking up the sts from that edge?) and the cast-on edge on bottom, closer to the floor.

As for the L to R/R to L question. . .hmmm, well, it depends on how you're picking up the existing sts. If you're doing it one at a time, as in the video, then the first st you pick up (public side facing you), is on the right edge, and you're gradually picking up old sts moving towards the left edge.

I'm not completely sure of the bar between sts question. . .but I'd pick up both pieces of each st, as in the video. How do you do it when you're knitting picked up sts, vs this new thing of purling them? I would do it exactly that way, except to insert the needle coming towards you, the way we talked about in the other posts, because you're purling, here.

Does any of that make sense?

Bottom couple of pics here (http://www.knitty.com/issuespring05/FEATspr05TT.html) show how I pick up sts. (crochet hook) My ndl recv'ing the sts is moving R>L but I suppose you could think of it as L>R cuz the picked up st move from the left to the right onto the receiving ndl. Ultimately, the pickup ndl is moving in the same direction as it would be if you were working the row/round and the fabric is held the same, as well.

How are you doing it?

cam

Y'all have been SO helpful! Thanks SO MUCH!!!

I just talked to my 14-year old niece who says that you CAN'T get a good purl stitch when picking up stitches. She suggested I just pick up the stitches on a TINY needle so the loops are small and don't show and then purl off of that. Is she right? She has more knitting experience than I do!

That can work and is sometimes advised. When you pick them up purlwise, you're going to have the edge that you pick up from showing on the RS. Which is maybe something you didn't want.

Yep. It would look bad to have it show, so I'm using a long size 2 needle to pick up and purling them then onto a size 7. It seems to be working. Thank you all again for trying to get through to me!:hug:

Soooo. . .how's it coming along? Did you get it to work?

Yep. Thanks SO much for your help! NOw if only I didn't have to work so I could knit all day and finish my top!:)

Now that's a problem we all share...

Hmmmm. If you pick up knitwise on the right side as usual but instead of purling back on the wrong side (knitting flat) you knit back wouldn't you get a row of purl bumps? If it is in the round, purling around?

Or am I completely missing your point?:aww:

That occurred to me too before I got sidetracked with another thought....

Picking up with a size 2 needle and then purling with my size 7 gave the effect I want. Thanks!