FAQ....Is your STOCKINETTE CURLING? Here's the solution!

[lovestoknit]

neither do I. but just do garter stitch or seed stitch for 3 rows, and then knit the first 3 and the last 3 stitches in garter stitch or seed stitch (which ever you did the 3 rows for).

[shore--alpaca]

ah so there IS? a way to do stockinette without it curling? I thought there was none.

[Ingrid]

ah so there IS? a way to do stockinette without it curling? I thought there was none.

You know there isn't a way to stop plain old st st from curling.

[mwedzi]

I think crocheting an edge really does help. Try to crochet it deep. I mean, instead of just at the very very edge of the scarf, stick the needle in a few stitches, so that when you do your single crochet, it is single crochet worked over the last 3 or so stitches of each row of the work. Or not quite each row, since crochet stitches will generally be thicker, but you get the idea.

[ninkek]

Hi, Yes the stitching curls, because it's asymetric. The bumps are all on one side and the "V"s on the other. Because of this, it curls towards the "V"s (Knit side), That's why everyone says to block or intermix different stitching to "balance" it out. If you really enjoy the look of st st, and don't want any other stitches you could knit two scarfs and sew them together, thus knitting is on the outside of both, with the bumpy (purl side) on the inside (Like a peanut butter sandwich. Hope this helps. K

[slgn]

I can't believe it but I'm currently plagued with this. I'm knitting a scarf with KP Swish. The first three rows were garter stitch and then on the body the first three and last three stitches of each row are garter (with a slip st. knitwise at beg of row)... everything seemed fine but then I got about a foot into the scarf and it started rolling up like crazy (side to side rolling like a tube).

Yelling at it isn't helping; it refuses to listen. I read somewhere recently (here? craftster?) that someone had a similar problem with Swish and once it was washed it relaxed... so I decided not to worry but the curling continues and if possible, seems worse. I'm almost to the point I should knit the three end garter st rows and BO but now I'm thinking I should frog and start over with
1) more garter at edges (it's a black-red-black stripe scarf so maybe the black is all in garter and red stockinette?) OR maybe
2) keeping the three garter st on each edge but doing moss st or something else plain instead of stockinette

Any thoughts? I feel like such a noob.

[Ingrid]

I haven't made anything with Swish, but it could be that 3 stitches in garter isn't enough to keep it from curling. You could block it and see if it curls. If it still does, take it out and redo it in moss stitch or something not likely to curl.

[slgn]

I haven't made anything with Swish, but it could be that 3 stitches in garter isn't enough to keep it from curling.

I suspect this is the case. I just have to decide if I want to "play" with what I've done so far (BO, wash & block) or just frog it and change the pattern (wider border or moss etc.). But Moss should work, right? I've never actually knit moss before. If I did black stripe with 3+ garter border st and then moss, red stockinette, black moss with 3+ border garter. That sounds like it would resist rolling more, right? Moss behaves better, doesn't it?
t'anks

[Ingrid]

Moss stitch doesn't curl at all. I don't think you even need to bother with garter in addition to the moss stitch.

[slgn]

oooohhhh well maybe that's my answer right there! I'll still think about it before I frog 40+ in. but I think I like this moss idea...