Garter Stitch to Stockinette Stitch = Uneven rows! Help!

[GeeBee]

I am working on a baby sweater (first time I've tried to knit in 20 years!) and the first 14 stitches are garter and the remainder of the row is Stockinette. My garter stitch work looks perfect and my Stockinette looks perfect, however, the rows look uneven and the Stockinette portion is puckering! this is hard to explain, but it appears that the Stockinette rows are taller than the garter rows. -- Any one have any idea WHY? and can this be worked out in blocking? :crying:

[Ingrid]

Since garter is all knit and stockinette has purled stitches on the back, it could be that you're purling at a different tension than you're knitting. Whether or not it blocks out depends on what yarn you're using.

[GeeBee]

ugh...............thanks for your reply.........i'm kintting with 100% cotton - Plymouth/Fantasy Naturale. dont' think i've knit with cotton before..........

[Ingrid]

Natural fibers will block. Acrylic will not. Cotton is also much less elastic and unforgiving, so that could be a majority of the issue. It's quite possible that if you were knitting with a stretchier yarn, you wouldn't notice as much of a difference.

[GeeBee]

egads...........maybe i should stop while i'm ahead.........i'm taking a "refresher" knitting class on April 29...........i just couldn't wait that long to start knitting! ekkkk.....i've got the fever..........delima, delima :(

[Ingrid]

Don't stop! Maybe knit with a different yarn, just until you get your tension to even out.

[GeeBee]

good suggestion, Ingrid. i'll go home and play with some wool i have and see if in fact my tension is better with that material than cotton!

[Ingrid]

Once you start knitting, you can't stop. I hear it does terrible things to the brain chemistry. :rofling:

[nicolethegeek]

Once you start knitting, you can't stop. I hear it does terrible things to the brain chemistry. :rofling:

Why is it that I can hear the straw man from the Wizard of Oz singing "if I only had a brain???"