K2 P2 Ribbing Help Needed

Noo · 01-21-2010, 08:31 PM

OK...I'm somewhat new at knitting but have done all of the usual things that do not require ribbing, scarves, washcloths, etc. I am working on some fingerless mitts and it says K2 P2. I understand that and know how to do knit and purl stitches. However, my ribbing definitely does not look like ribbing. It is driving me crazy! All of my more experienced friends are puzzled, they say I am doing the stitches correctly but no ribbing appears. What in the world am I doing wrong! Would it have to do with my tension? That thought has occurred to me! HELP! Thanks!

gotta knit · 01-22-2010, 01:48 AM

If your tension is really loose, it might prevent the ribbing from 'popping' into view.
Do your 2 knit stitches look different from your 2 purl stitches? If so, then your actual knitting is probably fine.

Now, are you making these fingerless mitts flat (working back & forth, you will need to sew them together) or in the round (joined, on a circular needle or double point needles)? This matters when you work ribbing.
If you are making them flat, you work back and forth on each row, meaning there's a right side and a wrong side. So you k2, p2 on one side, then you work the opposite on the other side. If they're joined into a tube, you're always working on one side, so k the same 2 k sts and p the same 2 purl sts, every round.

Good luck.

MerigoldinWA · 01-22-2010, 01:52 AM

Are you saying your knitting friends have checked this out and don't know? If so I'm not sure, but....the thing I know I did wrong when I first tried purling and I knew I was doing the knit and purl right and it was really messing up was the following. Are you moving your yarn to the front to purl (between the needles) and to the back (between the needles) when you knit? I wasn't and was getting inadvertent yarn overs all over and was totally baffled.

Or...are you possibly not lining the knits over other knits and the purls over other purls, and getting seed stitch instead of ribbing?

My only ideas.

suzeeq · 01-22-2010, 01:59 AM

In addition to moving your yarn between the needles, you need to have the correct number of stitches. The repeat for k2, p2 is 4 sts, so your stitch count should be a multiple of 4. This way whether you knit them flat or in the round, you will k2, p2 every row or round. If you're following a pattern for flat knitting and the sts aren't a multiple of 4, it may be that for the RS row you k1, then p2, k2, p2, k2 across and end with a p 1; the extra sts on the ends will be taken into the seams so the finished cuff will look like the ribbing. On the WS row it would be the same pattern.

Noo · 01-22-2010, 05:11 AM

Thank you sooooo much! When I described to my friends how I would make the knit and purl stitch they all said that it was correct, etc. What they did not know and what I found out from your post was that since I am knitting a flat piece I need to do the opposite stitch. All of my friends thought I was knitting in the round! So problem solved and I will be forever grateful...that was very bothersome to me and now you have solved my problem! Thanks again!