How to Get a Neater Edge on Your Knitting

If you’re looking to refine your knitting techniques in the new year, or you’re new to knitting and wondering why your edges look so weird, you might enjoy this deep dive into edge stitches, why they look that way and what to do about it.

The truth is that your edge stitches are pretty much always going to look a little different from the stitches on the inside of your knit fabric. That’s just because of the way knit fabric is structured — all the other stitches have support on both sides, which helps even out the tension, but edge stitches don’t have that.

Also it’s super easy to change your tension on that last (or first) stitch, to pull too tight because you think it will make them look more even, or to leave it loose because of the way you’re making the stitch.

Nimble Needles dives into all of this in detail, showing exactly how those edge stitches can get wonky and how they often don’t look perfect even when you’re trying really hard to make sure they have the same tension as the other stitches in the project.

So what do we do about it? You’ll have to visit the blog post for all the details, but the answer is working selvedge stitches or slipped stitches at the edges of the work. This takes some experimentation to determine the method that works for you (and honestly a lot of practice to remember to do it consistently, which is probably why I don’t do it, because I just don’t remember to) but it does make a nice edge if the more organic look isn’t something you like.

You can find all the details at Nimble Needles.

Do you work the edge stitches any special way when you knit something flat? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Nimble Needles]

Five Fun Ways to Finish Your Knit Edges

Next Pattern:

As I was starting to write this post I thought that it was true that I’d never done a roundup of bucket hat knitting patterns before. But then I looked, and I actually did one last year (which you can find here) but there are plenty of cute bucket hats to do another post about, right?

The one that made me want to write about this (again) is the Red Heart Knit Fanfare Bucket Hat from Yarnspirations. This cute striped hat can be worked in team colors, and while I might prefer a non-acrylic yarn for a summer hat, it would be fine when it’s not too hot outside (or try a cotton yarn instead).

Claire Slade’s Sunlit Bucket Hat has an angled brim to help keep the sun out of your eyes. It’s worked from the bottom up using worsted weight cotton yarn, and comes in three sizes. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Get a little air flow in your bucket hat with the Shady Bucket Hat from Wool & Beyond. This one uses DK weight yarn and an eyelet pattern throughout the body to keep it cool. It comes in sizes ranging from newborn to adult large, and is worked in one piece from the top down. You can grab the pattern (in English or Swedish) on Ravelry.

If you’re looking for a fun, floppy sun hat for kids or adults, this pattern from Muki Crafts is a little more slouchy than a traditional bucket hat but it’s super cute. It comes in baby, toddler and bigger kid sizes and adult. I uses worsted weight yarn and is worked from the bottom up.

Another variation on the classic bucket is this one that’s more of a cloche style. Made by branda, it uses bulky yarn so it’s more of a winter bucket hat, but now’s a fine time to knit it if you live somewhere that’s warm right now (or even more so if you live somewhere that’s cold right now).

Another one to get you ready for colder weather is Tirmety, a two-layer bucket hat from ViTalina Craft, which has a textured stitch pattern on one side and stockinette on the other. You can wear either side out or even make them different colors if you want. The pattern is sized for toddlers, kids and adults.

And if you want to add some extra cuteness to your bucket hat, I love this (of course totally optional but also totally adorable) embroidered deatila on the New York Bucket Hat from Pauline Fanguin. It uses two strands of DK weight yarn held together for extra sturdiness, and uses changes in needle size to shape the hat. Of course you could also knit stripes or use different textures of yarn to change up the look. This pattern is made to fit your head and is available in French and English.

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