How to Knit a Hem

There are lots of different ways to finish the edges of knitting. Using ribbing is popular on a lot of projects, because it gives you a nice stretchy edge that makes wearing garments easier, and it prevents stockinette stitch from curling.

Another option is to knit a hem into your project, either as you knit the project or after the fact.

I had to do this not too long ago when I was working on a commissioned project. I was knitting a lining piece for a bonnet style hat, and it was knit in stockinette stitch. Blocking helped calm down the curling a little bit, but not enough to make it totally flat. (I wanted the client to have the option of not wearing the lining so it was knit separately and not sewn to the main hat.)

So I decided to knit a hem after the main knitting was done by picking up stitches and knitting a big more stockinette that was then sewn to the inside of the hat.

This weighs down the edge a bit and keeps it from curing, and gives the piece a finished look.

You can also plan to knit a hem at the bottom of a hat, sweater or other project. This is typically done by knitting what will be the back/inside of the hem first, then working a turning row (purling on the right side or doing a yarn over, knit 2 together row to make a picot edge) knitting a bit more and joining the edge stitches to the working stitches when the front piece is the right length.

You can also sew the hem by hand if you like, but I enjoy doing it as sort of a knit 2 together to secure the hem.

If you want to see these methods in action, check out my post over at Our Daily Craft all about how to knit hems. If you’ve got another method you like I’d love to hear it!

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork.

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn.

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look.

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me.

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round.

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.

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