Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/Knitting/Answer Key"

Revision as of 15:58, 22 October 2006

In knitting, ribbing is a pattern in which vertical stripes of stockinette stitch alternate with vertical stripes of reverse stockinette stitch. It a tricky stitch!!!!!!!! These two types of stripes may be separated by other stripes in which knit and purl stitches alternate vertically; suchplissé stripes add width and depth to ribbing but not more elasticity.

The number of knit and purl stripes (wales) are generally equal, although they need not be. When they are equal, the fabric has no tendency to curl, unlike stockinette stitch. Such ribbing looks the same on both sides and is useful for garments such as scarves.

Ribbing is notated by (number of knit stitches)x(number of purl stitches). Thus, 1x1 ribbing has one knit stitch, followed by one purl stitch, followed by one knit stitch, and so on.

Ribbing has a strong tendency to contract laterally, forming small pleats in which the purl stitches recede and the knit stitches come forward. Thus, ribbing is often used for cuffs, sweater hems and, more generally, any edge that should be form-fitting. The elasticity depends on the number of knit/purl transitions; 1x1 ribbing is more elastic than 2x2 ribbing, etc. However, some cable patterns may "pull in" more than ribbing (i.e., have a smaller gauge); in such cases, a ribbed border may flare out instead of contracting!

Slip stitches may be added to increase the depth of the ribbing, and to accentuate the stitches of certain wales. For example, the knit stitches can be slipped every other row to double their height and make them come forward.

Ribs can be decorated with nearly any motif used for a plain knitted fabric, e.g., bobbles, cables, lace, various colors, and so on.

References

(2002) Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book, updated ed., Sixth and Spring Books. ISBN 1-931543-16-X

(1979) Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework, Reader's Digest Association. ISBN 0-89577-059-8

Thomas M. (1972) Mary Thomas' Book of Knitting Patterns, Dover. ISBN 0-486-22818-5

June Hemmons Hiatt (1988) The Principles of Knitting, Simon and Schuster, pp. 21-22, 214. ISBN 0-671-55233-3

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-A few types of [[knitted fabric]] are so fundamental, that they have been adopted as part of the language of knitting, similar to techniques such as [[yarn over]] or [[decrease (knitting)|decrease]].  Examples include '''stockinette stitch''', '''reverse stockinette stitch''', '''garter stitch''', '''seed stitch''', '''faggoting''', and '''tricot'''.
+In [[knitting]], '''ribbing''' is a pattern in which vertical stripes of [[basic knitted fabrics|stockinette stitch]] alternate with vertical stripes of [[basic knitted fabrics|reverse stockinette stitch]]. It a tricky stitch!!!!!!!! These two types of stripes may be separated by other stripes in which knit and purl stitches alternate vertically; such'''plissé''' stripes add width and depth to ribbing but not more elasticity.
-==Stockinette stitch and reverse stockinette stitch==
+The number of knit and purl stripes ('''wales''') are generally equal, although they need not be.  When they are equal, the fabric has no tendency to curl, unlike stockinette stitch.  Such ribbing looks the same on both sides and is useful for garments such as scarves.
-'''Stockinette stitch''' is the most basic knitted fabric; every stitch (as seen from the right side) is a knit stitch.  In the [[circular knitting|round]], stockinette stitch is produced by knitting every stitch; by contrast, in the flat,  stockinette stitch is produced by knitting and purling alternate rows.
+Ribbing is notated by (number of knit stitches)x(number of purl stitches).  Thus, 1x1 ribbing has one knit stitch, followed by one purl stitch, followed by one knit stitch, and so on.
-Stockinette-stitch fabric is very smooth and each column ("wale") resembles a stacked set of "V"'s.  has a strong tendency to curl because of the [[asymmetry]] of its faces.
+Ribbing has a strong tendency to contract laterally, forming small pleats in which the purl stitches recede and the knit stitches come forward.  Thus, ribbing is often used for cuffs, sweater hems and, more generally, any edge that should be form-fitting.  The elasticity depends on the number of knit/purl transitions; 1x1 ribbing is more elastic than 2x2 ribbing, etc.
+However, some cable patterns may "pull in" more than ribbing (i.e., have a smaller [[gauge (knitting)|gauge]]); in such cases, a ribbed border may flare out instead of contracting!
-'''Reverse stockinette stitch''' is produced in the same way as stockinette, except that the purl stitches are done on the right side and the knit stitches on the left side.  In the [[circular knitting|round]], reverse stockinette stitch is produced by purling every stitch.
+Slip stitches may be added to increase the depth of the ribbing, and to accentuate the stitches of certain wales.  For example, the knit stitches can be slipped every other row to double their height and make them come forward.
-==Garter stitch==
+Ribs can be decorated with nearly any motif used for a plain knitted fabric, e.g., [[bobble (knitting)|bobbles]], [[cable knitting|cables]], [[lace knitting|lace]], various [[color]]s, and so on.
-'''Garter stitch''' is the most basic form of [[welting (knitting)|welting]], consisting of alternating rows of knit and purl stitches (as seen from the right side).  In the [[circular knitting|round]], garter stitch is produced by knitting and purling alternate rows; by contrast, in the flat, garter stitch is produced by knitting every stitch (or purling every stitch, though this is much less common).
+==References==
-In garter-stitch fabrics, the purl rows stand out from the knit rows, which provides the basis for [[shadow knitting]].  Garter-stitch fabric has significant lengthwise [[elasticity]] and little tendency to curl, due to the [[symmetry]] of its faces.
+* (2002) ''Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book'', updated ed., Sixth and Spring Books. ISBN 1-931543-16-X
-==Seed stitch==
+* (1979) ''Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework'', Reader's Digest Association.  ISBN 0-89577-059-8
-'''Seed stitch''' is the most basic form of a [[basketweave (knitting)|basketweave pattern]]; knit and purl stitches alternate in every column ("wale") ''and'' every row ("course").  In other words, every knit stitch is flanked on all four sides (left and right, top and bottom) by purl stitches, and vice versa.
+* Thomas M. (1972) ''Mary Thomas' Book of Knitting Patterns'', Dover.  ISBN 0-486-22818-5
-Seed-stitch fabrics lie flat; the symmetry of their two faces prevents them from curling to one side or the other.  Hence, it makes an excellent choice for edging, e.g., the central edges of a cardigan.  However, seed stitch is "nubbly", not nearly as smooth as stockinette.
+* June Hemmons Hiatt (1988) ''The Principles of Knitting'', Simon and Schuster, pp. 21-22, 214.  ISBN 0-671-55233-3
-==Faggoting==
-'''Faggoting''' is an extreme version of [[lace knitting]], in which every stitch is a [[yarn over]] or a [[decrease (knitting)|decrease]].  There are several types of faggoting, but all are an extremely open [[lace]] similar to [[netting]].
-==Tricot knitting==
-'''Tricot''' is a special case of [[warp knitting]], in which the yarn zigzags vertically, following a single ''column'' ("wale") of knitting, rather than a single ''row'' ("course"), as is customary.  Tricot and its relatives are very resistant to runs, and are commonly used in [[lingerie]].
-==Other basic fabrics==
-Other classes of basic knitted fabrics include [[ribbing (knitting)|ribbing]], [[welting (knitting)|welting]] and [[cable knitting|cables]].
-==Reference==
-* June Hemmons Hiatt (1988) ''The Principles of Knitting'', Simon and Schuster, pp. 18-20.  ISBN 0-671-55233-3
 [[Category:Knitting]]