Knitch Magazine

Chain SelvageIs your knitting a little rough around the edges, making seaming and picking up difficult? A little “selvation”, i.e., attention to selvages, may be the answer to your problems. Garments knit flat in pieces (front, back, sleeves) have to be sewn together, and some strategic planning can make the necessary tailoring much easier.

You’ve probably heard and perhaps ignored this advice many times before, but do take the time to read through the pattern instructions before you start knitting. Read beyond the introductory paragraphs that describe the yarn, gauge, and yardage requirements. Examine the garment construction and sizing. Study the schematic or sketch out one yourself if your pattern is missing this vital element. Does it fit your body measurements? If you are shortening or lengthening the garment, will you need to adjust the placement of any design elements? Plan the cast on and cast off methods best suited to your project. Finally, consider the types of seams and finishing your garment will require. Note the placement of seams, edgings, border bands and body shaping to decide which selvage is best for you. Make notes on the schematic to record your choice of selvage so that you have a ready reference when you get to that point in the knitting.

If all this planning gives you a headache, think about converting flat knitting to knitting in the round for a seamless tubular garment. You’ll still need to master selvages for borders, but most of the seams can be eliminated, along with the need for selvages, sewing and garment construction. If you hate to sew, this may be the solution you need.

Is your garment knit in straight (stockinette) stitch, or are you knitting lace, cables, mosaic, or texture? Do the graph and/or row-by-row instructions account for a selvage or seam stitch? If not already accounted for in the pattern, add an extra selvage stitch for a “seam allowance” so that the pattern is not disrupted when you join two pieces together. The pattern will flow without interruption across the seam if you add the extra selvage stitch for seam allowance on each edge to be seamed. If you fail to plan ahead for a selvage stitch, part of the design will be sewn up in a noticeable seam. Mattress stitch works well with stockinette stitch or most pattern stitches. Set up the selvages for mattress stitch by working the extra stitch in pattern, being careful to keep an even tension as you turn rows.

A chain selvage creates a smooth foundation for picking up stitches along necklines and button bands. To create a chain selvage, slip the first stitch knitwise and knit the last stitch of each right side row. On the wrong side, slip the first stitch purlwise and purl the last stitch. This will yield smooth selvage, very similar in appearance to a single crochet chain. NOTE: In garter stitch, slip the first stitch purlwise with yarn in front, then move the yarn to the back and knit to the end. Repeat this on every row for a chain selvage on garter stitch. You’ll be able to pick up stitches along a chain selvage with ease.

Finished edges will not require seams, but do require attention to edge stitches for a finished professional look. Pay attention to edges on scarves where you need an elastic but attractive edge. The slipped garter edge has a beaded appearance and is a little firmer and more decorative than the chain selvage. Make it by slipping the first stitch knitwise and knitting the last stitch in every row.

You can achieve a lacy looped edge by adding a picot selvage. This requires a little fussiness when blocking, but is very pretty. Adding this selvage to your scarf is also a good way to learn decreasing techniques and to understand how right and left slanted decreases are made on right and wrong sides of your knitting. The picot selvage requires 2 stitches for each selvage edge:

• Right side: YO, K2tog, work to end, ssk
  In other words: yarn over, knit 2 together (left slant decrease) work to end. Slip next two stitches onto right needle as if to knit, then replace on left needle without twisting and knit together (right slant decrease when viewed from the right side).
• Wrong side: YO, p2tog tbl, work to end, p2tog
  In other words: yarn over, purl 2 together (right slant decrease on the right side) work to end. Purl two stitches together through back loop (left slant decrease when viewed from the right side).
• Block out the yarn over’s to create a slightly frilly frame for your face.

Picot SelvageBuilt-in or knit as you go I-cord, brilliantly devised by Elizabeth Zimmermann, finishes edges on scarves and shawls with a stylish built-in rolled edge. Follow Elizabeth’s instructions for built in I-cord on garter stitch: Knit to within 3 stitches of end, bring yarn forward, slip next three stitches one by one purlwise. Turn. Pull yarn snug for first stitch to create I-cord. Repeat every row.

We'd suggest you experiment with selvage stitches on a gauge swatch, not on your garment. Keep notes about the swatch, your choices and what you were hoping to achieve with your choices. Practice finishing techniques by seaming two swatches together to learn which selvages set up best for backstitch (knit in pattern) or mattress stitch (chain selvage). Keep the mistakes as well as the successes as these can become a valuable reference for later projects. If you rebel at the drudgery of gauge swatches with “nothing to show for it”, remember: a scarf is just a really long gauge swatch, and a stole is a wide scarf. Turn your scarf into hooded scarf or your stole into a poncho by adding a carefully placed seam. If you match the seaming technique with your selvage, the sewing will be nearly invisible.