Link: Knitting
Mattress stitch: avoid the misaligned/stairstep start
The usual advice (“line up the two edges and seam row-to-row”) actually produces a stairstep at the very bottom of the seam, because a standard start doesn’t account for the cast-on braids of the two pieces.
Fix - start with a figure-eight join, then deliberately jog up:
- With pieces right-side up side by side (side A / side B), bring seaming yarn back-to-front on side A, between the edge stitch and its neighbor, right above the cast-on braid.
- Do the same on side B.
- Bring the needle back to front through the same spot as step 1 (side A) again, and gently tug to join the two pieces (this is the “figure eight”).
- Now the key trick: do not carefully go bar-to-bar. On side B, insert the needle in the same spot your yarn is coming from, then jog up one bar before continuing your normal mattress stitch zigzag up both sides.
That single “jog up” step is what prevents the misaligned/stairstep start everyone runs into.
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p180-182 “Mattress Stitch: A Secret Start”
Calculating how many stitches to pick up
Three ways to figure out a pick-up count when your gauge/length doesn’t match the pattern:
Method 1 - use your own gauge and measurement (no matching pattern available): Multiply your edge length by your blocked trim gauge (stitches per inch/cm), then round to your rib’s stitch multiple. Example: 16in edge x 4 sts/in = 64 sts; for a 4+2 rib, round to 62 or 66.
Method 2 - use the pattern as a guide (gauge matches, but your length differs): Divide the pattern’s pick-up count by the pattern’s edge length to get its stitches-per-inch, then multiply by your edge length, and round to your stitch multiple. Example: 71 sts / 16in = 4.338 sts/in; 4.338 x 18in (your length) = 79.875 -> round to 79 for a 2+1 rib.
Method 3 - use your knitting itself (no pattern to reference): Hold the blocked hem against the opening and count how many rows fit in the same space as some number of hem stitches, to get a stitches-to-rows ratio (e.g. 9 sts to 12 rows -> simplify to 3 sts per 4 rows: pick up 3, skip 1, repeat).
Finding a stitch multiple: subtract the extra/offset stitches, divide by the multiple; if not a whole number, round up or down and multiply back out (e.g. 64-2=62, 62/4=15.5, round to 15 or 16, x4+2 = 62 or 66).
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p184-186 “Calculating Your Pick-Up”
Picking up stitches evenly: divide & stab
Two sanity-saving steps once you know your target pick-up count:
- Divide into smaller sections: fold the edge in half and mark the halfway point, then fold each half in half again (4 sections total). Divide your total stitch count by 4 - some sections get one more stitch than others, that’s fine.
- Stab it out: using your needle tip, stab through every available pick-up space along a section and count how many rows are there. Subtract your target stitch count for that section from the row count to get how many spaces to skip, then divide available spaces by spaces-to-skip to know your rhythm (e.g. 21 rows, 16 stitches -> skip 5, spread across 21 rows -> pick up 1 every ~3 rows).
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p187 “Picking Up Stitches Evenly”
Fixing the “swoosh” and “roll” at a picked-up ribbed border
The swoosh (bottom edge of the ribbed band lifts/looks awkward): caused by starting the pick-up too high. Fix: pull down on the edge and poke with your needle to find the actual lowest pick-up space, right above the cast-on braid (same spot used for the figure-eight join) - start there instead.
The roll (stockinette naturally curls, making a K2P2 band look like it starts with a lifted K1): pick up one extra stitch outside your normal multiple so the rolled-under stitch is absorbed. E.g. for 1x1 rib normally picked up as a multiple of 2+1, pick up a multiple of 2 instead (ending in K2); for 2x2 rib normally 4+2, pick up 4+3 instead (ending in K3).
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p188-189 “Perfect Edges: Fix the Swoosh and Roll”
V-neck pick-up: turning the corner without puckering
Picking up a button band around a V-neck corner often puckers the fabric where the band turns.
Fix - add 2 extra stitches (as yarnovers) right at the corner:
- Place a locking stitch marker in the pick-up space at the exact corner of the V. Pick up stitches normally up to that marker.
- Make a YO, remove the marker, pick up a stitch at that corner stitch, then make another YO, and continue your pick-up as normal to the end. (Count both YOs as pick-up stitches.)
- On the next row, when you reach the YOs, knit or purl them through the back loop (to avoid extra holes).
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p189-191 “V-Neck Pick-Up: Turning the Corner”
Best buttonhole ever (no gap, dip, or hole)
A standard 2-row buttonhole (bind off N sts, cast on N sts next row) gets the same gap/dip/hole problems as a center neck bind-off, plus a “chokehold” at the end.
Fix, using a different increase/decrease than the neck trick (for a neater look on a small buttonhole):
- Work to one stitch before the buttonhole and work a KFB.
- Purl the next stitch, then pass the increased stitch over (this doesn’t count as bind-off - it just removes the stitch you added, fixing the gap).
- Begin the real bind-off: purl the next stitch and pass the first stitch over (fixes the dip).
- For the final stitch, don’t bind off normally - instead slip the last worked stitch back to the left needle and K2tog it with the next stitch (fixes the *hole*/chokehold). Repeat steps 1-4 for each buttonhole, then work to the end of the row.
- On the next (WS) row, work up to the buttonhole gap and, using an e-loop cast-on, cast on one fewer stitch than you bound off. Repeat for every buttonhole.
- On the following RS row, when you reach a buttonhole’s e-loop cast-on, you’ll see a gap with a long strand running from the last worked stitch to the e-loop.
- Use that strand to make your second cast-on stitch: pick it up and twist it (like an M1) in the same direction as the e-loop, adding a 2nd stitch to the left needle. Repeat for every buttonhole.
Result: a clean buttonhole with matching stitch count on both sides and no visible gap, dip, or hole.
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p192-194 “Best Buttonhole Ever”