short rows... slipping and wrapping question

[guestmama9907]

I am working on the LTK hybrid rib soaker. I just posted this question at LTK too cause I am anxious for the answer........ anyway...

one side of my short row looks great, no hole, it looks like one stitch is sort of reaching out its arm and giving another a hug! but on the other side there is a hole. So the slip and wrap is working on the stockinette right side but once I turn and purl and then do it on that side, 2 stitches from marker A it leaves a hole. I am thinking that maybe since i have been purling and my yarn is the front I need to move it to the back before slipping and wrapping?

thanks!

[happy2bmommy]

I've done this one without holes, so I'll try to help!

OK, Which side are you getting the hole on, closest to marker A or B. On your short row, you'll wrap a stitch, then turn and purl back , then wrap and turn and knit forward again. That second turn is easy to forget to knit through the wrap and the knit stitch because you don't actually get to it until you have knit all the way around the whole soaker once. I'm thinking maybe that's what's going wrong.
After you've been purling, you don't move the yarn to the back before slipping. You slip the stitch to the right needle , move the yarn to the back, slip the stitch back to the left needle, then turn your work around and move the yarn back to knit again.
HTH. You can feel free to email me if you have another question and I'll try my best to help.
OH, one other thing to check... when you've been purling, and you get ready to slip the stich, insert the needle as if you were going to purl to slip it. If you inserted as if to knit, it would twist the stitch, which might cause it to look like there's a hole there.

[guestmama9907]

After you've been purling, you don't move the yarn to the back before slipping. You slip the stitch to the right needle , move the yarn to the back, slip the stitch back to the left needle, then turn your work around and move the yarn back to knit again.

The only thing I can figure is that I did move the yarn to the back before slipping. or maybe i miss understand this part

That second turn is easy to forget to knit through the wrap and the knit stitch

what exactly does that mean? knit thru the wrap?

[pageta]

You have to pick up the wrap and knit it together with the stitch it is wrapped around. Tricky, yes, but very important.

Interweave Knits just came out with their new issue (finally found it at B&N this week) and it has a whole article just on short rows. I'd at least look at that article if not buy the magazine.

[ChattyCat]

I was working with short rows recently and I realized something different about the purl side as well. I understood that you're supposed to pick up and knit/purl the wrap. The knit side looked fine, but the other side didn't have a hole, but a bar. On the purl side, I had to enter the wrap from behind and the stitch normally so that it wasn't visible. In case you wind up with this issue after you take care of the holes.