Also known as: Pick up and knit stitches
Context
Picking up stitches allows you to create a continuous fabric by knitting new stitches onto existing ones. Exactly how you pick up the stitches depends on where on the fabric you are picking up the stitches, where the new row of stitches will lie relative to the original fabric, and the stitches used in the original fabric and the new fabric to be created from the stitches you have picked up. How you pick up stitches depends on the type of stitches used in the original fabric, and also on where in the fabric the new stitches will be made.
You can find instructions for picking up stitches in these related articles.
- Pick up stitches at a garter stitch edge.
- Pick up stitches at a stocking stitch edge.
- Pick up stitches on the body of fabric.
- Pick up stitches at a cast-off edge.
- Pick up stitches at a steek.
Your pattern will usually tell you how many stitches you need to pick up, but may say “pick up stitches evenly”. If you would like help working out how to distribute your new stitches (or work out how many stitches you need to pick up), you can find more information in the article “Strategy for picking up stitches“.
Pick up and Pick up and knit
The terms “Pick up” and “pick up and knit” are often used interchangeably to mean the action of forming new stitches with the new working yarn ready to continue the new fabric. Occasionally, the term “pick up” may be used to mean put loops of yarn from the existing fabric onto a needle, ready to start knitting with a new yarn for the new fabric. The pattern should make it obvious if this is what is needed. The video by Roxanne Richardson listed in the “Helpful links” section discusses this in more detail.
