Knitting Short Rows

Knitting Short Rows

Sometimes knitting terms are intimidating when the actual procedure is not a big deal at all. Take knitting short rows. It can sound far more elaborate than it is. I know that when I first started knitting when I heard terms like short rows and grafting I put my hands up in front of my face in fear. Oh, no, there’s that term short rows. Scary! But really it is so simple. That can happen in a lot of things in our lives. Imagining something we don’t understand can make it far more than it really is. Knitting a short row only means that as you are knitting, you turn and work back before completely working all the stitches on the needle. Really, that is it. If you are following a pattern’s instructions you could easily work a short row without even knowing that’s what you did.

Say you are working a flat piece that has 24 live stitches. The instructions say to knit 10 stitches and turn and purl or knit 7 stitches then turn and knit to end of row. Boom, you just made two short rows. Pretty simple isn’t it?

Say you are working in the round with DPNs and there are 8 stitches on each of three needles. The instructions say to knit 6 stitches on first needle then turn and purl 4 stitches and then turn and knit 6 stitches. You are back to being ready to move to the second needle and you just made two short rows.

Now the question is, why use short rows? For shaping. When making sweaters short rows along the back or in the bodice can make the sweater more form fitting. When making toys you can create all sorts of controlled bulges.

Take the finger puppet faces below. Short rows make sculpted faces possible with really very little complication.