Picking up stitches is a pretty common knitting technique when adding sleeves to knit garments but it can also be used when picking up stitches along a crocheted edge like on the Agnes Sweater Vest. In this tutorial I’ll be showing how to pick up and knit stitches along a crocheted edge of joined granny squares but the idea is pretty much the same when picking up along a knit edge.
If you’re following along with a pattern, like the Agnes Sweater Vest, the instructions will tell you how many stitches to pickup but depending on the desired fit, you can pick up less or more stitches. For example, on a neckline, you might want to pickup more stitches if you want a looser collar or less stitches if you want a close fitting collar.
For a lovely clean bind-off after knitting the ribbing, check out my tutorial for the sewn tubular bind-off – my favorite bind-off method!
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What You’ll Need
- Circular knitting needles – I use Takumi Bamboo Circular Needles
- Chosen yarn – I’m using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (Brass Heather) as my main color
The sweater I’m working on in my example is my second Agnes Sweater Vest which has knit ribbing on the collar, armholes and hem. If you want to make your own Agnes Sweater Vest, you can check out the tutorial or the official graded PDF pattern.
Keep reading for the written instructions with pictures for how to pick up stitches, but I also show how in the video below if you need to see it in action. If you’re making the Agnes Sweater, I also show how to add in the single crochet stitches in the corners.
Step 1: Joining Yarn
Note: I knit using the continental method, so things will look different if you knit using the english method.
Start by inserting your needle into the stitch where you are starting. Loop the working yarn over your needle (yarn over).
Pull the yarn through the stitch and bring up a loop (being careful not to pull the tail of the yarn through). I hold the working yarn in my left hand, so I position it there.
Step 2: Pick Up In Next Stitch
Insert the needle into the next stitch, yarn over, and bring the yarn through the stitch. I like to the wrap the tail yarn around a finger in my right hand and hold on to it while I pick up the first few stitches.
Repeat Step 2, picking up and knitting in each stitch around until you’ve picked up the desired amount.
If you are following along with the Agnes Sweater Vest pattern, some parts may be trickier to pick up in, like at the join of two granny squares, so you may need to pick up where it makes most sense.
And that’s all there is to it really! After you’ve finished picking up stitches, then it’s time to start the ribbing. Remember to place a removable marker to mark the beginning of the round, and follow the pattern instructions for the next steps.
Thanks for reading and happy knitting! 🙂
