How to Knit a Rolled Hem
The nature of fabric worked in stockinette stitch, which is knit on the right side and purled on the wrong side, is to curl at the edges. It is easy to take advantage of this tendency and create an attractive rolled hem on a knitted garment. There are some tricks to making the hem as neat as possible and to keep it from rolling indefinitely.
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Things You'll Need
- Yarn
- Needles of an appropriate size
- Needles one size smaller (optional)
Instructions
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Cast on the number of stitches required for your garment. Use needles one size smaller than you will use for the rest of the garment. This will make the fabric of the hem firmer and make your roll more neat. Using needles one size smaller will also minimize the length of the hem and keep it from rolling up higher than desired. However, a rolled hem can also be worked on the same size needles as the main project, especially for smaller or close-fitting projects such as hats.
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Work in stockinette stitch by knitting across every right side row and purling across every wrong side row. Continue until your work measures 3/4-inch to 1 1/4-inch in length when unrolled completely.
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Change to larger needles, if you have gone down a needle size, and continue knitting your garment according to your pattern's instructions.
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Tips & Warnings
Unlike ribbed or patterned hems, a rolled hem can be worked over any number of stitches.
When measuring the length of your garment, measure with the hem rolled up. The rolled up fabric will not contribute to the length of the fabric.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
