Knitting Tips - How do I get rid of gaps at the neckline? 

Gaps between stitches in the pick up row are usually more of a problem when you are using thicker yarn. Fine yarn tends to behave itself and any gaps are small enough to be unnoticeable. This is simply because the gaps between big stitches in big yarn are bigger!

One of the causes of these gaps between picked up stitches is the stair steps caused by binding off the neckline in stages. You can smooth out these stairsteps into an even slope by following the directions in the knitting tip "How do I get rid of "stair steps" when I bind off over several rows?" Following these directions may be enough to solve your problem.

If this doesn't do the trick, here's something a little less conventional that I like to do. On the pick up row, pick up a stitch in every possible stitch along the edge of the neckline (or armhole, if that's what you're working on). Then, on the next row, work enough K2tog or P2tog evenly spaced around the opening to get down to the number of stitches you really need. The extra picked up stitches will fill in the gaps and result in an very even looking pick up row.

Questions or suggestions?? Contact us

All text and images copyright © 1998, 2002 Margaret K.K. Radcliffe