# knitting on the bias



## kirsten11 (Feb 6, 2013)

I am sure that i read about knitting on the diagonal so as to get a diagonal stripe. Has anyone got any experience in doing this? I cant find the article anywhere though and its driving me insane! Does it drape well? is it easy to convert your pattern? Best used with a knit radar/leader? Maybe its in my colour changer manual....


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## no1girl (Sep 4, 2012)

I have made several scarves on the diag. start with obe stitch! I imagine rugs wold be the same...just a very wide scarf.


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## ksojerio (Aug 2, 2011)

The only things I have knitted on the diagonal were baby blankets and dishcloths. No matter how I blocked them, they always reverted to paralellograms not squares or rectangles.


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## Entity (Sep 13, 2011)

ksojerio said:


> The only things I have knitted on the diagonal were baby blankets and dishcloths. No matter how I blocked them, they always reverted to paralellograms not squares or rectangles.


This is true because the formed stitch on a knitting machine is rectangular, not square.


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

I read about bias machine knitting on Ravelry. I also found the following that you may be interested in........
http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2011/06/06/knitting-workshop-the-swirl-skirt.aspx


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## no1girl (Sep 4, 2012)

sorry I knit by hand NOT machine.....I missed that bit!


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## Entity (Sep 13, 2011)

susieknitter said:


> I read about bias machine knitting on Ravelry. I also found the following that you may be interested in........
> http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2011/06/06/knitting-workshop-the-swirl-skirt.aspx


That's an interesting technique Sue. I'm assuming that article is for hand knitters? The width of the KM is only so wide to accomodate the increasing side. I imagine that we would need to move the whole fabric over several times to accomodate the increases. Then again, it also depends on how long we'd want the skirt to be. Have you tried it?


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## kirsten11 (Feb 6, 2013)

Thank you for all of those responses. The reason i asked the question was that i am interested in doing Van Dyked top with a CF seam. I know i have seen in step by step pictures (im guessing in a manual somewhere) a method which I thought was working on the diagonal so that stripes are worked horizontally as usual and then when the garment is constructed the stripes are on the diagonal. Maybe i am just thinking too much about it and its actually an easy thing!


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## rainbirdoz (Nov 7, 2012)

The method for bias knitting given for the swirl skirt is one that is also used on the knitting machine. You start with the number of stitches you need for width but obviously you can't use the full width of the needle bed because you would then not have room to increase and decrease. You then increase a stitch on one side and decrease one stitch on the other. You continue until you reach the end of the machine bed when you take all the stitches off onto waste yarn or a garter bar and move them down to the opposite end of the bed and start the increasing and decreasing all over again and keep repeating until you have the length you want. As you want a centre front join with a chevron stripe, you will have plenty of needle bed in which to increase as you will only need half the number of stitches for the top, so there shouldn't be too much taking off and moving over. I would try a sample where you increase/decrease every row and another where you do it alternate rows to see whoch looks best. Could look very effective, good luck.
Sheila


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

Entity said:


> That's an interesting technique Sue. I'm assuming that article is for hand knitters? The width of the KM is only so wide to accomodate the increasing side. I imagine that we would need to move the whole fabric over several times to accomodate the increases. Then again, it also depends on how long we'd want the skirt to be. Have you tried it?


You are right saying that the link I have given is for hand knitting but this is what was seeming used by those on Ravelry that have done machine knit skirts. 
I haven't tried doing it.....in fact I have got really confused thinking about it. I think my brain has gone on holiday/vacation without telling me. :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## annazygowski (Jan 2, 2013)

on double bed machines you can create bias yardage by:

starting on both beds, all needles and making a tube
then every four rows you increase a stitch on one side of the tube (alternating beds) 
so you knit a tube for 4 rows then add a stitch on the front bed on the left side, then knit 4 rows and add a stitch on the back bed on the left side(and so on)
when you are finished you take the tube off the machine and cut open the side of the tube which you haven't been increasing on
the effect is of a CF seam with eyelets and the knit stitches converging at a 45 degree...this effect is very nice with stripes and subtle patterning...I can find a pic later if needed


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## AmyClaire (Jun 3, 2011)

When I was a teen, bias knit sweaters with center front seams were all the rage. They were machine-knitted. The chevron bottom fronts had drawstring casings to tuck up the point. The top edge formed a v-neck so yes the panels must have been parallelograms! 

The leader of my KM group gave a demo this April of a bias top that used the shaping to automaticallly form a shoulder and neckline. When she gets back in town I'll ask her what it was based on.

In the meantime if you want to design your own, I don't think I'd try the knitleader. Mathematically, your bias measurement is 1.4 times your garment width. To make a 36" top in four panels you'd increase from your one-stitch starting point 12.6 inches wide (nine times 1.4). That's when you start decreasing on one side and increasing on the other to get a nine inch wide panel.


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## coemarg (Jun 24, 2011)

I just finished a blanket using bias knitting (sort of). You can have a look at the pattern and photos on my blog:

http://margsknittingplace.blogspot.ca


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

coemarg said:


> I just finished a blanket using bias knitting (sort of). You can have a look at the pattern and photos on my blog:
> 
> http://margsknittingplace.blogspot.ca


It's lovely.....I especially like the edging.


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## kirsten11 (Feb 6, 2013)

AmyClaire said:


> When I was a teen, bias knit sweaters with center front seams were all the rage. They were machine-knitted. The chevron bottom fronts had drawstring casings to tuck up the point. The top edge formed a v-neck so yes the panels must have been parallelograms!
> 
> The leader of my KM group gave a demo this April of a bias top that used the shaping to automaticallly form a shoulder and neckline. When she gets back in town I'll ask her what it was based on.
> 
> In the meantime if you want to design your own, I don't think I'd try the knitleader. Mathematically, your bias measurement is 1.4 times your garment width. To make a 36" top in four panels you'd increase from your one-stitch starting point 12.6 inches wide (nine times 1.4). That's when you start decreasing on one side and increasing on the other to get a nine inch wide panel.


Thanks AmyClaire, That style of top is exactly what i plan on making!


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## rainbirdoz (Nov 7, 2012)

Love the blanket Marg, that's a real labour of love that your GD will love.
Sheila


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## AmyClaire (Jun 3, 2011)

YW; the person with the pattern is at a wedding for the three day weekend but promised to get back to us first thing next week.


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## KarlaHW (Jan 6, 2012)

AmyClaire said:


> When I was a teen, bias knit sweaters with center front seams were all the rage. They were machine-knitted. The chevron bottom fronts had drawstring casings to tuck up the point. The top edge formed a v-neck so yes the panels must have been parallelograms!
> 
> The leader of my KM group gave a demo this April of a bias top that used the shaping to automaticallly form a shoulder and neckline. When she gets back in town I'll ask her what it was based on.
> 
> In the meantime if you want to design your own, I don't think I'd try the knitleader. Mathematically, your bias measurement is 1.4 times your garment width. To make a 36" top in four panels you'd increase from your one-stitch starting point 12.6 inches wide (nine times 1.4). That's when you start decreasing on one side and increasing on the other to get a nine inch wide panel.


something like this? from a book "Sleeveless Chevron" by Vel Donna


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## AmyClaire (Jun 3, 2011)

KarlaHW said:


> something like this? from a book "Sleeveless Chevron" by Vel Donna


Add stripes so it looks like a poncho; and a center seam instead of lace holes; and cut and sew set in sleeves, and a drawstring where the ribbing is.

And you know what else? A cowl collar.

You found a classic style. I tried a google image search and failed to find anything that encapsulates the true horror of that era's clothing.


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## kirsten11 (Feb 6, 2013)

Thank guys, thats exactly what im after! now that i know what to google, here is a pic of what im thinking of. Maybe just a rolled edge....


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## 30Knitter (Apr 9, 2012)

There is a technique for knitting on the bias using a knit leader or radar. It was in an old Western machine knitting guide (machine knitters source). I'll look out the article for you.


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## kirsten11 (Feb 6, 2013)

30Knitter said:


> There is a technique for knitting on the bias using a knit leader or radar. It was in an old Western machine knitting guide (machine knitters source). I'll look out the article for you.


thank you, That would be great!


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## mtnmama67 (Dec 16, 2011)

30Knitter said:


> There is a technique for knitting on the bias using a knit leader or radar. It was in an old Western machine knitting guide (machine knitters source). I'll look out the article for you.


Hope you can find this article!Aren't these back issues wonderful for rresourcing? I'll try looking in mine also..but where to start?? VBG!!

Havve back issues of News N Views also..worth their weight in gold!! I'll keep looking there also!

Sandra


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