Curling Stockinette Stitches...Oh no!!?

Question

I'm knitting a scarf using the stockinette stitch and it's curling..badly! i heard that doing a seed sttch (where you knit the purls and purl the knits?) around the edge will help lay it flat...is this true? and if so, how in the world do i do that!? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Stockinette st curls. That's just the way that stitch pattern behaves. It's not a matter of tension. Knitting looser will not keep it from curling.

A border of seed stitch or garter stitch will help keep the scarf flat, or you could choose a stitch pattern that doesn't have a tendency to curl.

To knit a seed st or garter st border, begin your scarf with an inch or two of that stitch pattern. Then begin every row with at least an inch or two of seed st or garter st, changing to st st for the middle.

To knit seed st with an odd number of stitches, *k1, p1* across the row, ending with a k1. Turn. *k1, p1* across, ending with a k1. Turn, and repeat.

To knit garter st, knit each row.

Answer 2

Stockinette stich curls on the end. Seed stich or any kind of rib will not curl. You only need to do it for about the first 3 rows, or whatever you think looks good on your scarf. You will need to start over. Just knit the first several rows in rib or seed stitch and the same number of rows in the same stitch at the end. All in between, you can use stockinette stitch.

Answer 3

bogie is correct; it is the nature of stockinette to curl. You can either incorporate it as a design element ;-) or you can do a border of seed or garter stitch, which is non-curling, to make it lie flat.

Seed stitch is k1, p1, until the end of the row, end k1. Next row purl the knit stitches and knit the purl stitches.

Answer 4

Sorry to say it-- but you are knitting too tightly-- the tension of the yarn thru your fingers is being held too tightly-- making the stitch tight-- causing the roll.
Now don't cry ( I did!) But it's easier in the long run to just pull it out and start over-- before you do that-- loosen your hands a bit and do another row-or three-- does the scarf lay better? If you want to do a seed stitch-- after you pull out-- do a few rows of seed at the beginning and end of your scarf-- will look neat.
good luck.....