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How to increase evenly along a line of stitches already there

by Catherine Carpenter
(Cambridge, MA, USA)



I have a baby blanket almost completed, but the directions say to "pick up evenly and knit 162 stitches" along each side edge. The entire blanket is knitted, but there are only 111 edge stitches to work with. Therefore I have to increase them by 51 stitches. I know how to pick up the stitches already there, but it's the "evenly" which has stymied me, since I am, to put it mildly, arithmetically challenged, and don't know if I should increase in every other stitch, every third one, or what. Or, which is the problem, how to find out. Note: I always slip the first stitch on each row, so the side stitches already there are large enough to accommodate two increase stitches in each one, although not more than two, I think. The increasing that needs to be done is to make a picot hem along each side to match the picot hems which I have already made on the top and bottom edges of the blanket.

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Oct 09, 2018
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starstarstarstarstar 		You're incredible!
by: Ratchadawan

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and life experiences. You're amazing to me at your age! I wish I could function at lease as half as good as you're when I get to be your age. My English is not perfect because it's not my native language but I try my best.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Ratcha
Oct 06, 2018
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starstarstarstarstar 		Increae evenly
by: Catherine Carpenter

Thanks so much, Ratcha, I will probably do it your first suggested way. i envy you being able to do it in your head at all--I will be ninety next month and my entire long life I have been unable to do arithmetic properly at all, and with the inevitable deterioration of mental capacity, no matter how hard one works to keep it up to par, my arithmetical lack of skills has increased. I also sew less well than I used to, although I have always been hampered by being left-handed. I do, however, continue my avocation of translating novels from French to English, which I do not find seriously badly affected by being so old. I greatly appreciate your response to my question, which may have been sitting right where it is for longer than just today, which is the first time it even crossed my mind to just enter my question and see what I got (I'm not that great at anything electronic or digital, either, although I translate on my computer because it's easier to correct my poor typing that way--I don't, however, use any Googled translations, much preferring my own).
Oct 04, 2018
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starstarstarstarstar 		How to increase stitches evenly
by: Ratchadawan

Helo Catherine,

Thank you for stopping by and for the question. According to my calculation you'll need to increase every 2 sts and have 9sts left over at the end of the row. So, we have to spread some of the inc sts apart so that it'll look more evenly.

It was a bit hard to calculate in my head, but with the help of graph paper and pencil I could see the lay out better.

Here is what I came up with.

*(k1, kfb) 5 times, k2, kfb; then repeat from * to last 7 sts, (k1, kfb) 3 times, k the last st. Just slip your first stitch as you did if you want to continue it that way. Remember to count you sl st as the first knit st.

Another way you could do if you don't like kfb (knit front and back of the same st) is to do the one below. Both of them should work.

*(k2, M1) 5 times, k3, M1; repeat from * to last 7 sts, then do (k2, M1) 3 times, then k last st.

If you don't like both of those methods, you can just do pick up stitch instead of make 1 (M1). I think any of those choices would work.

I wish you the best on your project. I hope I did it right!

Have a wonderful evening!

Ratcha

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