Pick Up Stitches

Jeanne stars in this instructional video about how to pick up stitches. Picking up stitches is a necessary skill for all knitters. We hope you enjoy it!

Pick Up Stitches

Jeanne show us how to pick up stitches. In this video she is picking up along a bound off edge. The technique is the same for the gusset of a sock except you will be picking up stitches from the side. You must pickup both legs of each stitch.

1. Insert knitting needle into both legs of the first stitch you wish to pick up
2. Wrap your yarn around the needle as if to knit.
3. Pull your yarn through as if you were knitting a stitch normally.

Tips:

• When picking up stitches, Jeanne likes to use a needle that is at least one or two sizes smaller than the size she is using to knit her project. When you begin knitting your picked up stitches, be sure to switch to the needle size required for your project.
• If you find it difficult to draw the yarn through the stitches, you can use a crochet hook to pick up your stitches instead. Then slip them onto your knitting needle as needed.
• It is very important to make sure to pick up both legs of the stitch, not just one of the legs of the edge stitch. Picking up only one leg will leave an eyelet type hole in your work.
• Picking up stitches can be done on either a knit or a purl side but you usually start with the right side of your work facing you unless the pattern specifically says otherwise.
• Typically for the heel flap of a sock, you will pick up one stitch for each row.