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Hello and thanks for visiting my blog. I have been knitting on and off for 50 years and I recently learned to crochet. I love looking for wool bargains and making them into something useful. I mainly knit for charity. I occasionally knit for myself and family members if I find a really good pattern or if they ask nicely!!

Friday 8 November 2013

I can't believe it's not crochet.....




I recently needed to add a fairly wide border to a squares blanket I had sewn together. My crochet skills are basic and I didn't want to ruin the blanket.  I searched high and low and eventually found a knitting stitch called "purse stitch" in "The complete encyclopaedia of stitchcraft" by Mildred Graves Ryan.  I adapted it to make an edging for a blanket.

This is what I did:
  • dk yarn 
  • size 4mm needles
  • cast on 12 stitches
  • row 1:  slip one, knit one, (yarn over, purl 2 together) 4 times, knit 2
  • repeat this row until the desired length is reached
  • cast off

Yes...that's it...just one row repeated; quite monotonous, but easy and a great mindless project.  

The next photo shows what your knitting will look like on your needle.  





The finished result is strong, pretty and reversible.  If, like me, you end up with a wavy edge after sewing squares together, this is the edging for you.  It is a flexible stitch and, if you make it wide enough, the wavy effect disappears on the outer edge.  



You can cast on any even number of stitches.  My 12 stitches produced an edging measuring approximately 2.5 inches or 6.5 cms.  I felt that this was too wide to try to bend it around the blanket's corners, so I edged each side separately and stitched them together at the corners.  But a narrower edging should bend easily. Try casting on just 6 stitches if you want it to bend.

I used King Cole Comfort yarn as that is what I used to edge the individual squares. But this stitch would work with most yarns.  I can see it making a great scarf as well.  I knit with an average tension and 28 stitches would make me a scarf measuring approximately 7 inches or 18 cms wide.

I wouldn't describe this edging as a fast knit.  Crochet wins hands down for speed. But if you want a pretty edging and can't crochet, this is worth trying.  Feel free to ask me any questions and I'd love to see your finished projects.

CREDIT:  I am really grateful to Dayana from Ravelry who added the writing to my second photo.  Her lovely blog is Dayana Knits.


*****My Fair Trade giveaway is open until November 28th.  See here for more details.*****


***STOP PRESS*** I have now published a link to this pattern on the Ravelry website HERE.  

11 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing this, Una. It really does look like crochet. I'm pretty hopeless as a knitter but this would be a fun stitch to try when I finally get the hang of it.

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  2. Feel free to ask me any questions. It really is an easy stitch...just the same row repeated throughout.

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  3. Yes, I totally agree with you -- this edging is ideal for a blanket. Great find!

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  4. A great find for those who don't crochet, it really solves the problem of your wavy edge on the squares too. Such pretty yarn and it finishes the blanket off beautifully.

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  5. Lovely edging, I must try it. Thankyou for sharing the pattern & for adding the photo to make it crystal clear. The pattern certainly does a great job on the blanket edging and the wool you chose brings all the colours together. Well done, Una. Can't wait to see a pic of the complete blanket. Happy knitting times, Vee xx

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    1. Thanks, Vee. You can see the finished blanket in my post called "The Lily Pond Blanket" http://bagsofwool.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/the-lily-pond-blanket.html

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  6. This looks good Una, what a great edging and it does look like crochet. :)

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  7. It's a great edging for the blanket and really does look like double crochet :) xoxo

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  8. It is nice for an edging and does look like crochet. Thanks for sharing and the pics too.

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  9. What a nice edging. I love how many stitch patterns there are with knitting and how different they can look. Considering it's just dependent on some loops of yarn on a couple of sticks, it's almost magical :)

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  10. Yes, once you understand the general principle of making a stitch that won't unravel....the world is your oyster.

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