Knitty Bitz

Your Shopping Cart

Show Cart

Your cart is currently empty.

You are here: Home

Useful Information

Keeping Selvages Neat

Working a selvage at the side edges of a piece of knitting helps to stabilise the edges, therefore making it easier to join seams or pick up stitches.

A selvage can also be used to create a finished edge without the need to add a border.

A selvage can be formed at one or both side edges of a piece of knitting by working one or two of the edge stitches in a different way.

Garter Stitch Selvage

This is the easiest selvage method and is often used on stocking stitch pieces where side edges will be joined into seams or stitches later picked up. The selvage stitches are knitted on every row.

For selvage on both side edges of your work:

Repeat this row.

Slip Garter Selvage

This method gives a selvage that is firmer than garter stitch and is useful for stitch patterns that tend to spread widthways, such as garter stitch. Each selvage stitch is slipped knitwise on one row and then knitted on the next row.

For a selvage on both side edges of your work:

Repeat this row.

Chain Stitch Selvage

This method gives a neat edge to garter stitch pieces. Each selvage stitch is slipped as described below on one row and knitted on the next row.

For a selvage on both side edges of your work:

Slip Stitch Selvage

When using this method, chain loops form along the selvage (one chain for every two rows of knitting). This method can be used where stitches will be picked up later and gives a neat join that is less bulky than other methods.