PurlbedGarment making › Bands and trims
Piped edge (rolled tube trim)
A round, firm, cord-like edge along a neckline, armhole or hem, often in a contrast colour, with the fabric running straight out from it. A few rows are knitted and turned back into a tube, so the edge is wrapped in a narrow roll.
- Single bed
Machine types that can knit it
Demo swatch
Drawn for: Single bed, no patterningApproximate preview worked out from the bed chart, not a photo.Part of this technique is done by hand (hooking up, chaining or closing loops); the demo shows the knitted base.
Steps
- Hang the garment edge on the needles, wrong side facing you.
- Knit 4–8 rows in the piping yarn.
- Pick up the first piping row (or the garment edge again) and hang it on the same needles.
- Knit one loose row and cast off with the latch tool[inference].
The full card
- What it looks like
- A round, firm, cord-like edge along a neckline, armhole or hem, often in a contrast colour, with the fabric running straight out from it.
- How it behaves
- A rounded tube along the edge.
- How it works
- A few rows are knitted and turned back into a tube, so the edge is wrapped in a narrow roll. On a single bed this is a mini hem: hang the garment edge (wrong side facing), knit a few rows, then hang the first row of loops (or the garment edge) on the needles again and cast off, closing the tube[inference]. On a double bed the tube is knitted in tubular rows and closed with one row on both beds [inference].
- Machines
- Any single-bed machine (latch tool, transfer tool); double bed for the tubular version.
- Parameters
- 4–8 rows for the tube, in a tighter tension than the body [unverified]. A cord can be laid inside for a firmer piping [unverified].
- Steps
- 1) Hang the garment edge on the needles, wrong side facing you. 2) Knit 4–8 rows in the piping yarn. 3) Pick up the first piping row (or the garment edge again) and hang it on the same needles. 4) Knit one loose row and cast off with the latch tool[inference].
- Charting
- A short band of rows at the edge, marked "fold and rehang" at the top row.
- Limits and common problems
- The tube is narrower than the fabric: pick up evenly, or the edge gathers [inference]. Too many rows → a loose, floppy roll [inference].
- Combines with
- machine-icord, machine-linking, v-neck-holding.
- Pieces and assembly
- Neck and armhole edges, pockets, hems.
Written in our own words from machine manuals, knitting references and swatching. Knit a test swatch before a whole piece.