Short rows (partial knitting) › Shapes
Centre bulge / dome
A horizontal band of rounded bumps or a soft dome in the middle of the fabric, with flat edges. Repeated bands give a quilted, puckered ridge texture. A shadow sits under each bump. Hold both edge groups. Knit r extra rows on the centre only, wrapping the held turn needle every row.
- Single bed
- Hold
Machine types that can knit it
Demo swatch
Drawn for: Single bed, punch cardApproximate preview worked out from the bed chart, not a photo.Short rows change the shape of the piece. The preview shows where extra fabric builds up, not the real curve or flare.
Steps
- Carriage on R. Hold the left edge group. Knit one pass to L.
- Hold the right edge group and wrap.
- Knit r rows on the centre, wrapping each turn.
- Return the left group before the next pass. Knit carefully over the bulky wrapped needle.
- Knit a plain row back.
- Repeat 4–6×.
The full card
- What it looks like
- A horizontal band of rounded bumps or a soft dome in the middle of the fabric, with flat edges. Repeated bands give a quilted, puckered ridge texture. A shadow sits under each bump.
- How it behaves
- Relief bulge, pronounced. A horizontal ridge if repeated per band.
- How it works
- Hold both edge groups. Knit r extra rows on the centre only, wrapping the held turn needle every row. Return the edges and knit plain. Variation: also shape inside the centre (shrink and regrow the working width) for a rounder, more pointed dome.
- Machines
- Single bed, hold. Hand-weight the centre.
- Parameters
- W (≈40); centre width Wc (≈W/2); extra rows r (4–8); repeats per band; tension around 7 on 4-ply mercerised cotton.
- Steps
- 1) Carriage on R. Hold the left edge group. Knit one pass to L. 2) Hold the right edge group and wrap. 3) Knit r rows on the centre, wrapping each turn. 4) Return the left group before the next pass. Knit carefully over the bulky wrapped needle. 5) Knit a plain row back. 6) Repeat 4–6×.
- Charting
- A shaded centre column r rows tall on top of full-width rows. Mark "C" on both turn needles each row and an arrow per pass.
- Limits and common problems
- Wrapped needles grow bulky. Too many extra rows make the fabric jam against the needles.
- Combines with
- stuffing (hand-sewn backing), pk-peak, ch.4 pleats.
- Pieces and assembly
- Local volume without separate pieces. Use it for padded or raised zones.
Written in our own words from machine manuals, knitting references and swatching. Knit a test swatch before a whole piece.