Purlbed

Tuck and slip › Plush

Plush fabric

A pile of loops on one face, like towelling. The rear bed knits a ground. On each cycle the front needles, empty but in working position, take a loop of yarn as the rear stitches tuck. Then a pass with no yarn drops those front loops.

Machine types that can knit it

Demo swatch

Drawn for: Double-bed hand flat (V-bed)
Approximate preview worked out from the bed chart, not a photo.
Bed chart
15101520253035→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←Back bedBoth beds (double jersey)TuckSlip1 square = 1 stitch × 1 row · read from the bottom · Hand flat (V-bed), 36 needles, half pitch
Needle notation, first steps
1. Row 1: knit 1 rowDouble jersey (all needles)tuck 36carriage →backfront2. Rows 2–3: knit 2 rowsBack bed only · slip 36← carriagebackfront3. Row 4: knit 1 rowDouble jersey (all needles)tuck 36← carriagebackfront4. Rows 5–6: knit 2 rowsBack bed only · slip 36carriage →backfrontShowing needles L12–R12 of 36; repeat across the working area.

Carriage settings on a Dubied

Plush
Rear
All rear needles knit. The front needles stay empty but in working position.
  1. rearfront1100
    1. Knit several rows. Carriage on the right.
  2. rearfront11101000
    2. Move the carriage slowly to the left, checking that all the selected needles pick up the yarn. Knit 1 row back to the right.
  3. rearfront00111000
    3. Cancel the yarn and leave it on the right. Knit 2 rows: the front stitches release. If needed, open the front bed, push the loops down and close it. Repeat the last two settings for continuous plush.
The front stitches do not ladder when they drop, because the rear stitches tuck each time the front stitches form.Tensions have to be loosened: experiment. For vertical stripes or blocks of plush, use high and low butts with some tucking cams on ½.
How to read the cross
  • The four quarters are the carriage: top rear bed, bottom front bed, left moving left, right moving right.
  • Corners, knit/miss cam: 1 knits; ½ knits on high butts only and misses low butts; 0 is out of work.
  • Diamond, tucking cam: 0 no tuck; ½ low butts tuck, high butts knit; 1 all needles tuck. An empty diamond is all 0.
  • Numbers on the line are tension dials, 0 tightest to 20 loosest. A + means looser than your usual size.
  • Set-out: long tick high butt, short tick low butt, dot out of action.
Racking handle: up moves the rear bed left, down moves it right, up to 6 notches. Rack only with the carriage clear of the needles.

Steps

  1. Single bed cast on, or set-up, welt with the front stitches moved to the rear and front needles left in work.
  2. Rear only, several rows, carriage on the right.
  3. Slowly left, checking the needles take yarn.
  4. 1 row right.
  5. Cancel the yarn, 2 rows, front stitches release.
  6. Repeat 3–5.

The full card

What it looks like
A pile of loops on one face, like towelling.
How it behaves
Soft, thick pile.
How it works
The rear bed knits a ground. On each cycle the front needles, empty but in working position, take a loop of yarn as the rear stitches tuck. Then a pass with no yarn drops those front loops. They stay as pile and do not ladder, because the rear stitches tucked each time the front stitches formed.
Machines
Dubied. All rear needles, front needles empty.
Parameters
Tensions loosened: experiment.
Steps
1) Single bed cast on, or set-up, welt with the front stitches moved to the rear and front needles left in work. 2) Rear only, several rows, carriage on the right. 3) Slowly left, checking the needles take yarn. 4) 1 row right. 5) Cancel the yarn, 2 rows, front stitches release. 6) Repeat 3–5.
Charting
Bed chart with tuck cells on the rear and loop rows marked.
Limits and common problems
Some needles miss the yarn if you go fast. If loops stay on, open the front bed, push them down and close it.
Combines with
dropped-stitch-design, rehung-loops.
Pieces and assembly
For stripes or blocks of plush use high and low butts with some tucking cams on ½.

Written in our own words from machine manuals, knitting references and swatching. Knit a test swatch before a whole piece.

Open in the technique libraryAll technique cards

Related techniques