Purlbed

Rib › Rib set-up

2-1 rib: rack set-up, and rib in half rack

2-1 rib: firm columns of two with a clear rib, very elastic. 1-1 and 2-2 in half rack: more elastic again, with even stitches between the beds. Ribs get their stretch from the needles out of action, which leave room for the ribs to close.

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→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←−10Front bedBack bedBoth beds (double jersey)Slip+1Rack to this position before the row (0 = home)1 square = 1 stitch × 1 row · read from the bottom · Hand flat (V-bed), 36 needles, half pitch
Needle notation, first steps
1. Rack the back bed to 1needle left of homebackfront2. Row 1: knit 1 rowDouble jersey (all needles)rack −1carriage →backfront3. Row 2: knit 1 rowBack bed only · slip 36rack −1← carriagebackfront4. Row 3: knit 1 rowFront bed only · slip 36rack −1carriage →backfrontShowing needles L12–R12 of 36; repeat across the working area.

Carriage settings on a Dubied

2-1 rib, set-up with a rack
RearFront
  1. rearfront1111
    1. Rack 1 needle left. Carriage on the right. Knit the set-up, 1 row.
  2. rearfront0110
    2. Knit 2, 4 or 6 rows of tubular for the welt. Carriage ends on the left.
  3. rearfront1111
    3. Rack back 1 needle right: the needles return to their set-out. Knit the rib.
Without the rack each needle has no loop of its own, and one stitch in two slips away when the comb comes out.
1-1 and 2-2 rib in the half rack position
RearFront
  1. rearfront1111
    Set the handle at the half rack stop with the pegs, then knit.
Half rack puts the slots of the two beds opposite each other, and the interstitch comes out even. It is only safe if every needle in action faces a needle out of action, or the needles collide.Going from a rib into all-needle 1×1, knit 2 rows of tubular on all needles between them, or holes show.
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. Put the needles out of action by pushing their butts down with the narrowing handle.
  2. Rack 1 needle left.
  3. Carriage on the right, set-up, 1 row.
  4. Knit 2, 4 or 6 rows of tubular.
  5. Rack 1 needle right, back to the set-out.
  6. Set the cams and knit.

The full card

What it looks like
2-1 rib: firm columns of two with a clear rib, very elastic. 1-1 and 2-2 in half rack: more elastic again, with even stitches between the beds.
How it behaves
Pulls in strongly across the width.
How it works
Ribs get their stretch from the needles out of action, which leave room for the ribs to close. The inactive needle sits at the centre of the working needles on the other bed. For the set-up the yarn has to pass from front to rear at each needle. So you rack one needle and make the set-up: without that, each needle has no loop of its own and one stitch in two slips away when the comb comes out.
Machines
Dubied or any rib-gated hand flat [inference].
Parameters
Set-out 2-1. Welt 2, 4 or 6 rows of tubular.
Steps
1) Put the needles out of action by pushing their butts down with the narrowing handle. 2) Rack 1 needle left. 3) Carriage on the right, set-up, 1 row. 4) Knit 2, 4 or 6 rows of tubular. 5) Rack 1 needle right, back to the set-out. 6) Set the cams and knit.
Charting
Two lines of ticks. In half rack the two beds line up.
Limits and common problems
Going from a rib into 1×1 on all needles without 2 rows of tubular leaves ugly holes. In half rack, needles in action must face needles out of action.
Combines with
vertical-rib, rib-needle-setup, dubied-racking.
Pieces and assembly
Cuffs, waistbands and close-fitting fabric. 1-1 and 2-2 in half rack match the stitch count of plain fabric on one bed, so it is easier to change from one to the other.

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

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