Purlbed

Hand knitting › Shaping and edges

Short rows (wrap and turn, German short rows)

A wedge of extra rows in one part of the fabric, with no visible steps: the fabric bends or a curve appears (a heel, a shoulder, a bust dart). Knit part of a row, turn before the end and work back, so those stitches get extra rows.

What you work it with

Hand knitting · Tools: Needles for the yarn; locking markers to mark the turning points.

Symbol chart

One or two repeats of the stitch pattern, drawn as seen from the right side.
1234567Knit on RS, purl on WSNo stitch (skip this square)Read from the bottom: RS rows (odd) right to left, WS rows (even) left to right.

Steps

  1. Knit to the turning point.
  2. Wrap and turn: slip the next stitch, bring the yarn to the other side, slip the stitch back, turn (w&t). Or German: turn, slip the first stitch with the yarn in front, pull the yarn over the needle so the stitch shows two legs (a double stitch).
  3. Work back to the edge.
  4. Each new short row stops 2 stitches before the previous turn.
  5. On the next full row, knit each wrap together with its stitch, or knit both legs of each double stitch together.

The full card

What it looks like
A wedge of extra rows in one part of the fabric, with no visible steps: the fabric bends or a curve appears (a heel, a shoulder, a bust dart).
How it behaves
Adds length on one side or in the middle only, so the piece curves or bulges.
How it works
Knit part of a row, turn before the end and work back, so those stitches get extra rows. The turning point is treated so no hole forms: with wrap and turn the next stitch is wrapped with the yarn; with German short rows the first stitch after the turn is pulled up into a "double stitch". On the later full row the wrap or both legs of the double stitch are knitted with the stitch.
Tools
Needles for the yarn; locking markers to mark the turning points.
Parameters
Number of short rows and how many stitches each one stops short: e.g. stop 2 stitches earlier each time for a smooth wedge [inference].
Steps
1) Knit to the turning point. 2) Wrap and turn: slip the next stitch, bring the yarn to the other side, slip the stitch back, turn (w&t). Or German: turn, slip the first stitch with the yarn in front, pull the yarn over the needle so the stitch shows two legs (a double stitch). 3) Work back to the edge. 4) Each new short row stops 2 stitches before the previous turn. 5) On the next full row, knit each wrap together with its stitch, or knit both legs of each double stitch together.
Charting
Read from the right side: grey (no-stitch) squares are the stitches left unworked in that short row; the RS row starts at its number and turns where the grey begins, and the WS row works back over the same stitches. The chart is one-sided: the extra rows build up on the right.
Limits and common problems
Holes at the turns come from a loose wrap or double stitch: pull the yarn firm. Forgetting to knit the wrap with its stitch leaves a bar on the RS.
Combines with
Garter stitch, Stocking stitch (stockinette), Picot cast-off
Pieces and assembly
Sock heels, shaped shoulders and necklines, curved shawls, back-neck raises in a sweater.

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

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