How to...Knit Pleats


Andi Clark's Comet sweater is the perfect transitional piece. Knit in Soft Linen, it features lace panels on the bodice, a cute seed stitch and lace collar, and kicky pleats flowing from an empire waist. The yarn is transitional too, combining wool, linen and baby alpaca in almost equal proportions in what Clara Parkes called "a perfect example of a smart fiber blend.".

The pleats are cleverly constructed, and when my coworker Cheryl suggested we do a blog post about it after puzzling through the instructions on her own, I thought it was a great idea!


Supplies: 2 DPN's, US 6, and your knitting (obviously).


1. Knit to within four stitches of your reverse stockinette section. Slip these four knit stitches to one DPN and hold in the front. Slip the next four purl stitches to the other DPN and rotate the needle clockwise.


2. Hold all the needles together and knit 3 together, one stitch from each needle, 4 times.


3. To make your left pleat, slip the next four stitches to a DPN and hold in the back. Slip the next 4 purl stitches to a second DPN.


Rotate it counterclockwise so that the RS is facing the stitches on the first DPN. Knit 3 together, one stitch from each needle, 4 times.


Voila! It's almost like you're folding it in on itself and "sewing" it together. Happy knitting!


2 comments:

  1. I have wanted to experience doing a pleat. With a wee bit of head scratching and too many thumbs in the way, it worked really well. Now to figure out a project to use this technique. Thanks so much for sending. I think it will be fun to do.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cool! Thanx for instructions.

    ReplyDelete