The Picot Verdict

You all were so wonderful to share what worked (and what didn't) when it came to the decorative picot edging. In all fairness, I thought I'd follow up my initial inquiry with the results of my experimentation and your collective wisdom.

Per my previous post on the topic, the solutions seem to fall into two distinct categories: knit together or hem later. For classification purposes, knit together can also include the technique of using a provisional cast on with waste yarn. What's your picot poison?

Courtney says "I always go the cast on with a long tail, knit the picot bit and then seam as if it's a hem."

On the other hand, Monica prefers to "cast on with waste yarn and knit stitches together."

Sarah's perspective? "Both the fold-and-hem and provisional cast-on and knit-together methods work pretty well -- but if you didn't cast on with waste yarn, just fold and hem, making sure your stitches line up."

Debi concurs, adding "Personally I've done it all ways and I either use waste yarn... or my new favorite...knit it and sew it down loosely after the sock is finished (OR for toe up bind off very loosely and sew down loosely after the whole sock is knit). This is why I use the waste yarn method rather than just picking up the purl bump method....it's more precise. But the sewn down method is so much easier and looks just as nice so why stress?"

Yeah, Debi. Why stress? After accidentally cutting the working yarn, then the cast on tail, I ripped out the sock in progress for a second time (or was that the third?) and almost decided that picot was simply not to be. Silly me. It wasn't the fault of the stitch pattern. It was my impatience that caused the mistakes, so with the principle of "keep it simple" in mind, I started over one last time.

Hemmed cuff


Whipstitch hemmed cuff, folded over

I knit 7 rounds, then did the YO, K2TOG round, then knit 14 more rounds before I decided to turn the cuff inside out and loosely hem down the edge. No three needle bind off. No knitting together. No provisional cast on. Call me a wuss but I kept it simple and I think it looks just as good.

Mon Petite Picot

For something so small, this cute little picot edge is sure turning out to be a big pain in the gluteal region! So far, nothing I've tried has quite worked out (biasing, puckering) and I'm just about ready to rip those 64 stitches out again.

I've had my eye on sock designs featuring picot trim for weeks now, but I was good and faithful and did not stray from my other works in progress. I did, however, store up two or three techniques I was keen on trying (or perhaps combining) once I was free.

One is the "knit sock now, fold over and hem later" approach. Another, popularized by Claudia, involves knitting the cast on row together with the live stitches (not an easy maneuver) and a third, illustrated by Knitorious offers a slightly different twist on the knit together premise using waste yarn and a darning needle. Frarochvia's version has you cast on with waste yarn, then knit together. When I saw the words "Japanese three needle bind off" on the Keyboard Biologist's excellent tutorial, I knew it was beyond my ken.

I know that a simple search will turn up quite a few results - all equally valid, I'm sure. What I want to hear from you are alternatives based on your experiences. Something that just might work for a nearsighted, gimpy-armed impatient woman to still produce pleasing results.

For now, I think I'll just keep on knitting until I'm hit with a bit of inspiration or wisdom from my friends. Frankly, my beautiful periwinkle yarn is starting to fuzz so frogging is not a good option.