Introduction

If you’re new to knitting, or if you’ve been knitting for a long time and are looking for something new, getting stuck on an edging pattern can be frustrating. If I’m being honest, I think every knitter has experienced this at least once in their life: You pick up your project after working away at it for weeks or months only to realize that the stitch pattern is driving you nuts. It’s not just the fact that it’s boring—you’re also realizing that maybe it’s not even the right stitch pattern for your particular project (or maybe even for any project).

I’m on record as saying that choosing the stitch pattern for a garment you’re planning to knit can be the most important factor in getting a garment that you’ll actually wear.

A stitch pattern is a way to make something interesting. It can be used to make something that is more than just a rectangle or circle of fabric, but instead has some dimensionality to it. Sometimes you want the finished object to look like an ombre gradient, sometimes you want it to look like a basket weave, and sometimes you just want something that’s not boring!

The first thing I always do when choosing my knitting project is look for stitch patterns and learn them well enough so that I can work them without looking at the chart or pattern notes too long. The last thing I need while knitting on public transit is another person staring at my screen while they wait for their stop because they’re wondering how many rows in between each set of eyelets were worked before turning my work over again.

If you’re stuck in the dreaded “ribbed for her pleasure” trap (you know, ribbing at the cuffs and hem because it’s easy, but you’ve also been wearing every single sweater with ribbing exactly like this for years now), try five-stitch cables instead.

If you’re stuck in the dreaded “ribbed for her pleasure” trap (you know, ribbing at the cuffs and hem because it’s easy, but you’ve also been wearing every single sweater with ribbing exactly like this for years now), try five-stitch cables instead.

They’re another way to break up the monotony of a pattern made entirely of just one stitch or cable. You can knit them in a different color than your ribbing, or even in a different yarn than your main project.

If you’re stuck in the double-knit trap (because, yes, double knitting is a great way to ensure your hem stays put), consider trying exposed seams instead.

You can use exposed seams to make a beautiful, double-knit scarf that will stay put during even the most frigid of days. The trick is to work your hem in stockinette stitch and then rip back every other row. You’ll create a ridge of purl stitches on one side; this is where you’ll sew on your button band.

An exposed seam looks great when paired with another patterned fabric, like a striped or tweedy yarn, but we love it best when there’s just one color throughout—like our example above featuring Debbie Bliss Rialto (a smooth blend of wool and cashmere). The best part? You don’t need fancy stitch markers or anything else fancy at all! Just keep track of which rows are knit so that when you get ready to sew up your seam, everything lines up perfectly.

If you’re stuck in the lace trap (and by this I mean that you worked up a beautiful lace shawl and now you want to work up every project in lace because that makes so much sense), try a colorful, bold intarsia pattern.

If you’re stuck in the lace trap (and by this I mean that you worked up a beautiful lace shawl and now you want to work up every project in lace because that makes so much sense), try a colorful, bold intarsia pattern. Intarsia is a great way to create a visual impact while making mistakes easy to fix on the fly.

It can be hard to quit an edging stone because it was really fun at first! But if your mind has changed and all you want is something that doesn’t involve picking up stitches and counting rows over and over again, then maybe it’s time for something new.

It can be difficult to get unstuck if you are stuck doing everything one way, so let’s change things up!

If you’ve tried one thing and it doesn’t seem to be working, try a different thing! If you’re struggling with the same stitch pattern, try a different stitch pattern. Don’t think that if your last project was worked in stockinette that it needs to stay that way forever, or vice versa if you’ve been working garter stitch. The point is to do something different so that you can figure out why the first thing didn’t work.

Maybe what’s happening is not the result of some mistake on your part but simply having a bad day and feeling stuck because there are too many variables involved at once: what kind of yarn are you using; what kind of colorway is this; how many stitches per inch does this fabric look like? You might have really great vision for things when they’re all together but then as soon as something changes just slightly…the whole picture shifts around for no apparent reason whatsoever! It happens to everyone sometimes though so don’t worry about it too much—just try changing things up until everything clicks again!

Conclusion

Hopefully this post has given you some ideas on how to get unstuck and make something new, whether that’s a new stitch pattern or just a new way of thinking about things. If you’re still stuck after trying all of these tricks, then maybe it’s time to take a break and come back fresh later!