- [Kristen] The sister stitch of the sisal stich
is the seagrass stitch.
It has a beautiful natural slant.
Add a turn for a cool zigzag configuration.
You can do it with a border or without
or make it in the round.
So knit flat or in the round, we'll do both today.
(jazzy music)
Welcome to GoodKnit Kisses.
We're all about helping you stitch your love
and love your stitches.
If you saw my sisal stitch then you saw it works really well
in a flat panel but it doesn't work as well in the round.
You can see I've got a little seam for my cowl here.
But we do have this seagrass stitch
which works beautifully in the round
and that's my favorite application of it.
It's super fast to whip up a hat or a bag.
It slants to the side naturally
without actually changing the round direction.
It's actually just a two round repeat
and you can also knit it in a flat panel
and do a little bitty change to make it zag
in the opposite direction for a cool zigzag look.
I'll show you all of these different configurations here
in this one video.
So first you're gonna want your yarn and your needles,
if you like to use a bigger yarn to see the stitch quicker,
we're working with here a super bulky weight six yarn.
The ball-band calls for a US M 13 needle or nine millimeter.
I'm actually going down 2-1/2 sizes here
and we're working with a US 10 or 6-1/2 (mm) needle
and that's what I've got back here.
And then if you want to work with a smaller yarn,
say something like this for smaller stitches,
you can work with a four weight yarn.
This one's Red Heart Chic Sheep
and that one is a number four.
It normally calls for a US eight or five millimeter
and I've gone down two sizes for a US six
or four millimeter.
So whichever size of needle you want to work with,
grab your needle and yarn and let's begin.
For your free Seagrass Slouchy hat pattern
click on the link in the description below.
Knitting the seagrass in the round.
So to start working in the round,
you're going to want to cast on
your desired amount of stitches to work in the round.
Now here I have started with a hat,
so you can of course get that pattern down below
but I've started with an even number of stitches.
So you'd need a multiple of two.
In order to do this hat pattern of course,
this is a multiple of four
because I have a two by two ribbing.
So that gives you a headstart on the pattern.
Alright, let's get into your two round repeat to make this.
Remember, you need an even number of stitches.
As you can see, I've been working in the round for this hat
and down here is my stitch marker
and this is where I had started if off.
I had made my ribbing and then started this stitch
but you can see how it naturally leans this way.
My stitch marker is way up here.
I haven't been shifting it,
I haven't been strategically moving it down.
It just naturally occurs that way.
So let's get into this two round repeat.
The second round is just knit, so it's super easy.
So I've already done a knit round here
so let's do round one.
It's actually just like the sisal stitch.
So if you've done that one you already are halfway there.
So you're gonna start off by working with these two stitches
and we're going to bind off one.
So in order to bind off,
we've gotta work both of them in a knit stitch.
Just yarn over and knit and knit.
Okay so two knits
and then lift that first loop over the second loop
and it's bound off.
Now we want to thumb cast on.
Now I will be showing this also in continental.
So right now I'm throwing or English style or American style
and then I'll show it in continental
holding it with my opposite hand.
So I'm using this is what I call my working yarn,
I've got my working strand.
So I've got my, I'm sorry, this is my working needle
and this is my working yarn or working strand.
So I'm holding it here and I've got it in my index finger.
I'm going to reach around with my other needle
and lift it up, lift up the working yarn off, okay?
And then now I'm gonna take my working needle
and go into that loop knitwise
and then let it slide off okay?
And it's already in position.
And we just continue on.
So let's do that one more time with this hand.
So we're going knit two to bind off,
so we're binding off one and then we thumb cast on.
So twist around, pick it off my finger, twist it,
and insert knitwise that yarn.
So we go into that loop with our working needle
and then pull it up.
And so you get this loop on here
where the yarn is coming from the inside here.
If we did a yarn over like this
then the yarn isn't set up correctly
and it won't make this really cool stitch here.
So trust me, you've gotta do it this way
in order for it to set up right.
So let's go ahead and twist around, lift if off,
insert our needle, let it slide off, and that's it.
Alright, I'm gonna move over to show you continental.
Okay I'm gonna hold it this way.
You can hold it however way is easier for you.
We're gonna work these first two stitches to bind off
and then I'll show you the thumb cast on.
Okay, bind these stitches off.
Alright, all you do is take your working needle around
to the back of your working yarn, pick it off the finger,
and slide it and it's already done.
Do that one more time.
Knit the stitch, knit the next one,
oops this is set up wrong I don't know why.
Knit that next one, okay bind off,
and then we're gonna reach around, pick it off,
and it's on, okay?
So that's thumb cast on.
If you did the actual thumb cast on,
I just usually would take it and I'd twist my thumb around
and slip it on that way but it takes too much time
and I don't like taking it off my hands like that.
So I think these other two ways work really well.
So that's all you do.
You just repeat those two stitches in the round
and meet back up to your marker
and then you knit all the way around.
So go ahead and work on that, pause your video,
and I'll show you,
I'll just show you these last couple stitches here
and show you working,
how you work with that thumb cast on to knit that stitch.
It looks a little bit different.
Alright, let's go.
Okay so I finished my round one
and then I started round two just knitting around.
I've got the last two stitches here
to show you what this looks like.
So the first one I come to is one that's just,
it was bound off before.
So we just knit that and then this one
you can see how it's just,
we're approaching it a little bit different.
It's on there, on the needle different.
You just come down from below here
and knit that stitch as normal
but just it's twisted a little funny.
And then we just slip our marker
and continue repeating rounds one through two and that's it.
I'm just knitting to my desired length
and then finish off my hat or bag or whatever you're making.
It could even be a cool sleeve.
So, anyway I hope you enjoyed that.
Let's go on to the next one of knitting in the flat panel.
Knitting the seagrass in a flat panel.
My favorite way to work this in the flat panel
is actually just to leave the edges with a slip stitch.
So this one here does not show a border.
You can pick up the stitches afterward really well
and just add on a border or crochet on a border
but you can put on a garter stitch or seed stitch border
on the sides as you go.
However, you need to make those loose
or else this can bunch up in here.
Now I do want to show you that this can roll
because it is a stockinette-type piece.
All the knit stitches are on the right side
and so this edge tends to roll.
It's really the first edge and the last
and here's a little sample in the smaller one.
I did not block this on purpose
'cause I wanted you to see how it can roll.
So to prevent the end from rolling here
and keep this stitch looking really well,
I've actually started this sample with a seed stitch.
So I've casted on 16 stitches for this
and I've just worked a knit purl, knit purl across
and then my wrong side I worked purl knit, purl knit across
and then repeated that another set of times.
So I'm back on my right side.
I've casted on an even number of stitches
so you'll need to do the same for yours.
You could start it with a couple of rows of garter stitch
or you could leave it alone.
If you don't want to of course it will roll.
If you're gonna add on edging or some fringe
or something like that then by all means leave it alone.
Okay, so I'm not gonna add any edging on
like these borders here and I'm just going to work it simply
with slipping the stitch.
So we're going to on the right side,
row one is slip the stitch knitwise okay?
And then we're going to bind off the first two stitches.
So knit one and knit the second one
and lift that first stitch up and over 'kay?
That's one stitch bound off.
Then we want to thumb cast on.
If you remember from in the round
we're just going to twist around to the back, lift it off,
and then put it on our working needle and that's it.
Now we move on and we just continue that again.
We're going to knit those two stitches
and lift up and over to bind off
and then we do the thumb cast on.
Okay, you're just gonna continue across
and on that last stitch you're going to knit it
and then you turn your work.
So continue working on that, pause your video.
I'll meet you back up for row two.
See you soon.
Okay so we're on row two
and we're going to slip this first stich purlwise.
So picking it off just as if we're going to purl
and then continue on purling to the end of this row
and that's it.
So now you've got your thumb cast on stitch here.
It's a little bit different so it's a little tight.
You're just gonna pick it right up
just as if you would purl and purl that stitch.
It's a little tighter, 'kay?
And just continue across.
And that last stitch you purl as well.
And that's it and then you have made the seagrass stitch
in a flat panel.
Then I'll show you what this looks like
after a few rounds here, or a few rows here.
Pause your video and I'll meet you in a moment.
So this is what the stitch looks like after six rows.
This is three repeats of the stitch repeat and you can see
how it definitely has like an angled look to it.
Let's flip it on the reverse.
You can see the wrong side
has kind of a cool look to it too.
You can still see the purl.
I think that the seed stitch makes it look really nice
and then it will kinda just fade away.
In this example here you can see how the garter stitch
really stands out and the seed kind of,
I think it works really well
with the main seagrass stitch here.
Alright so let's look at the reverse on in the round
just to show you a little bit bigger sample.
You can see what that looks like as it works up.
So you'll see that definite angled look as well
in the back.
Alright, let's move on
and I'll show you how to make this bend in your fabric here
for a potential zigzag.
Knitting the seagrass for a zigzag configuration.
Alright, to make the zigzag it is super fast.
You won't even believe it.
All you do is add a row three, which is knit across.
You're just gonna slip your first stitch and knit.
That's it, it's super easy.
(chuckles)
However, when you get to the wrong side
that's where things get a little different.
This is where you're going to do things more like the,
what you see in the sisal pattern
because you have to knit the stitch on the reverse,
which means you have to do purl bind offs.
So if you saw the sisal video,
if not go click on that link there.
If you saw the sisal
then you will already know how to do this
but let's work this last stitch here.
Okay and we'll flip it over and then now,
when you start working this on the reverse
you're still going to slip one purlwise
and then you are going to purl bind off.
So you're just going to purl that first stitch,
purl the next stitch, okay and then lift up and over
okay and that's bound off one.
And then we're going to thumb cast on.
The way we do that
is we're just gonna flip our yarn over like this
and then pick it up with our working needle
and then pull on that yarn.
You can also do that after you can cinch it up
when you start knitting, making this stitch here.
So like say this is really loose,
you can just insert your needle in
and then pull on it to make it tighter.
So you just continue on that two stitch repeat, binding off,
and then making your thumb cast on
and then work until you have one stitch left
and then you just purl that stitch, 'kay?
So this is the alternate.
Whoops, I didn't do my thumb cast on, here we go.
I'm gonna go ahead and knit across this.
Pause your video as you need
and I will show you the next row.
Comin' up on the last few stitches.
And purl bind off.
That last thumb cast on and then that last purl stitch.
Turn it over and now we're going to knit across.
So your row two is a knit across
and that's the reverse pattern of the row two.
Oops, and I messed up
because I need to slip that first stitch.
Let me go back.
That's how you do it.
So you're gonna slip one knitwise and then knit across.
I'll show you what this looks like
after this row is complete and it will show
starting to move in the opposite direction.
So you can do this movement at any time.
If you want it to be freeform
then you can just figure out where you wanna do it
and put it in there
but if you want to be strategic about it,
say like in these examples behind,
I just counted on a row counter
how many times I did a bind off row.
And say I did it 12 times, then I finished out
with the repeat to keep it in stockinette.
So where it's got that knit on the right side
and then I would add my third row,
which makes it knit across ya know
and then it would make it turn to the other direction.
So what you're seeing is it has this extra knit stitch
and then it's actually going to move
and it'll start doing something like this.
So it just starts moving in the opposite direction.
Now you get more of a movement when you wait longer.
So say I did 12 and then I did it again.
I went 12 and then I zigged back the other way.
So here's an example of where I worked several rows.
I think I did five repeats here
and then I would zig back over so you could see
it's a little bit elongated knit stich in the front
and it gives it that little break in movement here.
It's a little wobble.
Make a little bric-a-brac.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these tutorials
and tune in for the next one.
Be sure and comment below which is your favorite style
and be sure and get your hat pattern as well.
Join ya for the next video on GoodKnit Kisses.
(jazzy music)
Thanks for joining us today
where we help you stitch your love and love your stitches.
See ya again soon.