How to Knit Wrap & Turn Short-Rows

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For many knitters, their first encounter with short-rows is wrap & turn. It’s a simple and straightforward method for anchoring the short-rows to the surrounding knitting and eliminating the gap that occurs when the row is turned. After trying most popular short-row methods, wrap & turn is the one I use most often in my own knitting.

Above: Ready to work a wrap & turn short-row.

In this article I’ll take you step by step through the making of wrap & turn short-rows. I’ll also show you how to resolve those wraps on subsequent rows for a nearly invisible result.

Wrap & Turn Short-rows in Knitting Patterns

You’ll usually find wrap & turn abbreviated in patterns as w&t. The instructions will look something like this:

Short-row 1 (RS) Work in pattern to last 5 sts, w&t.
Short-row 2 (WS) Work in pattern to last 5 sts, w&t.
Short-row 3 Work in pattern to 5 sts before wrapped st, w&t.
Short-row 4 Work in pattern to 5 sts before wrapped st, w&t.
Next row (RS) Work in pattern to end, knitting wraps together with wrapped sts.
Next row (WS) Work in pattern to end, purling wraps together with wrapped sts.

These are the instructions I’m going to work for our example. I’ve worked my swatch in stockinette stitch so you can easily see what’s going on, but wrap & turn short-rows can be used with just about any stitch pattern.

Working wrap & turn short-rows steps 1-4 — Wrap & turn short-rows steps 1-4

Knit across the row until 5 stitches remain on your left needle (Photo 1).
Keeping the yarn to the back, slip the next stitch from the left needle to the right needle as if to purl (Photo 2).
Move the yarn between the needle points to the front (Photo 3).
Slip that stitch back to the left needle (Photo 4).

Working wrap & turn short-rows steps 5-8 — Wrap & turn short-rows steps 5-8

Turn the work so the wrong side is facing you and move the yarn into position to work the next stitch. In this case we’ll be purling, so the working yarn is brought to the front (Photo 5). The first wrap & turn is complete.
Purl across the row until 5 stitches remain on your left needle (Photo 6).
Keeping the yarn to the front, slip the next stitch from the left needle to the right needle as if to purl (Photo 7).
Move the yarn between the needle points to the back (Photo 8).

Working wrap & turn short-rows steps 9-12 — Wrap & turn short-rows steps 9-12

Turn the work so the right side is facing you (Photo 9).
Slip that stitch back to the right needle and move the working yarn into position for the next stitch. In this case we’ll be knitting, so the working yarn is in the back (Photo 10).
Knit across until there are 5 stitches before the previous wrapped stitch. The wrapped stitch is indicated by a blue triangle in the photo (Photo 11). Notice that there is a gap in the stitches immediately to the left of the wrapped stitch. Now repeat Steps 2-5.
Purl across until there are 5 stitches before the previous wrapped stitch. The wrapped stitch is indicated by a blue triangle in the photo (Photo 12). Again, the gap immediately to the left of the wrapped stitch can help you identify the wrapped stitch. Now repeat Steps 7-10.

You’ve worked Rows 1-4, for 2 sets of short rows. A set of short rows is a pair: one right side row and one wrong side row.

Picking Up the Wraps

When your short-rows are complete, you’ll work two rows to resolve the wrapped stitches and get you back to the edges of your piece. In stockinette stitch and most other stitch patterns, you need to do something with those wraps so they are not visible on the right side. When you come to the wrapped stitches, you will pick up each wrap and knit or purl it together with the wrapped stitch. If you’re working in garter stitch, there is no need to pick up the wraps; you can just leave them in place. The wraps blend right in with the garter ridges.

Here’s how it looks in stockinette stitch:

Working wrap & turn short-rows steps 13-16 — Picking up the wraps

On the right side row, insert the point of your needle under the wrap lying at the base of the stitch, then into the stitch, and knit them together (Photo 13).

On the wrong side row, the wraps need a little more attention to tuck neatly alongside the stitches. Purl to the wrapped stitch. Use the tip of your right needle to lift the back leg of the wrap (the part of the wrap that shows on the right side of the knitting) (Photo 14) and place it on your left needle (Photo 15). From this position, purl the wrap and the stitch together (Photo 16).

Results of Wrap & Turn Short-Rows

As you can see below, the short rows are nearly invisible on the right side of the work. On the wrong side you can see how the wrap joins the short rows to the surrounding knitting. We’ve created a smooth curve, with the center of the piece 4 rows longer than the sides. While I’ve bound off this sample, you could continue knitting or join it to another piece with a three-needle bind-off.