Ask the Experts: Why Does My Ribbed Sweater Hem Look Odd?

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Carrie (not her real name) is knitting a cardigan. There is a wide rib at the lower edge, then it transitions to stranded colorwork. Now that Carrie is about halfway up the body, she noticed that the ribbed sweater hem looks a little bulgy. It’s poofing out a bit just below the transition to the stockinette stitch colorwork. And it bugs her.

What’s Happening Here?

The transition from ribbing or another border stitch to the main fabric of a sweater can often be a problem area. The reason is simple: gauge. Ribbing has a different gauge than stockinette stitch, or most other stitch patterns. When you switch from one to the other, you might see puckers, bulges, and other creative formations as the stitches try to find their way.

Related: Combining Stockinette Stitch with Stranded Colorwork

Take a look at the 2 swatches in the photo below. Both are worked over 31 stitches, with 15 rows of K1, P1 ribbing followed by 20 rows of Stockinette stitch. For the swatch on the left, the ribbing was worked on size 5 (3.75mm) needles, while the stockinette was worked on size 7 (4.5mm) needles. For the swatch on the right, the size 7 (4.5mm) needles were used throughout.

In the stockinette stitch sections, the gauge is about 5 stitches to an inch. On size 7 needles, the gauge in ribbing is 7 stitches to an inch. On size 5 needles, the gauge is ribbing is 8 stitches to an inch. Note that the swatches were lightly steam blocked to relax the rolling of the stockinette stitch. The ribbing was not stretched at all.

Why Do Sweaters Have Ribbed Hems?

In sweaters with a traditional silhouette, the bottom band usually hugs the hips. It is meant to pull in, with the main body of the sweater blousing slightly above the rib, like in the Lawrence Pullover. Back in the days when sweaters were workwear, a snug ribbing prevented the sweater from riding up, and kept out the weather.

A snug ribbing has other practical purposes, even if you don’t spend your days on a fishing boat. It is a firm, sturdy fabric that can hold up to lots of wear. It is very elastic, stretching out when you put the sweater on, then snapping back to shape.

The looser ribbing is not as sturdy or elastic. It is more likely to stretch out of shape over time. To my eye, it looks a little less tidy.

Many contemporary designs are meant to have a boxy silhouette, with the lower edge of the sweater swinging away from the body, like the Wilmington Pullover.

The looser ribbing, made on the same size needle as the stockinette stitch, can easily be blocked to the same width as the main body of the sweater. This will let the lower edge of the sweater hang straight instead of hugging the hips.

My Recommendation

Personally, I like the firmer fabric of ribbing worked on a smaller needle, but I don’t usually want the hem of my sweaters hugging my hips. The solution: embrace the gauge difference!

For the swatch below, I cast on 47 stitches on my size 5 needles and worked 15 rows of K1, P1 rib. For the next row, I decreased down to 31 stitches by working *k1, k2tog; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2tog. Then I changed to size 7 needles and worked 19 more rows of stockinette stitch.

The ribbing is the same width as the stockinette stitch, and retains its firm, tidy structure.

What About Carrie’s Cardigan?

There was no change of needle size or stitch count on Carrie’s cardigan, even though ribbing and stranded colorwork stockinette stitch do not have the same gauge. No wonder her ribbing is looking a little strange. But she is already halfway up the body. No way would I recommend she rip it out and start over. Carrie is using a good, classic wool for her cardigan, and the difference in gauge will easily be smoothed out in blocking. If it’s really bugging her, she doesn’t have to wait until the sweater is finished to get relief. Carrie can lightly steam block the knitting while the sweater is still on the needles and instantly have a bulge-free ribbed sweater hem.

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What’s Bugging You?

Send your questions to knitting[@]goldenpeakmedia.com or crochet[@]goldenpeakmedia.com and put Ask The Experts in the subject line. You just might see the answer in an upcoming newsletter!

—Sandi Rosner
Technical Content Editor, Yarn

Related: Meet Sandi Rosner, Interweave’s New Technical Content Editor

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Patterns and Techniques for Perfect Sweater Hems