This summer there was a discussion on my FB page: namely, one knitter saw this picture and wrote to her friend: see yourself, if you work in the round, the vabric is going to be biased. I gave a brief responce on my page but I believe that it woul be useful to write more on the subject (the blog format is better suited for this). Especially because in class I am often asked wether it is always biased.
Sellele küsimusele võib anda ettevaatliku vastuse: võib minna keerdu, aga ei pruugi. Seega väide, et ringselt kududes läheb alti keerdu, ei pea paika. Millal siis läheb keerdu? See sõltub neljast asjast: (1) lõngakeerd, (2) kiud, (3) muster, (4) diameeter. Alustan lõpust. See puudutab eelkõige labast kude ja väikest diameetri (varrukas). Mõnikord on nii, et kerel pole midagi näha, küll aga varrukal. Mis puutub punktidesse (1) ja (2), siis kõige tõenäolisem ajab keerdu tugeva keeruga puuvillane ja linane. Aga see pole jällegi universaalne reegel, oleneb konkreetsest lõngast. Veelgi rohkem: mõni lõng ei talu labast kude ka edasi-tagasi kududes (nt seda olen oma silmaga näinud Midara Linolo puhul). Aga vaatame pilte.
It is possible to give a cautious answer to the question: it can be biased but not necessarily. Thus, the claim that round knitting always causes bias, is not true. When it does get biased? It depends on four things: (1) twist, (2) fiber, (3) stitch pattern, (4) diametre. I will start from the end. It concerns mostly stockinete stitch and small diametre (sleeve). Sometimes it happens that there is no bias in the torso but there is one in the sleeve. As far as (1) and (2) are concerned, the most probable candidates for bias are cotton with a strong twist and linen. But this is not a universal rule, it depends on a particular yarn. Even more: some yarns do not tolerate stockinete even in back and forth kitting (I've witnessed this in Midara Linolo). Let us see some pictures.
Kollane sviiter on puuvillasest lõngast. Midagi pole viltu. Topp järgmisel pildil on paljudele tuttav, see on puuvillase ja sünteetika segu, samuti ei ole mingit probleemi.
The yellow sweater is from a cotton yarn. Nothing wrong. The top in the next picture is familiar to many readers, it is a cotton-nylon blend, no problem either.
Siin on aga ebaühtlase jämedusega lõng, ka pole midagi.
Here is a yarn that is uneven, no problems at all.
Siin on üks Kaksikutest, küljepilt. Koostis on mohäär, vill ja sünteetika.
Here is one of my Twins, a side view. The fiber composition is mohair, wool and some synthetic fiber.
Mida teha? Mitu võimalust. Valida mõni muu kude (nt parempidiste ja pahempidiste silmuste vaheldus, soonik, pits, palmikud). Teha külgedele sellised vertikaalsed triibud, nagu on näha halli Kaksiku pildil (võib olla ka palmik, väike pits vms). Teha ripsitriibud, nagu selle sviitri varrukatel (alumisel pildil). On ka selline nõks, mida kasutatakse lühendatud ridade kudumisel (nn wrap and turn), seda võib teha küljel, kus silmuse mähkimise koht pole nähtav (jällegi, küljel võib olla mõni väike triip pööramiskoha järel).
How to solve this? There ae several options. Pick up another stitch (alternation of kint and purl stitches, ribbing, lace, cables). Make some side patterns as you can see in the picture of the grey Twin (it can also be a narrow lace patter, a cable etc). Make stripes in reverse stockinet as in the sleeves in the picture below. There is also another tip: use wrap and turn (a short row technique). The turning point can be on the side where it is less visible (again, you can make a narrow stripe on the side after the turning point).