Understanding Twisted Stitches in Knitting: How They Happen, Why They Matter, and What to Do

Recently, Knitting Threads found itself in an uproar over twisted knit stitches. Things started when a knitter used photos of her work to promote her online (paid) knitting class for beginners. On closer inspection, it became clear each of those projects was full of twisted stitches when the stitches shouldn’t have been twisted.

Other knitters began to worry: am I twisting my stitches, too? What’s causing it? Does it even matter that I twisted my knit stitches? And if so, how do I stop?

So we’re going to answer all of those questions in today’s blog post. By the end of this post, you’ll be able to examine your own knitting; figure out whether you’re twisting none, some, or all of your stitches; diagnose what’s causing those twisted stitches; decide whether you want to change your knitting technique to fix your twisted stitches; and know how to prevent those twisted stitches going forward.

What is a Twisted Stitch?

When we talk about a stitch, it’s helpful to visualize it as having two legs, one on each side. Ordinarily, a knit stitch sits in the fabric with both legs next to each other but not crossing. A twisted stitch, on the other hand, has either the right leg crossing over the left or the left leg crossing over the right.

Take a look at the swatch above. This swatch has a few different kinds of twisted stitches in it. At the very bottom, there are no twisted stitches. In the second segment, every other row has twisted stitches. Then there’s a segment with no twisted stitches again, followed by a fourth segment where every stitch is twisted.

If you look closely at the stitches, you can easily learn to see which ones are twisted and which aren’t. If you think of each stitch as a little V, the two sides of the V should come together at the bottom into a nice little point without crossing over each other. The twisted stitches, on the other hand, cross over each other at the bottom of the V and create more of an X.

Another way to think about this is to think about the two legs of the stitch having equal visual weight in a normal stitch. Both the right leg and the left leg should be equally prominent. In a twisted stitch, one of the legs will be more prominent than the other. Either the left leg or the right leg, whichever one is crossing over the other, will appear larger and more toward the front of the fabric while the other leg appears smaller and pushed to the back of the fabric.

How Do Twisted Stitches Happen in Knitting?

Twisted stitches usually happen as a result of how a knitter wraps their yarn and/or how they knit into the legs of each stitch. Let’s look at each of those more closely.

Yarn Wrapping

Each style of knitting tends to have a generally accepted way to wrap the yarn when working each stitch. In standard western knitting, for example, knitters wrap the yarn for a knit stitch counterclockwise around the working needle tip. The yarn for a purl stitch, on the other hand, is wrapped clockwise.

If you end up wrapping your yarn in a different direction for one or both of those stitches, you may end up with twisted stitches. That’s because the way you wrap your yarn affects how the live stitches sit on your non-working needle.

Knitting Into the Legs of Each Stitch

Grab your nearest WIP and take a close look at the stitches on the needle. You’ll see that each loop has two sides (the legs we talked about above). For most Western-style knitters, the right side of the loop will be in front, and the left side of the loop will be in back. This is the standard stitch orientation in Western knitting, also known as how the stitches are seated on the needles.

For combination-style knitters and Eastern-style knitters, however, the stitch orientation is the opposite. You’ll see the right side of the loop is toward the back of the needle and the left side of the loop is toward the front.

Now, neither of these stitch orientations guarantees that you’re going to get a twisted stitch when you finish. The stitch orientation is just the preparatory step to working a stitch. The thing that really matters is how you insert your needle to work the stitch.

Assuming your stitch orientation follows the standard orientation for your type of knitting, here’s how you prevent twisted stitches when knitting. In each style of knitting, you work your knit stitch through the right side of the loop. For example, in Western-style knitting, that means you work through the front leg. In Eastern-style and combination-style knitting, you work your knit stitch into the back leg.

To purposefully twist your stitches, you work into the left side of the loop, which will be in the “wrong” position for your style of knitting. That means if you’re a Western-style knitter, you knit through the back leg of the loop. If you’re an Eastern-style knitter or a combination-style knitter, you knit through the front leg of the loop.

Here’s a video demonstrating these concepts a little more clearly:

@abeeinthebonnet

Today’s update is a bit of a long one, but there was a lot to cover! Do you have questions about twisted stitches in knitting? Drop them in the comments and I’ll be glad to help.

♬ original sound – Lauren | Knitting patterns

Why Do Twisted Stitches Matter?

So now we get to the real meat of things. Do twisted stitches even matter? And the unfortunate answer is, yes, they do.

I’ve seen a lot of knitters say that they don’t mind that they twist all their stitches in stockinette and that it looks pretty to them. That’s totally fine. Aesthetic appeal is subjective, and you get to decide how you like your things to look.

But twisted stitches function differently when compared to normal knit stitches. First, twisted stitches are narrower. That’s because the legs cross over each other instead of sitting next to each other. That draws each stitch inward just a little bit. While that might not make much of a difference on a tiny project like a scarflet, it can make a significant difference on something like a garment. You’ll likely struggle to meet gauge if you’re twisting all of your stitches.

Twisted stitches also have less stretch than regular stitches have. This means that for items that require negative ease, like many hats and all socks, you may find that your finished object is too tight to comfortably wear.

Finally, twisted stitches drape differently compared to regular knit stitches. The tighter, stiffer stitches created by twisting them makes a tighter, stiffer fabric overall. If you are knitting an item that needs a lot of drape or movement to look right, twisted stitches are going to reduce that drape and movement in your finished project.

Having said all this, one of my core knitting beliefs is that it’s only a mistake if you’re not doing it on purpose and/or you don’t understand the full implications of what you’re doing. There are some scenarios where twisted stitches are useful, and when used intentionally, they can be a great addition to your knitting tool kit. Let’s take a closer look.

Using Twisted Stitches Intentionally

One advantage that twisted stitches have compared to regular stitches is that they visually pop out of a background fabric better. When paired with purl stitches on either side, this can create some really dramatic texture that makes for a gorgeous knit fabric.

Take a look at the pictures scattered throughout this post. They include some of my designs where I have used twisted stitches intentionally to make certain columns of stitches pop out of the fabric.

All of these stitches have been twisted by knitting through the back loop when the live stitch is seated with the right leg in front. Most of the time, this is the direction that stitches get twisted when you are working twisted stitches on purpose, but not always. If the pattern doesn’t specify otherwise, you’ll be twisting your stitches this way. Sometimes the pattern might specify inserting your needle in a different way to achieve a different kind of twist.

While I wouldn’t advocate knitting a garment where every stitch is twisted, thoughtful use of twisted stitches as a texture or accent element is a great way to make your knitting really pop.

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