Category: Long Stitches and Loops

Below are some ideas for creating long loops on the machine using only a single bed. The essential difference between stitches and loops as mentioned before is that long stitches must be individually knit through the previous row, loops sit on the purl side surface. Yarn weight, loop concentration, number of looped stitches, and their locations open up endless possibilities. If loops for any reason are wanted on the knit side, the garter bar may be used to take knitting off the machine and hold them, loops are formed, the piece of knitting is then returned onto the machine, and continued. Swatching helps determine operator tolerance and preference as well. Some of the old manuals and pattern books such as the very early Brother Home Course offer this guide under the category of “weaving” while others refer to the same technique as “pile”. Punchcards may be used to preselect needles for patterning with the technique.  Working single bed:
1. knitting in place on the machine with its cast on edge weighted to keep it from curling up (use waste yarn if loops need to be close to the same edge), paper clips and weighted cast on the comb in place

this technique may be used on every needle, or only on selected parts of the needle bed; for the sake of speed for this ‘demo’ I will be working on EON; desired pattern area needles are brought out to the hold position

the loop yarn is mohair; slip knot secures start to cast on comb, yarn is wrapped counterclockwise in this instance up, around EON selected needle, and back down and around corresponding EON cast on comb tooth; if desired this could be done multiple times on anyone needle depending on the tolerance of KM in knitting next pass

the carriage now knits across all needles, yarn is secured

the cast on comb is removed, plain knit continues until the next set of loops

2. a ruler or other tool may be used to determine loop length; I prefer to use 2 rulers, yarn is secured, and wrapping follows as above around selected needles and then rulers

the second ruler is removed, allowing the first to drop down a bit, which will hold loops in place, while in most instances allowing the knit carriage to move across that row with the alternate ruler still in place

knit at least one row to secure loops, remove the ruler

3. once again using 2 rulers secure yarn, and wrap, creating a crochet chain with tested size crochet or latch hook

remove the second ruler, this will give you some ease along the chain edge

hook chained edge onto selected KM needles

knit at least one row across the area, remove the ruler

4. the samples: as can be imagined EON may be sufficient for a thick pile if fewer rows of knitting occur between looped rows
It is possible to cover a knit with long loops of any sort. Using the same mohair, here the swatch is covered with loops, and the mohair is brushed If loops out of thin or slippery yarns are desired, as an alternative, create wide ladders with narrow outside edges of the single or double stitch, fold in half, rehanging the sides of the strip onto the body of the knit
later post with tips for creating long stitches, no photos
long stitch swatches

A 2020 FB post led me to quickly explore another method for creating loops using ribber gate pegs. Normally one would begin with waste yarn, ravel cord, at least one row of knitting before beginning in any pattern. In tests that is not necessarily relevant. Begin with some knitting on the machine. Ribber setting on P, ribber brackets set to middle position

Have an every other needle pusher tool on hand and yarns of different thicknesses, knit a few rows and hang weight evenly across all stitches at any time in that process bring every other needle out to E (Studio D)/ aka holding position *work your way across the beds, wrapping every other E position needle clockwise and the gate peg directly below it, resulting in the twist knit one row, repeat wraps counterclockwise in the opposite direction knit  3 rows, returning to starting side use a tool to lift loops off the ribber sinker posts push loops down between the beds**repeat * to **,  knit at least one more row across any loops at the top of the piece and bind off.
The loops are directional, so if this were a scarf, their “lean” would be down at one end, and up onto the other. My loops are formed using a loose twist acrylic yarn, one less so would avoid any splitting issues as the piece grows. Steaming acrylic can flatten it permanently. I did steam my swatch to try to keep it from rolling as much, so the resulting loops are a bit flattened.
This technique is a variation of weaving. The heavier yarn will tend to force the stitches in the background apart, resulting in “bleed-through”. The frequency of creating the loops can vary, and just as in single bed knitting their location as well, but they will be fixed height throughout. After testing consideration may be given to automating the needle selection to make the process faster and perhaps more accurate. Brother preselects, so after that is done for each row, bring only the selected needles out to D consistently, and proceed as above. Below is a possible repeat to imitate my swatch based on the 24 stitch width restriction for punchcard machine users, remembering that any punchcard height minimum is 36 rows The minimum electronic repeat:

Though long stitches in a pattern may be created by a variety of methods, I will begin the topic by discussing long stitch stripes across the width of the knit.
The easiest, quickest long stitches are produced by simply working with extremes in knitting tension. There are size limitations in this technique. One example would be fabric produced by knitting 2 rows at as tight tension as possible for the yarn ie. 2, and one row at the loosest tension possible: 10. Testing the yarn will help define the limits.
The loose stitches may have a tendency to jump off, so even weight is required. The tension dial must be adjusted for the appropriate stitch formation. Playing with the number in sequences will change the look of the fabric.
Adding stripes: if 2 carriages appropriate to the machine model are available, each tension dial may be set to different tension numbers. Keeping 2-row sequences or even multiples will get carriages back to the desired location on right or left. The same color may be used, and threading with different color yarns will produce stripes easily, while also making it possible to avoid cut ends that must be woven in.
Another single bed method is to knit stitches back to A position, in turn pulling down on the knit since A position is an alternative one for holding and needles pulled back there will not knit; again, care and weight will avoid the long stitches created jumping off the needles. Weights need to be moved up at frequent intervals.
Leaving needles empty and out of work in either of the above methods will create ladders intersecting the long stitches, opening yet another series of patterning possibilities.
Rows of long stitches may, in turn, be manipulated ie. by cabling, stringing beads at intervals onto selected loops, and solid knit rows may incorporate patterning ie. lace, or tuck. As a larger number of continuous rows are knit or patterning is introduced, the tight tension may have to be adjusted accordingly, and long stitches may then appear inadequate in their height for the desired effect.
The single bed cast-on comb or ribber sinker posts may be used to create longer loops. If using a cast-on comb, secure it with paper clips or lengths of yarn just outside the width of your knit, hanging enough weight on it to keep it from shifting. On the knit carriage side, the item used to secure the comb must be either adjacent to the first stitch to avoid loops on that edge or the yarn may be placed in front of it to avoid them.
Ribbons may be threaded through loops, and drawn threadwork may be imitated. “Cable” groups may be crossed, twisted, pulled through each other, and otherwise manipulated, some such groupings may evoke broomstick lace.
Some people find it easier to wrap yarn around an item of fixed width such as a ruler to achieve the desired loop length.
If a ribber is in use its gate pegs may be used for wrapping the yarn. Enough knit rows then need to happen on the main bed so the loops may be released from the gate pegs.
The yarn is wrapped counterclockwise in most instances for loops, and swatch results to test the desired effect for any twist in stitches.
Long stitches are knit through the preceding row one at a time, long surface loops sit on the surface of the knit, and may need to be e wrapped as they are created to further secure their placement.
Simple horizontal rows of elongated stitches may also be accomplished by knitting with the ribber in use, knitting fabric on the main bed; the ribber is set to slip throughout except for the “long stitch” row where the ribber knits across all the stitches, and at the end of the row those same stitches are dropped by any preferred method.
Any of these methods may be combined with hand manipulation and holding to vary loop sizes, locations, fiber content, color, etc. Susan Guagliumi’s book “Hand Manipulated Stitches for Machine Knitters” is a good reference for several variations.
Transferring all stitches to ribber and having the main bed knit in selective patterns and techniques opens up a whole other area of textured, lacy fabrics, referred to as drop stitch lace.
On the Passap long stitches of even size across a whole row may be further manipulated ie to imitate broomstick lace begin by casting on every other needle, some weight may be useful, and transfer all stitches to the back bed.
With a strand of yarn taken from the feeding eyelet manually knit every stitch one at a time to the out-of-work position, carefully pulling to keep the stitch length even.
Pull down on the fabric. Rear bed needles will now be returned to the work position.
Depending on the specific variation in grouping loops the locks may be brought to the opposite side before knitting the next row. Since the stitches are in the out-of-work position, they should remain unaffected. Alternately if there are wide open spaces as part of the design the yarn on the left may be used to cast-on across the row while knitting together gathered stitches, and then return to the right side for additional knitting will have been achieved.
For swatch photos please see the post and for how-tos see a bit on the method