technique: work flat and turn

Work flat?  What’s that?

Turn?  Huh?

I get some form of these questions a lot.  Work flat means to knit (or purl) back and forth rather than in circular rounds. Turn means to physically turn your work in progress so that the needle that was in your right hand is now in your left, and vice versa, thus positioning your knitting so that you can work back in the opposite direction.

When you cast on and work the first three rows of a Swirl, you are working flat, turning your knitting at the completion of each row.  When you join the circle at the end of the third row you are working in the round, doing circular knitting. You will continue to work in the round until in:

• Centered Circle and Centered Oval silhouette patterns, you have completed the outer circle /oval.  Then, in row 1 of the first welt that follows the heading Back Bodice and Sleeves, you will bind off a long length of stitches, thus forming the inner collar edge.  Starting with Row 2, you will be working flat, turning at the end of each row.  Refer to the stitch pattern summary at the beginning of the pattern for the “When working flat” stitch pattern instructions and follow that stitch pattern through remainder of pattern.

• Off-Center Circle and Off-Center Oval silhouette patterns, you begin to form the inner collar edge.  This occurs in row 1 of the first welt that follows the heading Inner Collar Edge where you will either be directed to decrease 1 stitch at the beginning and end of the row, or directed to bind off a number of stitches at a particular point in the row.  In either case, starting with Row 2, you will be working flat, turning at the end of each row.  Refer to the stitch pattern summary at the beginning of the pattern for the “When working flat” stitch pattern instructions and follow that stitch pattern through remainder of pattern.

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