Piping Techniques

These 7 methods of piping are created as you knit to enhance appearance, create excitement, or add depth to an garment. Piping is better served as a contrasting element, especially when using the following techniques. Otherwise, these techniques appear simply as garter divisions. The Ribber method is listed only as a last resort, for those who don’t own a garter bar, GC, or linker; although, this designer would opt for one of the Main Bed techniques first.

Garter Bar

K 1 R. Turn the Sts with a garter bar. K 1 R. Turn the Sts, again.

GC

Option #1. K 2 Rs with the built-in garter pattern #537.

Option #2. Press the “Memo” key to disengage any pattern, and K 1 R. Turn off only the knitting machine, and K 1 R.

Linker

For all horizontal piping, with MC, at T10, K 1R to create the marker R. For all vertical piping, place a ndl in NWP. After the garment is removed from the knitting machine, hang the T10 Rs, or the ladders from the NWP ndl (wrong side facing) on the linker. With CC, link.

Ribber

K 1 R on the main bed. Transfer all Sts to the ribber. Pull all ndls to “E” position. Slowly, K 1 R. Transfer all Sts back to the main bed.