Short Rows

Short rows (also referred to as partial knitting or holding position knitting) is a fundamental machine knitting technique where only a portion of the needles on the needle bed are knit during a carriage pass, while the remaining needles are held in inactive positions. This technique allows the knitter to add fabric height to specific sections of a garment without altering the row count of the rest of the piece, enabling complex three-dimensional shaping.

Mechanical Operation

To perform short rows, the knitting machine's carriage must be set to hold, which prevents needles in the holding position from knitting:

• Brother: Set the Russell levers on the carriage to the I position. Needles pulled fully forward to the E position will be held, while needles in B or D positions will knit normally.
• Silver Reed / Studio: Set the carriage selection lever to the holding position (usually designated as H). Needles pushed forward to the D position will be held.
• Passap: Set the locks to slide/hold (e.g., using pushers and lock settings) according to the manual.

Wrapping to Prevent Holes

When transitioning between active needles and held needles, a small gap or hole can form at the turning point. To prevent this, knitters use a technique called wrapping:

1. Move the carriage to the side opposite the needles to be held.
2. Push the desired needles forward into holding position.
3. Pass the carriage across the bed.
4. Take the active yarn and manually wrap it under the shank of the first held needle closest to the active knitting.
5. Return the carriage across the bed. The wrapped loop locks the boundary stitches together, closing the gap.

Common Applications

• Garment Shaping: Creating sloped shoulders, bust darts, necklines, and curved hems.
• Three-Dimensional Contours: Knitting heels and toes for socks, crowns for hats, and sculptural art knits.
• Ruffles and spirals: Creating circular flounces or decorative ruffles by repeating wedge-shaped short-row segments.