Short rows are a very handy way to create shaping in knitted fabric. Use it, for example, to raise the back of the neck in sweaters, or turn the heel in socks. As a matter of fact, I first encountered these shadow wrap short rows in this sock project I was knitting. I really like them, because just like German short rows, you end up with some sort of “double stitch” that is pretty invisible in the resulting fabric. The way to go about making that double stitch is quite different, though.
Grab your materials and let’s get started! As with all short rows, they can be worked on both right side and wrong side rows. In this tutorial, I’ll focus on the working the shadow wrap short rows on the wrong side of the fabric. For the one about the right side, click here.
Materials used
Yarn:Â Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color Tea Rose.
Knitting needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting. Brand unknown.
Working shadow wrap short rows on the WS step by step
- Work as instructed by your pattern on the wrong side of the fabric, until the point where you are to turn for the short row.
- Before you turn, work a modified Left-Leaning Lifted Increase (LLIP) into the next stitch on your left-hand needle.
To do so, first slip the next stitch from the left-hand to the right-hand needle.
- Next, insert your left-hand needle from bottom to top into the horizontal purl bump directly below the stitch slipped to the right-hand needle, and place it on the left-hand needle.
This is where the modification comes in, with a regular LLIP, you would insert the needle into the second horizontal purl bump below the stitch slipped to the right-hand needle.
- Now purl into the loop you just placed on the left-hand needle.
Do you see in the picture below, of the result of this step how it sits next to its “shadow stitch”?
- Slip the original stitch together with its “shadow” back to the left-hand needle.
- Next, turn your work and knit back to where your pattern says.
- When you work back to the shadow wrap on the wrong side, just purl the 2 shadow stitches together as if they are a single stitch, to close the short row without any gaps in your fabric.
And this is how to work shadow wrap short rows on the WS!
The result
Please note that in the below picture, I’ve worked 2 sets of shadow wrap short rows on the wrong side, as well as 2 on the right side. The tutorial on how to work shadow wrap short rows on the RS can be found here.
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