What Short Rows Do
A short row is exactly what it sounds like: a row that does not go all the way across the work. You knit to a certain point, turn the work around, and knit back — working a shorter distance than a full row would cover. This adds extra length or depth to one section of the fabric without adding length to the rest.
The applications are broad and important:
- Bust darts: Adding extra rows to the front of a sweater at the bust line so the fabric doesn't pull up in the front
- Shoulder shaping: Creating angled shoulders by progressively shortening the active knitting area
- Sock heels (short row heel): Shaping the heel cup by working progressively shorter rows, then progressively longer ones
- Curved hems: Creating a longer back hem than front hem without a seam
- Three-dimensional shaping: Shaping hats, mitts, and other rounded forms
The challenge with short rows is the turn point: when you stop mid-row and turn, you leave a gap in the fabric where the yarn has to bridge from one direction to another. All short row methods exist to close or disguise that gap. The wrap and turn (W&T) method is the classic approach, still widely used and specified in many older and current patterns.
The Wrap and Turn Method: On a Knit Row
- Knit to the turning point specified in your pattern. Stop here — do not knit the next stitch.
- Bring the yarn to the front of the work, between the needle tips (as if you are about to purl).
- Slip the next stitch from the left needle to the right needle, purlwise (without knitting it).
- Bring the yarn to the back of the work, between the needle tips again. The yarn has now wrapped around the base of the slipped stitch.
- Slip the stitch back from the right needle to the left needle, purlwise.
- Turn the work. The wrapped stitch is now the first stitch on your left needle.
- Continue knitting or purling across as the pattern directs.
The wrap — a small loop of yarn sitting around the base of the stitch — acts as a structural anchor at the turning point, preventing a hole from opening in the fabric.
The Wrap and Turn Method: On a Purl Row
- Purl to the turning point. Stop here.
- Bring the yarn to the back of the work (away from you), between the needle tips.
- Slip the next stitch from the left needle to the right needle, purlwise.
- Bring the yarn to the front of the work (toward you), between the needle tips. The yarn wraps around the base of the slipped stitch.
- Slip the stitch back from the right needle to the left needle, purlwise.
- Turn the work.
- Continue as the pattern directs.
On a purl row, the wrap sits on the opposite side of the stitch from a knit-row wrap. You will pick up wraps differently depending on which side they are on — more on this below.
Picking Up Wraps (Hiding the Gap)
When you work back across the fabric and reach a wrapped stitch, you need to pick up the wrap and knit or purl it together with the stitch it wraps. This closes the gap at the turning point and makes the short row nearly invisible.
Picking up a wrap on a knit row: When you reach the wrapped stitch, insert your right needle tip from front to back under the wrap (the small loop at the base of the stitch), then into the stitch itself. Knit them together as one stitch. The wrap disappears into the stitch.
Picking up a wrap on a purl row: When you reach the wrapped stitch from the purl side, insert your right needle tip from back to front under the wrap, then into the stitch from the purl direction. Purl them together as one stitch.
The wrap pickup is the step that many knitters find confusing the first few times. The key is always to pick up the wrap first (place it on the needle before the stitch) and then work both together. If you purl or knit the stitch first and then try to add the wrap, the result looks different and less clean.
In Sock Heels: Short Row Heel Step by Step
The short row sock heel is a classic application. Here is how the decrease phase works (assuming 30 heel stitches):
- Knit to the last stitch, W&T. Turn.
- Purl to the last stitch, W&T. Turn.
- Knit to one stitch before the first wrap, W&T. Turn.
- Purl to one stitch before the first wrap on this side, W&T. Turn.
- Continue, working shorter each row, until approximately one-third of stitches are wrapped on each side and one-third remain unwrapped in the center.
Then the increase phase: work toward the wrapped stitches, picking up each wrap as you encounter it, until all stitches are live again and no wraps remain. The heel cup is shaped.
What Makes a Good W&T Short Row
Three things separate a clean W&T from a messy one:
- Consistent tension: The stitch immediately before the turn point tends to be looser than its neighbors because there is extra yarn movement at the turn. Tug the working yarn firmly before turning to keep this stitch tight.
- Picking up wraps from the correct direction: If you insert the needle from the wrong direction, the picked-up wrap sits twisted and creates a visible purl bump on the right side. Practice on a swatch until the direction is automatic.
- Not skipping any wraps: Each wrapped stitch must have its wrap picked up when you reach it. If you knit or purl the stitch without picking up the wrap, the wrap remains as a small visible loop on the fabric surface.
German Short Rows: A Simpler Alternative
The German short row (also called the double stitch method) is arguably easier than W&T and produces equally clean results. Instead of wrapping, you turn the work and then slip the first stitch and pull the working yarn firmly over the needle tip to create a "double stitch" — a stitch with two legs visible on the needle. When you return to that stitch, you knit or purl both legs together.
Many knitters who struggle with the wrap pickup in W&T find German short rows cleaner and easier to track. The double stitch is visually obvious on the needle, which makes it impossible to accidentally skip. If you find W&T frustrating after several practice attempts, try German short rows instead — the result is virtually identical.
Practice Pattern: Short Row Rectangle
Cast on 30 stitches. Knit 4 rows even. Then: Knit to 5 stitches before the end, W&T. Purl to 5 stitches before the other end, W&T. Repeat until you have 10 stitches in the center (5 wrapped on each side). Then work back outward, picking up each wrap as you go. This creates a small domed swatch that lets you practice both the wrap placement and the pickup in one exercise.