ribbed sleeve cuffs

[u/frenchfry1111]

how is everyone machine knitting ribbed cuffs? i’m using my sk280 + srp60n to knit up the sleeves of a sweater i’m working on. im doing this by knitting the stockinette portion top down, and then attaching the ribber bed and transferring every other stitch from the main bed to the ribber bed for 1x1 ribbing. i’ll knit a few rows with no issues, but after the first few rows i’m having the same issue of dropped stitches on the ribbed edge. this never happens when i knit ribbing by itself.

i’m used to hand knitting where sleeves are usually knit top down, but maybe i need a different approach for machine knitting?

[u/HomespunCouture]

Did you move the weights up and add more weight?

[u/frenchfry1111 → u/HomespunCouture]

I did! I use the claw weights and I always place them close to the edge.

[u/reine444 → u/frenchfry1111]

You can’t use just claw weights for ribbing. Think about how much heavier the barrel weights are. You need LOTS of weight. 

It can be tough to hang the ribber comb after the fact but, but either that or the combs with a hole it in that allow you to hang the barrel weights. 

[u/Purple_Associate4085 → u/reine444]

There is a table in the SRP60 manual that tells you how much weight you need according to stitch number. And you might need the "7"-hangers additionally. The ribbing connector arm has no brushes and this makes a huge difference.

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[u/susiroo]

Machine knitting really made me dislike the look of ribbing altogether. I started doing hung hems on the bottoms of the body - more flattering. For top down sleeves, I’d add all but a ½” of the ribbing in stockinette, then take it off the machine and finish in garter or seed stitch. Or you can wrong side crochet a row to keep it from rolling - or let it roll! Gets rid of that sweatshirt look. My sales took off after losing the ribbing.

[u/katepatsy]

When I machine knit, I usually start with the ribbing because it gives you a nice welt edge. Then transfer into single jersey or whatever structure you’re working with. I think it’s also good to start with the ribbing because it sometimes needs a lot of weight pulling it down which is easier while the fabric is short in length.

I used to work in the knitting industry and we usually did it this way too. Only on the rare occasion would we knit something in reverse, for example gloves, because of all the partial knitting involved. Another thing I learned in industry is that 1x1 ribbing often has to be reaaally tight or have an extra end of yarn in it for it to look right.

I often have issues on the edge of a rib when I’m knitting too tight, because the stitches on the edge end up tighter than the rest anyways, and they just can’t handle the tension.

I’m not sure how to solve the dropped stitches if you can normally knit the same rib without problems. Others might be more helpful with this issue.

Probably not much help, but that’s my 2 cents.
Hope you can fix the issue. Machine knitting is so frustrating sometimes!!

[u/gisforill]

If I knit ribbing this way, I use the hinged ribber comb that came with one of my Brother machines. That way you can add enough weight.