Shortrowed

Shortrowed is a knitting technique used to create shaping within a knitted fabric without cutting the yarn or creating holes. It involves working only a portion of the stitches on a needle and then turning the work to work back in the other direction. This process is repeated, gradually leaving more stitches unworked on each side of the row.

The unworked stitches are temporarily held on the needle, effectively creating a short row. When the knitter returns to work across these stitches later, they are picked up and incorporated into the fabric. The method of picking up these stitches is crucial to avoiding holes or gaps. Common techniques for managing the short rows and preventing holes include wrapping the yarn around the last stitch worked before turning, or using specialized shortrow heels like the German Shortrow method which incorporates a "twin stitch" or "double stitch" by lifting the next stitch from the row below onto the right needle and knitting it together with the current stitch.

Shortrowing is frequently employed in creating curved shapes in knitting, such as the heels and toes of socks, the cups of seamless bras or bustles, and shaping the shoulders or necklines of garments. It allows for subtle decreases or increases in stitch count over a small area, leading to a smooth, integrated shaping effect that is often desirable in fitted knitwear. The technique can be used to create diagonal lines, subtle curves, or more pronounced shaping depending on the pattern and the knitter's execution.