How to work the knitted turned hem
![](https://elizabethsmithknits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Turned-Hem-1.png)
What is a knitted turned hem?
The knitted turned hem creates such a nice, clean edge and it allows you to have a flat, non-rolling stockinette stitch hem! How does it do this? You create a double layer of stockinette stitch and half of it is folded under on the inside of your fabric. Here it is pictured in my Acadia Loop neckwarmer:
![](https://elizabethsmithknits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Turned-Hem-2.png)
You’ll see it on the bottom of cowls or sweaters and they are multiple ways you can create them. Often they are hand-seamed down, but when you are working in the round and the bottom of the hem is your cast-on edge (so in a bottom-up sweater or bottom-up cowl), you can skip the hand-seaming and create the turned-hem as you knit. This is what I did in my Acadia Loop Neckwarmer (tutorial below) as well as my Winslow Park Cowl.
Tips before you get started…
When working this particular technique, here are some general tips I have:
- Cast-on LOOSELY. Because you’ll later be picking up and knitting into the cast-on edge stitches, looser will be easier. Even if you have to cast-on with a larger needle size.
- Especially for the first time you try this technique, use a light color yarn – this will help you see those cast-on stitches better.
How it’s worked in these cowls
Let me show you how you do it when working in the round from the bottom-up, just like in this neckwarmer.
- You start by casting-on – I use the long-tail cast-on method and the most important thing to remember is to try to cast-on as loosely as possible!
- Then you work in plain stockinette stitch in the round for about 1″.
- Then you work a purl round (to create a ridge), followed by another 1″ of stockinette stitch.
- Then comes the turning part…
![](https://elizabethsmithknits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/TurnedHem-Before.png)
Flip the hem up so that your purl ridge is now the bottom edge and the cast-on stitches are lined up next to (and to the left) of your “live” stitches on the left needle.
![](https://elizabethsmithknits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/TurnedHem-Flip.png)
The next step will be to knit into your “live” stitch AND the corresponding cast-on stitch and knit them together. Sounds a little tricky but once you do the first couple it’s so easy! My video tutorial below shows you exactly how to do it:
And for some additional photo tutorials, check out this page where I walk you through the process with my Winslow Park Cowl. Happy knitting!