Short Row Circular Sweater Necks at Countrywool

Let me preface the directions by saying that this uniquely worked neck was first illustrated for me in Elizabeth Zimmermann's KNITTING WITHOUT TEARS . This book opened up a door for me in sweater design, and once going through I have never looked back.

Well fitting necks are lower in the front and higher in the back. Working circularly knit sweaters has always been a challenge, as the easy way to finish off, or start, a circular sweater generally results in a neck that crowds the chin. Necks are commonly 2-4 inches higher in the back for most adult sweaters....1-2 inches for kids. If you know your row gauge (work a swatch to find it!) you can figure out for yourself how many short rows to add to any sweater pattern for the perfect fit. Where to put them is knitter's choice, but generally they look best if the TURNS are straddling the shoulders, so they are not always exactly where you see them in the diagram. The TURNS need to be staggered in an an even manner, so that you create a CRESCENT MOON shape of added fabric,. Short row wrap turns are executed thusly:

short row wrap = slip next st, bring working yarn through needles to opposite side of work,
slip st back to left hand needle, put working yarn back to where it started.
Turn work, preparing to work back in the opposite direction, as in flat, back-and-forth knitting.

Here is a common spacing of shaping short row turns:

Row 1: outside: work in pattern to 2 sts before last wrapped st, SRW, turn
Row 2: inside: work in pattern to 2 sts before last wrapped st, SRW, turn.

Or, our NEW favorite: German Short Rows!
GSRW = german short row wrap = worked at the beginning of each row starting with the 2nd row.
*KNIT required number of stitches, turn. With yarn at front, slip next stitch as if to purl, wrap yarn over the top of the right needle to the back, pulling the stitch up to the top of the needle (two loops appear)and pull yarn between needles to the front.
PURL required number of stitches, turn. With yarn at the front, slip next stitch as if to purl, wrap yarn over the top of the right needle to the back, pulling the stitch up to the top of the needle (two loops appear). Leave yarn at the back. *
NOTE: When working past the 2-looped GSRW, work both loops together as one.

There are a few ways to create a short row neck in the round.
Depending on whether you are working the neck bottom up (Zimmermann style) or top down (Walker style), your short rows are the ENDING of the neck shaping or the BEGINNING and may not be connected at first. Zimmermann style has you starting with the red line and working towards the purple, and Walker style is the reverse.

Each line represents 2 rows of knitting: one across the INSIDE of the knitting plus one across the OUTSIDE.

The black line is the last round of knitting as you approach the neck.
Two markers are placed on the needle about 3" apart at the base of where the neck will be, which is where the red line begins on one side and ends on the other..
Starting at the red line on the left, work INSIDE, in pattern, ending at the red line at the right. Execute a short row wrap, TURN.
Work back across the same stitches on the OUTSIDE, but stop 2 stitches shy of where you started, which is starting point of the blue line on the left. Execute a short row wrap, TURN.

Starting at the blue line on the left, work INSIDE, in pattern, ending at the blue line at the right. Execute a short row wrap, TURN.
Work back across the same stitches on the OUTSIDE, but stop 2 stitches shy of where you started, which is starting point of the purple line on the left. Execute a short row wrap, TURN.

Starting at the purple line on the left, work INSIDE, in pattern, ending at the purple line at the right. Execute a short row wrap, TURN, leaving you poised to knit in the round on the OUTSIDE. All short row shaping is done.
Work in the round creating the neck finish desired.

Connecting Round: Work around the ENTIRE neck, in the round, remembering to pick up short row loos/double wraps on the first round as you go. The extra short rows worked back and forth have created a wedge of fabric, so the back measures longer the front, allowing the neck to sit properly on the shoulders.

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