or how to minimize it.

We’ve all seen it – those projects that look great if they’re held at one angle, but at another they look…homemade 🙁 Not handmade, but homemade.

And believe me, no one wants to make something that looks homemade.

Avoiding the jog (or stair step) is one of those things that really elevates your project, and it’s easier than you think (but it does take a little effort).

Step 1: Mark the first stitch with a stitch marker.

Step 2: Work as many rounds as the pattern says.

Step 3: Slip stitch in the next stitch. Clip the yarn (yes, even if you need it again in a few rounds), and pull it through. Remove the stitch marker. Your stitches should make a fairly straight line.

Step 4: Pick another place in the round (not right in sequence), yarn over and pull up a loop with the new yarn,

ch1

sc in that same stitch (counts as one stitch).

Mark it with a stitch marker.

Step 5: Once you’ve worked at least a full round, pull tightly on the slip stitch in the old color and even put it in the direction of the rest of that color (do this when weaving in the end too, as it will help mask the look as well).

Step 6: Repeat steps 3 through 5 until you’re done.

Why it works

The issue that occurs with the jog is that the ending stitch (in C1) is in the same round as the beginning stitch (in C2). Doing the slip stitch closes out that round so it’s complete.

Also, our brains are wired to pick up patterns (and we rely on that, so it’s a good thing), but in this case picking another place in Step 4 makes the joins occur at different points. It’s much harder for our brains to detect the “pattern” so it looks more correct.

What do you think?

There’s no method that’s 100% perfect for jogless stripes, but I think this one is pretty good. And while I didn’t want to confuse things by crocheting over the ends, I highly recommend it in this case.

Give It a Try

The next time you’re crocheting stripes in a spiral, give this method a try.

Craft Smarter In the New Year

This post is part of our Craft Smarter in the New Year series in January 2018! Don’t miss any of our posts!

1. Improved SSK’s (knit)
2. Centered Double Decrease (knit)
3. Stacked Increases and Decreases (knit)
4. Post Stitches (crochet)
5. Weaving in Ends (crochet)
6. Jogless Stripes (crochet)
7. Bias Bindoff (knit)
8. Fix-a-Stitch Review (knit)
9. One-Row Buttonhole (knit)