# [Add a border that lies flat](https://threadcabin.com/explore/226/add-a-border-that-lies-flat)

> Sample the border pickup rate along a straight edge and treat corners separately. Too many attachments can wave; too few can pull the edge inward.

- Canonical page: https://threadcabin.com/explore/226/add-a-border-that-lies-flat
- Language: en
- Published: 2026-09-25T17:26:34.0484944+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-25T17:26:39.0781563+00:00
- Craft: Crochet
- Primary image: [Add a border that lies flat — example diagram](https://threadcabin.com/images/learning/c41-plan.png)

Sample the border pickup rate along a straight edge and treat corners separately. Too many attachments can wave; too few can pull the edge inward.

## Before you start

Confirm whether the instructions use US or UK terms. On a smooth-yarn sample, mark the first and last stitch and note whether the turning chain counts.

## Try this example

Along a 20 cm edge, a border gauge of 16 stitches per 10 cm suggests 32 attachments as a trial. Space them evenly and check after several border rows.

## Check your result

- Count stitch tops separately from chain spaces and compare successive row or round totals. Lay the sample down without stretching it to inspect the shape.
- A symbol or familiar stitch name does not supply a complete construction. Use the project’s own counts, turning rules and joining instructions.

## Sources

- [www.craftyarncouncil.com: crochet abbreviations](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/crochet-abbreviations)
- [media.craftyarncouncil.com: CYC_CIP_Crochet_Program_2017.pdf](https://media.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Crochet_Program_2017.pdf)

[Browse editable craft templates](/crafts?craft=crochet)

[Report a correction](/corrections).

## Sources and provenance

- [Reading crochet charts: symbols, rows, rounds, and repeats](https://threadcabin.com/explore/4/reading-crochet-charts-symbols-rows-rounds-and-repeats)
- [Fit edging repeats around corners](https://threadcabin.com/explore/227/fit-edging-repeats-around-corners)
- [Diagnose cupping and ruffles](https://threadcabin.com/explore/215/diagnose-cupping-and-ruffles)
- [Stitch pickup planner](https://threadcabin.com/tools/stitch-pickup-planner)
- [Crochet loop placement changes texture and movement](https://threadcabin.com/explore/12/crochet-loop-placement-changes-texture-and-movement)

## [Stitch pickup planner](https://threadcabin.com/tools/stitch-pickup-planner)

Plan a starting stitch count for a straight knitted edge using the gauges of the body and new band.

Count rows along the actual straight edge. Measure body rows and finished band stitches over the same distance; they describe different fabrics.  A 3-to-4 result means distribute three pickups across four edge rows, not insert three times in one hole. Recheck the band flat before continuing.

Unrounded pickups = edge rows × band stitch gauge ÷ body row gauge. Round to the nearest whole stitch; halves round up. The displayed ratio reduces the rounded count against the edge rows. Edge rows: 1–10,000; each gauge: 0.1–1,000; result: 1–10,000 stitches.

- Body rows over that distance: 20
- Band stitches over that distance: 16
- Rows along the straight edge: 40