What does it mean when it says it knitted from side to side?

Question

What does it mean when it says it knitted from side to side?

Answer 1

it means that it is knitted flat in rows back and forth, more like rows, instead of in the round, on either circular or double pointed needles, where you just keep knitting in a circle, more like a spiral

Answer 2

if you are talking about a jumper/sweater pattern - then it means that instead of being knitted from the bottom up like most patterns it is knitted sideways.

eg - from side seam to side seam instead of from bottom hem to neck.

Answer 3

Some patterns that are knit from side to side are actually done from the cuff of one sleeve, across the body, to the cuff of the other sleeve.  When it's done, the only seams to sew are from the cuff down to the bottom - just one long seam on each side.  Great patterns for putting vertical stripes or patterns into a sweater.

Answer 4

Some visual effects are best achieved when knitting from seam-to-seam.  That means that one starts at one seam, casting on, and then knits across until stopping at the other seam.  It is much easier to make vertical stripes this way in knitting, because they only look vertical--they are actually knit horizontally and then the piece is turned side-ways.

It is also common to see a pattern for a top with the yoke knitted n the usual way and the bottom part knitted side-to-side.  It greatly increases the number of patterns which can be knit easily.