Gather (knitting)

In knitting, a gather draws stitches closer together within a row of knitting.

Common methods include: In the sewing technique ruching (pronounced /ˈruːʃɪŋ/, ROO-shing also spelled rouching), a large number of increases are introduced in one row, which are then removed by decreases a few rows later.

This produces many small vertical ripples or "ruches" in the fabric, effectively little pleats.

The technique of shirring produces a similar effect by gathering the fabric in two parallel rows (not necessarily horizontal), usually by smocking.