When I knit flat, my stockinette rows out badly but the stitch and row gauge is the same for 1,1 ribbing, stockinette, and reverse stockinette. So I was really confused when I developed the Holly and Ivy Mittens; the various sections had different row gauges and were not playing nicely together at all.
Enter this green swatch.
Wow, when I knit in the round, my reverse stockinette field is hugely bigger than my 1,1 ribbing, and my stockinette stitch is SMALLER than my 1,1 ribbing.
I love making stockinette motifs in fields of reverse stockinette surrounded by 1,1 ribbing – and I don’t want weird unblock-able bubbles of fabric in them!
So I’ve become a heavy knit-back-backwards knitter, in both flat and circular situations, it keeps my reverse stockinette as tight as my stockinette. I used to use a smaller needle for purl rows, but I like single needle solutions whenever possible, especially if they don’t involve me changing my familiar motions.
Have you discovered a tension problem of your own? How have you fixed it?