Major Knitter

Variations on a Theme

Yesterday while my friends came over for knitting and lunch, I managed to pick up the red Kyler's Kardigan and work on my variation.  You'll remember that I'm not following the pattern as written.  I've decided to make the pouch more like the Wallaby pouch.  For a refresher of what I did, check THIS POST.

When we last saw our intrepid Kyler's Kardigan, the front pockets had been fused to the bottom of the sweater.  There was an opening on the button band side that I promised to close when I picked up the button band.  So here goes the pic-tutorial.

When I picked up the sts for the button band (or in this case the zipper band), I used my crochet hook to ensure I went through a) the pouch and b) the body of the sweater.  

Can you see that I've now connected the body of the sweater (top of picture) to the pouch (bottom of sweater)?  It's perfectly closed.

I knit the 2 rows of garter stitch and am ready to bind off.  On the right side of the sweater I did the bind off knit-wise to give the final bump on the public side of the sweater which fit in nicely with the garter stitch rib.

Voila!  the button bands are done and the pockets are beautifully fused together.  Oh me.  Oh my.  I kinda like my Kyler's Kardigan.  

Waltzing Matildas

That's the song that comes to mind whenever I'm knitting one of my Wallabies.  With four complete and three more to go, I will probably have the song memorized and understand all the Aussie terms by heart before my mission is complete.

Speaking of missions, I've apparently been working on a stealth Wallaby and haven't really posted about it since I accidentally started it on August 21st.  I thought this was the color the birthday boy had selected, and once I finished the waistband, I discovered that ye olde birthday boy wanted blue, not red.  I had the wrong nephew in mind.  I set the red Wallaby aside while I worked on the blue Wallaby.  Well, sort of.

You see, I've actually been knitting away quite faithfully on the red Wallaby.  I finished the body and sleeves up to the point where I was ready to join the sleeves to the body.  It was an opportune time for Nancy to email me with questions about how to properly join the sleeves.  The Cottage Creations pattern is a delight - but sometimes is written in a way that might challenge a visual or tactile knitter.  So, I decided to make a pictutorial on how to join the sleeves of the Wallaby to the body.  I am using the children's size 10 Washington Wallaby for the example.  If you're making a different size, please refer to the pattern for the actual number of sts or rounds.

When you have knit the sleeves to the desired length, you can set aside the 8 underarm sts on either a stitch holder, scrap yarn or safety pins.  

You'll have a stitch marker showing where the round began.  Since you already broke the yarn on the sleeves, you will simply be placing four (4) sts before and after the st marker on your stitch holder as shown below.

Remove the 4 sts before the st marker from the needle.

Using your safety pin, st holder or scrap yarn, place those four sts on your holder.

Now pick up the four (4) sts on the other side of the st marker and place them on your st marker.  These are the 8 sts that will be set aside (and no longer knit) for the underarm seam.

Now pick up the body of the sweater.  On the top of page 8 of the pattern it says to K one more round.  K 4 sts past the right side marker and then put preceeding 8 sts on a holder...  This is the part that causes some confusion to a visual knitter, so I've tried to depict this for you.  First of all, I like to use a special marker that is different from the rest to designate this right side.  Pretty, isn't it?  You'll note that I knit 4 sts past the st marker and stopped.

Now you need to put the "preceeding 8 sts on a holder" - which is to say the 4 sts before and after your st marker.  This will be the exact center of your underarm.

Now continue to knit across the back of the sweater to the other st marker at the opposite underam.

Repeat the process - knitting 4 sts past the st marker and then placing the preceeding 8 sts on the st holder.  Just like the right side, these are the 4 sts before and the 4 sts after the st marker.  Note that the live yarn is to to the left of the st holder - ready to continue knitting on the front of the sweater.  When you get to the right side - place the sweater and the sleeve side by side.

Now you'll place the sleeve and the body next to each other (sleeve is on the left and the body is on the right).  The sts on the stitch holders (safety pins) should be facing each other.

Now you are ready to join the sleeve to the body of the sweater.  The live yarn is on the far right needle (attached to the body of the sweater just before the fancy stitch marker - not pictured).  You will use this yarn to start knitting on the front of the sleeve (bamboo needle in picture).

Here's the first stitch joining the body (right) to the sleeve (left).

Knit around the entire sleeve.  Please note that the st holders with the underarm sts are directly opposite each other on the body and the sleeve.  When you finish knitting the sleeve sts, you will continue to the back of the sweater.

Joining the sleeve to the back of the sweater.  The join is complete for the first sleeve!

Here's an aerial view of the join.  That gap in the underarm will remain until you finish the sweater and graft it shut.  This is what gives the sweater its give and roominess for moving arms.  Now continue knitting across the back of the sweater to the other side.

Repeat the join in the very same manner for the second sleeve.

Join the back of the sleeve and then the front of the sleeve making sure the underarm sts on the st holders are directly opposite each other.

Knit around 4 rounds adding st markers at the front and back of each sleeve.  These will mark the spots you will decrease every other round for the yoke.  Congratulations!  You did it.  You joined the sleeves to the body of your Wonderful Wallaby.  Now that wasn't too hard, was it?

Just to be certain you have followed the direction for your size 10 Washington Wallaby correctly, look at each underarm.  You should have something that looks like this - 8 sts on the sleeve st holder and 8 sts on the body underarm st holder.  

Congratulations!  I knew you could do it.  Now how many Wonderful Wallabies will you knit?  This red one is my fifth one already.  I knit my first one this spring.  I'm on a kick.  I hope to knit 2-3 more before the holidays.  Wish me luck.

Sleeves from the Top Down

The pattern for the Fair Isle Yoke Cardigan calls for the sleeves to be knit flat than sewed to the armhole and seamed shut.  I never like the way this looks.  I prefer to pick up the stitches for the sleeve along the armhole (which works with these sleeves since they are flat across the top and not shaped). 

 

Here are the 52 sts (26 on the front and 26 on the back - knit in the round using 40" Turbo Addis in US Size 3 and the Magic Loop methodology.  I just inverted the pattern - so instead of starting at the cuff and increasing 2 sts every 4th round, I picked up the sts on the underarm and decreased 2 sts (at the beginning and end of the underarm) every 4th round.

 

I'm quite pleased with the crisp even look this methodology produces. 

I've been toying with the idea of using short rows to do the same methodology for capped sleeves.  Estella mentioned that she made a sweater doing that very same thing.  I'm going to check out the pattern for that sweater and try to incorporate it in the Kaffe Fasset Floral Jacket.  I don't know if it will work or not for that particular sweater, but I'd sure like to give it a try.

Do you ever make sleeves from the top down?  Why or why not?

Judy Becker's Magic Cast On

Joanne came over with her son Grant yesterday for a knitting session.  Both Joanne and I are signed up for the Knitting Central Sock Club and the first sock is called Chutes and Ladders designed by Danni Conway.  It's a great sock and it's even better because it's applying a new technique that I've learned in theory, but never actually used - Judy Becker's Magic Cast On from Knitty.  Joanne and I spent over an hour watching Cat Bordhi's You Tube video (with Cat Brodhi's self-professed crazy sing-songing voice which caused great laughter - but darn it if it didn't get stuck in our brain housing groups just like Cat promised!)  If you've never done toe-up socks because you can't figure out the Magic Cast On - check out the You Tube.  It's brilliant.

I bet Cat's sing-songing voice will get stuck in your mind, too.

I enjoyed Judy Becker's brilliance so much I cast on for 4 different socks.  You know me.  Why would I stop at one pair when I can cast on for two pairs of socks at the same time?

De-Mystifying the Magic Loop

If you haven't seen it yet, click HERE for Knit Pick's great online tutorial on the Magic Loop method.  Great stuff!

Nona Swatches

As I was logging into to Typepad today I noticed that the feature blog was about knitting.  FINALLY!  And what a blog it is.  It's called NonaSwatches and it looks completely brilliant.  Pop on over and say hello.

Mock Cable Instructions

Alisa (and others) have recently asked me about the pattern for the Pink Koigu Mock Cable.

OK - I just did it... no pattern.  If you want to make the mock cable, too, see if you can try this. 

Make a small swatch. 

CO 22 sts

It's a *(p2, k3), repeat to final 2 sts. P2 - ribbing pattern.  RS.

WS - *(k2, p3), repeat to final 2 sts. K2

Every 6th row you repeat the RS pattern, but for every K3 section you do the following:   

1 - knit into the 3rd st (leave st on the needle)

2 - knit into the first st (leave sts on the needle)

3 - knit into the 2nd st - this is usually the tightest st to knit - then remove all 3 sts at once. 

Give your mock cable a little tug to make sure that they all stayed on the needle.  When I first learned this, I had a few problems and it took me about half a dozen mock cables to figure it out.  At first it's a bit tricky, but once you get the hang of it, it's actually quicker and easier than using a cable needle.

Good luck and let me know how it works!

UPSIDE DOWN KNITTING - A PRIMER ON SEAMLESS KNITTING

Download microsoft_word_upside_down_knitting_pictutorial.pdf

MATERIALS

• US Size 6 dpns
• US Size 8 dpns
• Crochet hook (for finishing)
• Leftover worsted weight yarn – I used less than one skein for the entire sweater.  If you want to make a bi-colored sweater, pick out a variegated yarn for the main color (MC) and a complementary solid color for the contrast color (CC).  If you want to make a solid sweater, you’ll only need one color.
• Provisional Cast On Color – This yarn is also a worsted weight acrylic yarn in a color so completely opposite from the yarn colors of your sweater so as not to be confused for the actual sweater.  This is only a place holder and will be ripped out at various stages of the knitting.
• Gauge:  5 sts = 1 inch wide and 6 sts = 1 inch tall

PROVISIONAL CAST ON

Using US Size 8 dpns, cast on 20 stitches using the provisional cast on colored yarn. 

Knit across.