25335458 Ch 5 Solving Problems Before They Grow 51 to 74

8/12/2019 25335458 Ch 5 Solving Problems Before They Grow 51 to 74

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chapter5S o l v i n g Prob lem s B e f o r eThey G row

~ W ~ V r~ 7 b e n Shirley showed me how to cast on, she was teaching merr to solve some knitting problems b e fore they grow. It s a way of

looking at problem-solving globally rather than locally. Or heading o ffannoying an d time-consuming problems, liker ippin g o cast-on edges,before they start.

5 1


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52 KnitFix

CastingOnCableCast-On

Thecast-on Shirley demonstratedwas thecable cast-on.It is by far themostusefulcast-on.I use it forperhaps90percentof myprojects. It's easytodo. Itgivesaneat, finished edge oneitherside.It can bestretched, whichsolves a lot ofproblems when castingonyarns that have no give.

Here'show to do it:I M a k easlipknot and place it onthe leftneedle (Figures 1-3). Thisisyourfirst stitch.

Knitintothe firststitch (Figure 4).

Figure I:Sl ipknot Step I

Figure 2:Sl ipknotStep2

Figure 3:First cas t -on sti tch

Figure4:Knit intofirsj/stitch

3Loosenyour tension and use theright needle topull the stitchwide (Figure5).

Figure 5: Pull sti tchw ide

4Withthe lef tneedle, pick up thewidened stitch f r o m underneaththefrontleg (Figure6).

Figure 6:Placeloopo nleftneedle


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SolvingProblemsBeforeTheyGrow 53

5R e m o v e t h e right n e e d le t w os t i t che shave been casto n.6\ X ~ i t h t h e

needle moving a s i ft o kn i t , insertthe right needle etween the fi rs ttwostitcheson the

leftneedle Figure7).

Figure 7:Place needlebe tweent w o st itches7Wrapt h eyarn around the t i p o fth e right needleas if toknit and

b r ingthe newloop forward etweenth e first tw o stitches tomakeastitch.L o o s e nyour tension againand usetheright needletopullthe newstitchw ide .Bringth e leftneedle underneaththe frontleg to pick up the stitch.R e m o v e the right n e e d l e t h r e estitches havebeencaston.Repea tSteps6 and 7untily o uhavecaston thedesired numberofstitches.

Notice that whenyouplace eachnew stitchon the needle its lef t legm a y beforward. Odd,but correct.Knitit as itappears.

A few tricks forneat evenstit hes1Tightenthe stitchon the left needle onlyafter you ve inserted the needle between

two stitchesto caston the nextstitch. It s eas-ier to get the rightneedle betweenthe exist-ingstitches whenthe tension is alittle loose.Tightening the yarn after placingthe needlealso makes surethat needle s ize determinesstitchsize.' IBetweenSteps6 and 7,place the pad ofCyourleftindex fingeron top of the last cast-onstitch,then tighten thestitch nexttoyourfingertip(Figure8).

Figure 8:Tighten thestitch

Castingon forribbingIfyou'reusing smaller-gauge yarn, such as

fo r socks, there s aneasyversion of the cablecast-on thataddsanicetouch.If youwant toworkinkl,pi rib, castoneveryotherstitchbyplacing the needleinStep6 as f topurl (Figure9).Thisworksparticularly wellfor sock cuffs.

Figure 9: Place needlebetweentw o st itchesa s if to purl


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SolvingProblems BeforeTheyGrow 53

5Remove th e t v g , V v tu e edV e tw ostitches have been caston.6

W i t h t h e needle moving a s i ftoknit, insert the right needle

etween the fi rs t two stitcheson theleftneedle Figure7).

Figure 7: Place needlebetween two stitches7Wraptheyarn aroundthe tip ofth eright needlea s i f toknitand

b r ingthe newloop forward etweenth e first tw ostitchest omakeastitch.L o o s e n your tension againand u s eth eright needlet op u l lthe newstitchwide. Bringth e leftneedle underneaththe frontleg to pickup the stitch.R e m o v e t h e right needlethreestitches have been casto n.RepeatSteps6 and 7untily o uhavecaston thedesired numbero fstitches.

Not ice that when y o uplace eachne w stitch o n th e needle it s lef t le gm a y be forward. Odd,but correct.Knitit as itappears.

A fewtricksforneat evenstit hes1Tighten the stitchon the left needle on/yafter you ve insertedtheneedle between

two stitchesto caston the nextstitch.It s eas-ier to get theright needle betweenthe exist-in g stitches when the tension is alittle loose.Tightening the yarn after placing theneedlealso makes surethatneedle size determinesstitch size.Between Steps6and7, p lacethepadofdiyourleftindexfinger on top of thelast cast-on stitch,thentighten thestitch nextto yourfingertip (Figure8).

Figure8:Tighten the stitch

Castingon for ribbingIf you re using smal le r -gaugeyarn, suchas

fo r socks ,there s a neasyversionof the cablecast -on that adds a nice touch. If you want toworkinkl,pi rib, castoneveryotherstitchbyplacing the needle inStep6 as if topurl (Figure9). This works particularly well f or sockcuffs.

Figure 9: Place needle betweentw o stitchesas if to purl


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54 Knit Fix

Long-TailCast-OnThe long-tail cast-on doesn't pro-

duce an edge as finished-looking as thecable cast-on, so I tend to avoid it onshawls, scarves, ponchos, or onedgesthatwillshow.This cast-on alwaysreminds me of cat's cradle, that stringgame we use to play as kids.

1 Figureout how long the tail shouldbe by wrapping theyarnaroundtheneedle onceforeach stitchyou'llbecastingon.

2 M a k easlipknot and pfaee it onthe needle as in Step 1of thecable cast-on.3Drape the longtailto the le f tofyour lef t thumb and the workingyarn (attachedto theball) around tothe rightofyourindexfinger. Holdthetailand workingyarn togetherbetweenyour remaining fingersandyour palm.Youshouldbelookingat atriangle of yarn (Figure 10).

4With theneedleinyour righthand, dip the point under theloop at the front of your thumb(Figure 11).

Thenbring the needletip overthe yarn running to theleft ofyourindex finger and push it downthrough theloop around your thumb(Figure 12).

Figure 10 : Yarn posit ion fo r long-tai lcast -on

Figure : Dip needle under thumb loop

Figure 12: Move needle over running yarnan d downthrough thumbloop


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SolvingProblems BeforeTheyGrow 5 5

5Backyour thumbout of theloopand use it to tighten the stitchyou'veju s tmade (Figure 13).

Figure 1 3 :Removethumb a ndtighten stitch6Tuckyourthumb backunderthetailto begin the next stitch.

With a littlepractice, you'll noticethat Steps5and 6 can be combinedintoonefluid motion. This insuresa consistent tension, with cast-onstitchesofequalsize.

I f your cast-on is too tight, goaheadandcastonusingalarger nee-dle, then knitthe first rowwith thecorrect sizeneedle.

P R O B L E M I justcaston, but nowI've knitted less than a row and I'mout ofyarn.

D I G N O S I S The end oftheyarnyou've usedforyour cast-oncandan-glethereandinviteyou topickit up

and knitwithit,leavingtheworkingyarn behind.FIX:Unknitorunravel back totheplace whereyoupickedup the ta i l ,then reknit with the work-ingyarn.

Next time:Tie a bowwiththe end ofthetail;curlit up andsecureitwithasafetypin;hangsome th ingo nitdosometh ingto make sureyour f ingersdon't pickit upaccide ntally.Or cut itto a bo u tsix inches, longenough toweave inwhenyou'refinished.

Backward LoopCast-OnThesimplecast-on,alsoknownas

thebackwardloopcast-on,is theeasi-est to teach and learn, and the mostuseless. It looks great on the needle,but as soon as the first stitch is knit,it begins tofallapart. It has very littlestabilityas acast-on edge.If you usethe simple cast-on before joining intheroundfor a bag orsock, it's nearlyimpossible toknowforsurewhetherthestitchesaretwisted.

However, this simple cast-onworksforadding stitchesin themiddleofa row, or a fewstitchesat the end ofarow. Here'show tomakeit:


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56 KnitFix

I Holdthe needle in your right hand.Loopthe working yarn over yourl ef tforefingerwiththeyarnrunninginf r on t of theloop (Figure 14).

Just don't use it for anythingbesides addinga fewstitches.

Figure 1 5 : Place loopon needle

Figure 1 4 : Loop work ingyarn/overfinger

2Placetheloopon theneedle(Fig-ure 15) andtighten (Figure 16).Repeat Step 2 until you havecast

on asm a nvstitchesas youneed. Figure 1 6 : Tightenloop

JoiningNewYarnEventually,you will get to the end of

yourb a l lofyarnandneedtostarta newone. Don't knot. Resisttheurge. Tyingknotscreatesallkindsofunnecessaryproblems. Whenthekni t t edgarmentisworn,yarn knots either poke throughtotheright sideorend upmakingthewearerfeel likethetitle characterinTh e Princessand thePea.Similarly, ifyourun across a knotwherethe m a n u-facturer joined two strands (they'reallowed to),you'll wanttocut outthatknotand treat the remainderoftheballas if itwerea new ball.

Ifyou'reworking backandf o r t h inflatpieces,start a new ballatthe sideof

theworkif at allpossible.Tofigureoutwhetheryouhave enough yarnon theoldballtomakeitthrough onemorerow, measure the remaining length ofyarnto see if it is sixtimesthewidthofthe work. If less than six widths remain,do not start the new row, but instead cuta tail about 6 (15 cm) long and save therest for sewing the garment together.

Ifyou're workingin the round,therewon'tbe aside seam.Try tojointhe new ball at the beginning of theround,whichwillusually fal lat theunderarmorback.Again,don't knot.

T o join the new ball, place the rightneedlein thenextpattern stitch toknitor purl (following the establishedpattern).Wrapthe newyarn around


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Figure 17:Join new yarn atside ofwork

Figure 1 8:join ne w yarna tbeginning ofround

Groit 57

th e need le a nd c o n t i n u ekn i t t i nga susua l(Figures1~ and 18).

Aftery ou 've w orked we l l into th er ow o r r o und and yo u r s t it che s s e ems e c u r e , t i g h t e n th e ta i l s o f the newand o ldy a r n sjus tenough s ot h a t th es t i tches near the jo in a ren ' t loose ands loppy, but not so m u c h th a tthe fabricpucker s .

Ify o um u s t j o i nnew y a r n in them idd le o fy o u r w o r k,b e suretob u r yth etailsasyou^go(seebox onpa ge 47).This weaves in the ends on the reversesideof the w 6rk, securing them overaw ide a rea . Thi s reduces the chances o fahole deyeloping later .

Workingin theRound

W he npatternsbli thely announce andjo ininthe round, there's goodnewsand badnews.Thegoodnewsistha t yo u 'l l on lybeknittingon theo u t s i d e of the fab r i c . S to ck ine t t es t i t c h ?In the round, i t ' sknit everysti tch, every row .Th e b adnewsistha ty o um u stb e c a r e f u l a b o u t th e jo in .Becaus ekni t t ingin th e r ound bu i ldsconcentric sti tchc i rc le s one o n top o fa n o t h e r , ifth e r o w o fcas t-on s t i tchesis tw i s t ed even once b e fo r et h e join ,you ' l lfindy ourse lf kni t t ingaMob iusstr ip ins teado f asocko r h a t o r feltedb ago rpu l l ove r sw ea te r .

When m a k i n g a p r o j e c t t h a trequires joiningin theround,chooseth e type o f cast-on carefully.M ypref-erence hereis foreitherthecab leorlong-tail cast-on (seepage52 and54).Bothproduceadennededge, m akingiteasyto seewhetherthestitchesarelying f la tuntwis tedontheneedlebefore joining (Figure 19).

Figure 19 : Cable cas t -onjoinedintoround


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58 KnitFix

JoiningtoWork in the RoundP R O B L E M I c a s t on fo r apiecet h a t ' s m a d e in th e r ou nd , bu t now i tl ooks likea figureeight (Figure20).

Figure 20: Mob ius cas t -on

D I G N O S I S O new o m a n Iknowused th e backwa rd l oop c a s t - onfor afelted toteb agm a deo fth re e differentfibers knittoge ther . Without know ingit , she 'd twi s t ed t he ba s e row be fo rejo ining to kni t in the round (Figure21). Sh eknit ted eight inches, a s s u m-ing tha tth etwis tin herknit ting w ould

untwis t once she too k the needles ou t .T r ou b l eis, atw is t in the cas t -on per-manen t l y tw i s t s any th ing knitin theround.

C FIX: In thec a s e ofthis^ womanand herb a g ,she hadtw o choices : r ip ou t and s ta r t over, orset t le for abag-basedon t h eMob iu sstrip.Ivotexffor the la t te raMob iusb ag cou ld b e aw o rk o fa r t bu t s h ew asm ore co nserva t ive . And ifyo u 'remakingasw ea t er ,ahat, or anypiecet h a tneeds t c ib e at u be ,t he on lyw ayto m a kei tf igh tis tounrave li tcom-ple te ly a nd begin w i th a new cas t -on.P R O B L E M T h e r e ' s a b i g g a pw he re I j o ined t o w ork in t he ro und(Figure22).

Figure 22: Gap at join

Figure 21 :Twisted cast-on


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D I G N O S I S Th e r e ' salong, loos est i tch th at leaves a huge gap at the endo ft h e round.

rF I X : T h i s h a p p e n sall the time, e s p e c i a l ly w i th s o c k s

kn i t t ed o n d o u b l e - p o i n t e d n e e dl e sf rom cuff tot oe .T ryt radingth eposi-t i ons o f t h e f i r s t and l a s t s t it che s inth eround.

I M o v e t h e f i r s t s t i t c h o f f t h el e f t ne ed l e on t o a s p a r e n e e d leA(Figure 23).

Figure 23: Movefirst st i tchontoa spareneedle

Movethe laststitchf romtherightneedleontothe left(Figure 24).

Figure 24 :Last st i tch from rightneedle m o v e donto leftneedle3Fina l ly ,placethe stitch f r o m thespare needle onto therightneedle

(Figure 25).

Figure 25 :Move s t i tchfromspare needleonto left needle

Onth enex t row , w o rkth e stitchesin theirne w order .T he g a pw i ll h avevanished.


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60 Knit Rx

ButtonholesT h e b i g ge s tproblem with kni t -

tedbuttonholesisthat theystretch.T oavoid buttons that unfasten them-selves when you're not looking,stickto th esimple one-stitchbuttonhole(Figure26): makeayarnovera t t hepo in twherey o uwantth ebuttonhole(F igu re27), then o n th e next r o wworktheyarnover together withthenext stitch (Figure 28).

T h ethickert h eyarn,th elargerth ebuttonhole,andvice versa.

Makebuttonholes before buy-in gbuttons. Buying buttons first justt emptsfate.Takeyour f in ished pieceto theyarnstoredlay it out on atable,andtryeverybuttonthatattractsyourfancy, pushing Y tthrough the button-hole. Choosea buttonthat seems jus tatad big for thehole. Whentheownerof thecardigan buttonsupagainstthecold,your creation will staybuttoned.Always agood thing.

Figure 26 : Finished buttonhole

Figure 27 :Buttonholeyarnover

Figure28:Workbuttonholeyarnoverwithnext stitch


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Solving Problems Before TheyGrow 6 1

PickingUpStitches

Many patternswilltellyou to pickupstitchesforcollars, sleeves, edgings,andsock gussets. Unfortunately,few ofthepatterns tellyou how orwheretopick themup.

P i ckup stitches, pick up andknit and knitupstitches usually meanthesame thing: adding live stitchestoanedge where therewerenoneb e fo r e .Regarddirections to pick up and knitthe same way you respond to a yellowtraffic light: slow downandmake yourowndecision basedonwhat's goingoninboth directions.Yo uraim is topickup andknitaneven lineofstitches.Onafinishedsweaterorsockor anymodu-lar pattern (think mitered squares),ifyoupickup andknitc a r e fu l l y , thefinishedproduct will look likeaworko fartratherthan something made withloving hands at home.

Topick up and knit, you'll onlyneed one knitting needle. Begin at therightedgeandworkto the lef t .

Place the needle through a stitchattheright edge (Figure 29).2Wraptheyarn aroundtheneedleas if to knit and pull the loopthrough the garment (Figure 30).You'vemade a new stitch that willstayon theneedleinyourrighthand.

Figure 29: Inser t needleinto edge

Figure 30 : Make the st i tchRepeat Steps1 and 2until the

correct number of stitches has beenpickedup andknitted.

However, it'swhereyoupickupandknit that's crucial. E v e r y stitchpattern creates a d i f f e r en t combina-tion of edge stitches. Rule :Unless thedirections tellyouotherwise, pickupand knit stitches with the right side oftheworkfacing you.

T o pick up and knit on a horizon-taledge, where yournewstitches willfacein thesame direction as the oldones, inserttheright needle intothemiddleof astitchon the row belowthebound-offorabove the cast-onedge, as illustrated above.

T o pick up and knit on a verticaledge,whereyournewstitches willbeperpendicular to the oldones, lookcareful ly at theedgeof thefabric .Somepatternsspecifyslipping the first stitcho fevery row,whichmakesasmooth


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62 KnitFix

edge th at lo oks like a braid (Figure 31).It'svery easytopickup andknit s titche sfrom aslipped-stitchvertical edge.Evenifth epattern doe sn'tsay toslip thatfirststitch,do it. Itm akes p ickingup stitchessom uch easier.More of t en , you ' l lb epicking upfrom anedge tha th a s aserieso flo opsandb um ps (Figure 32).

T ry topickupthrough the loops ,b e t w e e n the bu m ps (Figure 33). I t 'seasiera ndw ill giveas m o o t h e r , m o r efinished look.

P l a n a h e a d .If the pattern sug-geststha ty o upickup andknit aspe-cific n u m b e r o f s t it che s ove r a longdis tancesay ,up one f ront edgeo f acardigan,aroundtheneck , dow n theoppositeedgecounttheedge stitchesb e twe e ntheb um ps . Chance s a r e ,then u m b e r o f p i c k e d - u p s t i t c h e s t h a tth e pa t te rn spec i f ie s isw i th i na fewstitcheso f the numb e r o floopsyo u'reactually seeing o nyo ur sw ea te r .But toget the e xac t nu m b e ro fs t i tches ,y o um ay need topickup andknit insidea

fe w pu r l bumps . O r y o u m a yneed toskip a fewedge stitches.

Whatever yo u do, be co nsistentinh o w y o upickup andknit sti tches.I nspecifying the n u mb e r ofstitchestopickup ,patternwritersareoften reallytelling yo u to pickup andknitone newstitch fo reveryo ldstitcho nh or izon ta ledgesand two stitchesforeverythreerowsonvertical orsloped edges, ino rde r to m a kethe neck line ora rm -hole l ie f lat. For them os t pa r t , takethepattern 's specified num be rofpicked-upstitches as asuggestion,not instructionswri tteninstone. (Form iteredsquaresorentrelac,num be r sofpicked-up stitch esare non-negotiable.If youchange th epicked-up num bers , y ou' l l change thesizeo f the module.)

Figure 33: Pickup andknit in loops

P R O B L E M Pickingup andknittingthe edgestitchleavesanunattractiveho le (Figure 34).

A

Figure 3 1 : Sl ipped-stitch edge


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SolvingProblems BeforeThey Grow 63

J FIX:Yo umayneedtopickup^ andknit the stitch in a few differ-ent places to find the po sition that looksright.How can youtell?Bydoingit. Ifyoupick up severalstitchesonly tofindagap o r ho lebetweenthe pick-up andtheedge, pulltheright needle backanddrop the offendings titches, then reposi-tiontheneedleand tryagain.

T ry picking up and kni t t ing th es ti tch fa r t h e rb e l o wt h e edge. P ickingup astitch insideabum p m ight t ightenu p t h e h o l e . Ru l e : C l o s e a n y h o l e s(Figure35).If yo u end up picking upa fe w m o r e o r le s s s t it c h e s t h a n t h epa t t e rn c a l l s for inorder tom a keth eedge sm oo th a ndho le-f ree , tha t ' sfine.Ju s tbe con s i s t en t w i th the n um b e ro fs t i t che s p i cked u p f o r e x a m p l e ,on a c a rdigan , the picked-up s t itchesalongth eneckline from front edge toshou lder seam shou ldbe the s am eonleft and right sides. Or if you're pick-ing upstitchesaroundavest a rmho l e ,m ake suretotakenoteof the n u mb e rpicked up fo r the f ir s t a rm ho le so tha ty o ucan p ick up an equa l num be r onthe s e cond a rm ho le .

P R O B L E M Ip i cked u p an dkni t-t ed the spec i f ied num be ro f s t i tchesfo r th e sock gusset,b utthere'sahole(Figure 36).

J F I X :P i ckupandknitthe^^^numberofs t itches tha tthepat-

terns pecifies along the edge o f the heelflapm inus one. Th en pick up and knitth e slanted sti tchin the gap b e t w e e nthe f l a p and the i n s t e p s t i t c h e s(Figure 37).

Figure 36: Pick-up slanted st i tch insock gusset

Figure 37:Sock gussetwithouthole, after s lantpick-up

Figure 35: Gapless pick-up


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6 4 K n i t F i x

rr tP R O B L E M I 've che ckedt h epa t t e rnover andoverandover,ands om ething'sjus tno tr ight .T h enum be r s don 'ta ddup,or thepiecetakesanunexpectedt u rntha t isn 't show nin the picture.D I G N O S I S I n k n i t t i n g a s i nlife, th ef ir s t t im e yo u t r y s o m e t h in git probably looks wrong and fee lsu n c o m f o r t a b l e . D ot h e yr e ally m e a nfo rm e t o do i tthi sw a y ?T ryi tmakeale apo ffai th , fo l l owth e di rec t ions ,a nd s e ew h at y o uge t .T h e des ignerm ay introduce y ou to acoo lne wtech-nique.Yo uc an a lwa y s u n ra v e l ifit'sno tright.

But s o m e tim e s th e p a t t e r nisju s tp l a inw r o ng . After a l l , des igners andproofreaders a re nearly norm al likethe r e s t o fu s , and de sp i te the i r b e s teffor ts , am is t a ke s o m e tim e s slipsin.

C F I X :Ifyo u'vecheckedand^^double-checked b o t hthepa t -te rna nd thes t i tcheso nyo u r need le s ,and the num be r s s t il l don 't add up o rsom ething looks rea l ly w rong, i t's t im etothink abo ut errata. Errataare thelittlem is takes tha t c reep into pa t te rns ,and depending o nw h e re th e p a t t e r nw a s p u b l is h e d , t h e r e a r e an um b e ro f p la ce s t o l o ok fo r c o r r e c t i on s . I nbook s , theym igh tbe on the c o mpa -n y ' s w e b s i t e ; inm a g a z in e s th e y 'r eo f t en in the next i s sue a sw e lla s o nth e w eb s i te ;in Webpa t t e rn s theym aybe upda te d on l in e a s they a r e found.Ify o ususpectanerrorin a pa t t e rn ,aska r o und at yo u r lo c a l ya rn s t o r e o rkn i t t ing g roup , t r y a Web s e a r ch ont h e p a t t e r n n a m e p lu s e r r a t a , o r c a l lth epub l i sher d irec t ly .

Asyou become more experi-enced, yo u 'l l l e a rn when to t ru s t yo u rinstincts.


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Binding OffBindingo f f o rcastingo fffastens

livestitchesoffyour needles. Luckily ,thereareonlya fewvariations.

StandardBind-OffI Withtheright sideof thepiece fac-ingyou,knitthefirsttwostitches.Noticethat the working yarn isintheback asusual.

2 Bring the le f t needleinfrontoftherightand usethepointto liftthe f ron tlegofthe firststitchyouknit-ted(Figure38).

Figure38:Lift frontleg offirstst i tch

3Pull the first stitch over thesecondone anddropit off the endo ftheneedle (Figure39)onestitch

hasbeen bound off,and one stitchremains on theright needle.

4Knita new stitch, so that onceagain thereare two stitches on

theright needle.Repeat Steps2-4untilonestitch

remains. Cut the working yarn,removethelast stitch f romtheneedle,andpass the cut tail through the loopofthat laststitch.Pullthe end of thecuttail gently while pushingtheknotdown towardsthework (Figure 40).

Figure40 : Pushknotdown

PurlBind OffIfthestitchesyou need to bind offarepurls,yo u ' llfo l lowthesame proce-

dure withacoupleofminor changes.

I P u r lthe firs t twostitches. Noticeyour working yarn is in fronto f the right needle as usual whenpurling.

Bringthe l e f tneedle behind theright and slip the point of l e f tigure 39: One st i tch bound of f


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66 KnitFix

needle under th e back l eg of the firsts ti tch yo u pur le d (Figure 41).

Figure 41 :Pu r l b ind-of f ,Step 2

P u l l t h e f i r s t s t i t c h o v e r t h esecond and drop i to ffthe end of theright needleo ne purl s titchhasbeenb o u n d off, and ones t i tch r em a inso nthe right needle.A P ur l ano th er s t itch.

Repea t Steps2-4 untilonestitchr ema in s ,t h e ncut they a r nandsecurei t as forbindingo ffknitstitches.P R O B L E M T h epa t te rns says b indo ff inpa t te rn . Wha t 's tha t m ean?

D I G N O S I S W h e n t h e p a t t e r ns ay s b ind off in pa t te r n , i t m eansto b ind o ffthe knit s titches knitw iseand th epur l s t itchespu r lwi s e ,a s y o usee themon the needle. Tob indoffany c o m b i na t io n o fkni tsandp u r l s ,t h ro w y o u r y a r nt o t h eb a c kfor aknitstitchandcasto f f f r om the f r on t o fthe needle ; throw the y a rn to the front

fo r purlsa ndcasto fffrom th e backoftheneedle.P R O B L E M T h e bound-off edge ist ighte r tha n the p revious knit row s .D I G N O S I S The s t anda rd b ind-o ffis not elastica ndentirelyto oea syto w o rk t igh t ly , w h i ch c r e a t e s p i e c e stighter acros sthebound-offedge thant h ey shou ldb e(Figure 42).

Pp t****y ' ^Jvk^mXTOKwFigure 4 2:Tightb ind-of f

I f y o u ' v e e v e r k n i t t e d a s c a r ft h a t s e e m s t o c o m e t o a p o in t o n t h ebound-o f f s ide , yo u ' re fam i l i a rwiththe concept .

F I X :Bindo ffusingala rge r ^needleof two n e e d l e s h e l d

togetherinyo ur r ight h and.

oQ >


18/25

SolvingProblems BeforeThey Grow 67

SS KBind-OffLacepatterns, or anything worked

onneedles several sizes bigger thanthe yarn would normally require, canbenefit from this more elastic cast-off . Ithink of it as the ssk b in d - o f f ,because the needlemanipulationisexactly the same as used for the slip-slip-knit decrease.

On aright-side row,

1Knittwo stitches.

2 Place the tip of the l e f t needleunder the front legs of bothstitches f rom lef ttoright (Figure 43).

Figure,43: Place needle for sskbind-off

3Wrapthe yarn around right needleand knit thesetwostitches togetherthrough their back loopsone stitchhasbeen boundo ffand oneremainsontheright needle.

A Knitthenextstitch.

Repeat Steps2-4untilone stitchremains, then cut the yarn and secureitas for the standard bind-off .SSP Bind-Off

Yo ucan get asimilar elastic edgeon apurlrow by purling instead ofknitting.

Purltwostitches.2 Bringthe le f tneedle in back ofthe right needle and insert the tipunder the back legs of both stitchesf r om lefttoright (Figure 44).

Figure 44: Placeneedlefor sspbind-off

3Wraptheyarnandpurl thesetwostitchestogetheronestitch hasbeen bound off and one remains ontheright needle.

A Purlthenextstitch.RepeatSteps 2-4 until one stitch

remains,then cut the yarn and secureit as for the standard bind-off.


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68 Knit FK

Putting ItTogether

Do n't cutcorners when it com estoput t ingyour kni tt ed sw eater together .Taketh etim e to pin the pieces togetherandm ake su re t h e s eam s a r e s tr a igh tandeven.Likepickup andk nit , thisisap l acew h e re carefulw o rk p a y s off.P R O B L E M T h e front s ides o fm yswea t e r a r e l onge r t h an t h e s ide s o ft he back .D I G N O S I S S om e t im e s , d e s p i tey o u rb e s t effor t s , you ' l lfindt h a t tw opieces a ren't the sa m e lengthyo um ayhave relaxed yo ur tension, produc ingaloo ser gauge, s im ply knit t ed an ext rarow o r tw o , o r som e t im es a s t it ch pa t -tern ha ngs longero n,say ,th e left edget h ant h er igh t edge ( th i s hap pened tom erecent lyo n adaisy-lacecar digan).

C F I X : M a t c hthes h o r t e r^ pieceto thelongerone byeas-in g in th e f a b r i c w h i l e p i nn i ng th epieces together , then sew.

I f ind it u s e f u l to do t h i s o n aflat sur face. For s t ra igh t edgesside

and s le eve s e am s , r e c t a ng u l a r b ag s ,p i l l o w s m a t c hand p in t he b o t t o mcorners with r i g h t s i d e s t og e t h e r .Nex t , m a t c h a nd p in t h e t op edges( on ga rm en t s , u sua l l y t h e b a se o f th ea rm h o l e ) .Matchand pin at anypo into n th e edgeswheret he re ' s ach ang ef rom o nestitchpa t t e rn t o ano the r sotha t r ibbing , s t r ipes , o r o ther p a t t e rnsm a t c h a t t h e s e a m . P i n t h e m i dp o i n to fth e s e am .

Work ing f i r s tbetween th ecen-t e r p in a nd t h e b o t t o m e d g e , t h e nb e t w e e n th ecenterp in and topedge,p i n t h e r em a i n i ng f ab r i c a t r eg u l a ri n t e rva l s , ba l anc ing t h e ex t r a fabr icb e t w e e n the p in sthi s isca l l edeas-in g in the fabric. Co ntinue to a dd pinsha l fwayb etw een exis t ing pins , w hichwi l lsm oo th o u t t h e ex t r a fabric,unti lp ins a r e a few inches apa r t .

W h e n y o u 'r e s a t i s f ie d t h a t t h es e am wi l l b e s m oo th , t h r ead t h e y a rnyo u 'l l u se fo r s e a m in g o n a t a p e s t r yneed l e and use am a t t r e s s s t it c h o rb a c k s t i tc h t o s e w t h e s e a m . I f y o uchoose m a t t r e s s s t it c h , it m a y b eneces sa ry topielcupm ore s t it che so n

th e longerpiecet om a tc ht h e sho r t e rpiece,bu t i f yo u canm a t c h y ou r s e amt o t h e w ay t h efabricw as p inned , yo u rp i ece s w i ll m a t chu p .


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SolvingProblems BeforeTheyGrow 69

ArmholesandSleeve CapsYo um ayalso need toease in the

f ab r i c toattach thesleevestoyoursweater. Thiscan bedifficult tovisual-izebecause you'rejo iningtw ocurvedpieces.

Sew th eshoulder seams together.La y t h e sweater o n aflat surfacewithth eright sideso f t h e f r on t andback

facingup so that the shoulder seamsli e flat(Figure45).

Foldthe topedgeof thesleevecapinhalfa ndm a rkth emidpoint (the cen-ter o f thesleeve cap) withapin.Unfoldthe cap andwith right sides together,m a t c hth epinned centero f thesleevecap to the shoulder seam. The wrongside o f the sleeve willbelying centered

BACK(rights ide)

FRONT(right side)

Figure45: Lay out the sweaterwith the right s idesu p

m

*fe8


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70 KnitFix

a long the shoulder seam (Figure46).Unfold th e sleeveso itsright s ideisfac-ing up andcareful lyrep lace the centerpin in the sam e loca t ion .

Next ,pin the l ower edges o f t hecap t o t h e l ower edge o f t h e a rm ho l e s

(Figure 47). Eas e i n t h e c a p a s y o uaddp ins a t regular in terval s u nt i l thefabr ic of the sleeve cap i sevenly dis-t r i bu t ed a round th e a rm ho l e (F igure48), then s e w t h e p i e c es together .

Figure 46: Unfold the s leeve, matchingth e center to the shouMer seam Figure 47: Pinedges of sleevecap to edgesof a rmhole

Figure 48: Add pins a t regular intervals


22/25


KitchenerStitch or GraftingTheKitchener stitchis agreatway

t o f ini sh o ff the toe o f asock, leavinganinvisible join that looks likea r owo fstitches Figure 49).

Figure49: A completedrow ofKitchener stitchT o make the Kitchener stitch,

dividethestitchesto bejoined evenlyon twoneedles.Holdthe twoknittingneedles paralleltoeach other s othatth ewrong sideso f thefabric faceeachotherand sothattheyarn tail comeso ff th e right edge. Cut a t a i laboutf ou rtimest h edistanceyo u 'l lneed tograf t ,thenthread theyarnon atap-estry needle Figure 50).You' l lworkbackandforthbetweenthestitches1

on the twoneedles, followingapaththat mimicsa row ofknitting.

The key to coming up with ani n v i s i b l e g r a f t i s i n th e f i r s t t w ostitches. Insertt h etapestry needle inthe firststitchon the frontneedleas ifto purl,withthetapestry needle com-ingthroughth ecentero f thestitcho ntop of the knitting needle Figure 51).

Figure 5 1 : Insert apestryneedle into firstfrontstitch

P u l lt h eneedlea ndyarn throughthis stitchbutleavethestitchon theneedle. Next, insert the tapestryneedle through the first stitch ontheback needle as if toknit, withthe tapestry needle coming throughthe centerof the stitch f r omunder-neaththeknittingneedle Figure 52).Leavethestitchon the needle.

Figure 5 2:Insert tapestry needleintofirstback stitch

Figure 50:Setupfor Kitchener stitch


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72 KnrtF ix

Now that you'reset up, therestisabreeze:

1Placethetapestry needle intothefirst stitchon the front needle

as if to knit, pull the yarn through,and slip the stitch off the knittingneedle. Insertthetapestry needle intothenexfstitchon thefront knittingneedleas if topurl, tighten,andleavethestitchon theknitting needle (Fig-ure 53)-Tighten the yarn to match thetensionof theoriginal stitches.

Figure 5 3: Inserttapestry needleinto nextfront sti tch

The s e c r e tto invisible weaving is towork betweenthe twoknittingneedlesto reach those back-needle stitches.

2 Insertthetapestry needle throughthefirststitchon thebackneedleasif to purl (Figure 54), pull the yarnthrough, tighten,andpull this stitchoffneedle.As you complete each stitch,pullon the working yarn to adjust thetension of the new grafting stitches tomatch the size and appearance of theregularstitches.

Figure 5 4: Inser t needleintof i rst sti tch on back needle

3Insert the tapestry needle intonextstitchon theback needleasifto knit, tighten, and leave the stitchon theneedle(Figure 52).

Repeat Steps 1-3until you'veworkedall the stitches. Tohide thetail, bring it to the wrong side andsecure it.


24/25

S o l v i n g Prob lems B e f o r eThey Grow 73

P R O B L E M M y Kitchener stitchlooks bumpy, as if there arepurlstitches across thet o e .Isn't the Kitch-ener stitch supposed to beinvisible?

\

F I X :Ify our Ki tchener s t i tch shows on the o u t s i d e , i t 's

t i m e to p u l l it o u t .The go o d n e w sis w e u s u a l l y o n l y K i t c h e n e r s t it c hacrossa fewstitches. P i ck out the- w ov enstitches with the pointofy o u r ta p e s t r y n e e d le tof r e e up t h eJive sti tches. Withas m a l le rkni t t ing

n e e dl e t h a n t h e o n e y o ukn i t t ed th es o c k or hat w i th , p i c k up the lives t it che s . I f t he r e a r e the s am e num be ro fl ive s t itches a s befo re y ou t r ied theKi tchener s t i tch , grea t . I f no t , c hec kfo r d ropped s t i t che s .I f y oudon ' t s eeany , then unkn i ta ro w o r tw o un t i lth e c o u n t is c o r r e c t . Re k n i tt o t h epo i n t where y o un e e d to g r a f t a ndtry a g a in . R e m e m b e r to m o v e they a r n b a c k a nd f o r t h b e t w e e n n o to v e r the k n i t t i n g n e e d l e s . I t m a yhe lp toh a v e so m e o n e r e a d th edirec-tions a t ou da s y o um a ket h ejo in .

BlockingA d m i t t e d l y , I 'm b i a s e d a g a i n s t

b l o c k i n g a s aKni t F ix .I f s w e a t e r sfitify o um e a s u re d twiceand knit-te doncethenal l youm ight needis afinallights t e am p r e s s w i th y ou r ir on .Blockingdoe sn 't pe rm anen t ly changet h e s h a p e o fk^its. I t 's a t e m p o r a r yfix, with twoexceptions.First,wheny o ukni t a l lyo u r s ti tc h e s c o r r e c t l y ,butend upwith u n e v e n s t i tc h e s .S ome y a r n s w i l ldotha t . Of tenagen-t l e w a s h w il l re l a x th e s t i tches in tounifo rm i ty . Steam o f tenwilld o thi s ,too , and I 'd t ry th a t f i r s t .

Second,y o um us t b lo ck la c eknit-t ingto b r ing ou t i t s g lo ry ; unb lo ckedl acelo oks likeapileo fy a r n.Pa yatten-t ion to f iber (see page 99) .Dip the

l a c e g a r m e n tin -water, co ld ifyo u 'vekni t ted w i th s i lko rr a y o n , l u ke w a r mo t h e r w i s e . G e n tl y s q u e e z e o u t t h ee xce s s w a t e r ; it m ay b en e c e s s a r y tofinishb lottingbyrollingthelacein atow el. Spreadth ega rmen tout on abed ,clean rug,orironing bo ard w ithac lo thcoverso m ething you can pin to . P inou t the ga rm en t , us ing lo t so fpins o rthelong m eta lpinsdesigned tob lo cklace . (Som e lace garm ents a re m eant tob e b lo ckedbu t no tp innedrea d th epa t t e rn d i r e c t i on s tho r ough ly . ) Laces t re t che s when w e t , som ake su rey o uknow yo ur desiredfinisheddim ensionsandbloc k accordingly.Butbecause laceis m ore o pen sp ace th an yarn , i t d r iesquickly.( Im po r t anttoknowif youp lanon sleepingin thes am ebedw he rey oublock.)


25/25

74 Knit Rx

Ifyou mustblock,keepin mind thethreeFs: fiber, flat, and finishing.

FiberWool b l ocks beaut ifu l ly , si lkand

cot tonnot sobeautifully. Yarnm e m o ry ,give, andweight m a ke a difference.Supe r fine y a r n in anyna t u r a l f ib e rtends tob lock w el l.I f indo ub t , reviewthe fibercha r to npage99.Flat

P a r t i c u l a r l y if y o u 'r e b l o c k i n gpiecesbefore assem bling the finalgar-men t ,m ake sure that the knit ted fabric^smoothedflat.P inscanm ake r ipp lesin the fabric, especia l lyfabric knit tedw i th f i n e r y a rn s . Be c a r e fu l a b o u tb lo cking pieces w i th dim ensions tha thave to ma t ch : s ide seams shou ld b e

t h e s ame l ength , h em s t h e s am ew idth ,etc.U se am easu r ing t ape .Finishing

W h e t h e r y o u ' r e b l o c k i n g as w e a t e r o r anyo t h e r a s s em b l ed g a r -m en t , remember t ha tthisis the lasts t ep b e fo re w ea r ing . Seam s shou ldlief l a t , hem s s t ra igh t , sho ulders curve d.Ifth i s rem indsyou o feither s ew ingo rdo ing you r i r on ing , t h en y ou under -s tand b locking.AfinalnoteUse just a bit of plain, mild soap wh enwa sh i n g kni ts . Most of the s p e c i a lproduc ts for wash ing del icates haveso m e ve rs ion o f fab r i c so f tener inthem, wh ich tends to we igh downhandknits.

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25335458 Ch 5 Solving Problems Before They Grow 51 to 74