Mknit saddle shoulder

What do you do on your holidays? I still knit. Hobby and work are all combined for me. Sometimes it seems I can never get away from it but most of the time I wonder why I would want to.

To make a change, this summer I'm working on machine knitting. It's a totally different breed of knitting. The only cross-over is some comfort with the yarn. Everything else seems quite different. 

I wanted to work a saddle shouldered sweater from the top down. This is my mock-up on the machine.

I knit it quite differently than I will when I handknit this sweater.

1. I knit it bottom-up, which screws with my head since I'm not used to working this way any more. That was kind of fun. I drew it like I would handknit it from the top and then worked out the rows from the bottom. I did it bottom up because it seemed easier to decrease every row. When I handknit this I want to work a double increase every second row. Now I have to figure out what double increase would work best.

2. I worked it in two colours so I could really see the seamline between the saddle and the sleeve.

I'm so happy this worked out. Now I'm going to get started on a handknit.

Deb

P.S. Thanks t_a and Sharon for your comments on your experiences with machine knitting. It is very different isn't it!? It does do stockinette stitch very well and I'm having fun knitting with fingering weight cotton at a much looser than I would by hand.

Step or Graduate a stitch pattern

This week we've been working on our project for the Cabin Fever Retreat. There are only two more sleeps until we get started. Yay.

This weekend we are tackling those confusing words "incorporate the increases into your stitch pattern". Don't you just love to read that?

You can incorporate increases by stepping the pattern:

Work the increases until you have increased enough stitches on one side of your stitch pattern (at the raglan line) so that you can work one more full repeat of the stitch pattern.

This weekend we're going to work on gradually working some of the stitch pattern as each increase is added:

For a cowl with shoulder shaping:

It will be fun. Wish you were there,
-Deb

Where is your waist?

I taught a "Get Fit" class last weekend and a question I always ask is "where is your waist?" Are you laughing yet?

We all know where our natural waist is. It's where you bend if you bend yourself to the side. You can also easily put your hand on your waist at your lower back. 

BUT... is that where your torso is narrowest when you look in the mirror? If your narrow part is at your natural waist, congrats. If not, you can still create a waist in your sweater.

There is no point in your sweater coming in at your natural waist if your body no longer goes in there. You are not alone here. I'm right with you. I am narrowest a couple of inches above my natural waist. You may be narrowest just below your bust. That's OK too. 

We're going to call this narrow spot in your torso your "sweater waist". That's where you can work some shaping into your sweater.

You can work decreases at the side seam (imaginary side seam if you're working in the round), one decrease on each side of the Front and one decrease on each side of the Back. That decreases your sweater body by 4 sts, approximately 3/4" in the medium gauges of yarn. I think working two sets of these decreases makes a very nice indent for your sweater waist. How far apart you work the 2 sets of decreases depends on how much room you have to work with. If you are putting your waist right under your bust you can work rows/rounds for 1/2" and do the second set of decreases. If you have more room on your torso to work you can work 1" of rows/rounds or more between decreases.

Work straight for 1" to 2" and then work the increases in the same manner back to the original number of stitches. You've created a lovely curve to your sweater.

The GOOD NEWS is that you can create a waist in your garment even if you don't have one. Your sweater is fairly stiffish fabric when finished and it will hold a curve for you. Yay.

If you don't have a waist in the front, you can work a waist on the Back only because all of us have a dip at the small of our back. This also makes a nice curve in your sweater.

If you need more room in the body Front, you know who you are, you can work the increases on the Front only, to accommodate a round belly. This also creates a curve and a better fit for your sweater.

A curvy sweater is better looking on everyone than a boxy sweater. If the pattern doesn't have some shaping built in then I would put some in. Create a curve. Even a small curve will make you look sensational in your sweater.

Do you add shaping? Tell me about it.

Happy shaping,
Deb

P.S. t_a So glad to hear from you. I'm glad to know you're lurking.

Where to work the Next Sleeve Decrease

I have a pet peeve. I don’t like seeing knitters mark little ticks on their patterns to keep track of the rounds they have worked. If you can learn to read your knitting you can be tick-free (pun intended).

Right now I’m knitting a sleeve in the round from the should down to the wrist. My sleeve shaping instructions are as follows:

Knit 7 rounds.

Decrease Round 8: K1, SSK, knit to last 2 sts, K2tog.  (SSK: Slip as if to knit, slip next stitch as if to knit, insert Left needle into fronts of 2 slipped sts and knit them together)

Repeat last 8 rounds.

I'm decreasing every 8th round.

The decrease I keep track of is the SSK since it’s easier to see. When you complete Round 8, the decrease you just worked sits below the new stitch you just made as you knit 2 sts together which is sitting on the needle. The Round 8 stitch is on the needle and the decrease sits just below it. Maybe the photo works better for you.

I’m going to do the next set of decreases on the next Round 8. You can count the rounds I've knit. A knit stitch looks like a "V". I'm counting the column of stitches above the SSK.

 Round 8 + Rounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7. Now on the next round, Round 8, I'll do another set of decreases.

That's the explanation but it's not how I actually count the rounds. When I look at my knitting and this photo, I can see 8 knit rounds (column of "V's") above the obvious SSK. All I've done is renumber the rounds. The number of knitted rounds is the same as the photo above. In fact it's the same photo with the rounds counted differently.

When I can see and count 8 rounds above the obvious SSK (including the stitch on the needle), I work my Decrease Round on the next round.

I worked the Decrease Round. If I count the rounds I can see above the bottom SSK, there is a new SSK on the 8th round. It works.

If you need to decrease every Round 8. Knit around until you can SEE 8 rounds above the last SSK (including the round on the needle) then work your Decrease Round. If you need to decrease every 6th round, count 6 rounds above the last SSK and do the decrease round.

I'm almost sure you don't believe me but this totally works. The rounds are easy to see and count and I never, ever go wrong on my sleeve decreases using this method. OK, almost never, except during a really interesting movie. No ticks, no mistakes. Would I steer you wrong?

-Deb

P.S. I like the idea of a "collection" CathyK. Nice.
Robebe: Giving away yarn that someone else is going to work on and give to charity sounds like an excellent plan to me.

Make It Fit Friday - Moving Markers to widen Front

What do you do if you need more Bust room at the Front. For a Pullover, could we move the Markers to provide a little extra room? This pullover, from the Need A Circular Yoke, has the Front and Back of the Yoke the same width and then below the Divide we will add 2" to the Bust. I'd like just a little more bust room.

At the bottom of the Yoke I set up the Markers (removable ones) in the correct places as written, for the Front & Back to be the same width (same number of stitches). Then I removed and replaced the Markers for each of the sleeves toward the Back by 3 sts. Now the Back is 6 sts narrower and the Front is 6 sts wider than before.
A picture is worth a thousand words.

It's not a huge amount I agree. But every little bit counts. The Bust Shaping which is worked after the Divide Round will add some more fabric to the Front. I'll keep you posted.

Deb

Bust vs Upper Bust measurement to determine finished size

Which measurement do you use to determine the size to knit?

Do you work according to the actual measurement of your bust? The size of your bust then affects the entire sweater. The neckband, sleeves and bottom edge will all be calculated to match your bust. Also, in most patterns, the Front and Back will be the same width, half of your total bust measurement plus ease. Most of the time I think this works for lots and lots of knitters. But those of you who are busty have probably run into problems since your Back is much narrower than your Front.

Or do you take a tape measurement of your upper bust (measure your chest at your underarm level) and base the sweater size on that measurement with some ease added in? Would this work for you? This makes the neck opening smaller, the shoulders narrower and the underbust smaller. If you make no adjustment at your bust, you have a sweater with negative ease (snug across the bust) which might be great for you (especially if you have a smaller bust). Otherwise you must be ready to work some accomodation for your bust since it hasn't come into the equation for size at all.

The concept behind the Need A Plus Cardigan book sizing was a compromise since I don't know your exact measurements. What if you worked the sweater one size smaller at the top of the chest? That would give you an upper chest about 3" smaller. Then add 3" of fabric across the Front Only exactly where you need it.

On the sweater I'm working on now, I was very generous with the amount of fabric I added across the Bust. So now I'm taking away some of that extra fabric as I begin my waist shaping (which I have to start immediately below my bust, have I mentioned that I'm really short?!). I worked 2 sets of extra decreases on the Fronts Only in between my usual waist shaping decreases. This should give me a shapely Front!

Continuing to try out different shaping options. Any thoughts?
Deb
P.S. t_a, I'd love it if you could play the fiddle on my new decking. Wouldn't that be great.
lpm, yes, knitting and swinging a hammer in Northern Ontario, on the shore of Lake Huron.

Ease, how much?

We all know we have to consider Ease when we pick a sweater size to knit. There's a certain kind of fit we're looking for. The only measurement we use in the knitting world is the Bust measurement as if one measurement dictates the shape of your whole figure, but that's a rant for another time.

Ease is the difference between the finished measurement of the sweater and the actual measurement of your bust. A sweater that is smaller than your body would have negative ease. A sweater that is larger, has positive ease.
Somewhere between a sweater that fits like this (negative ease)

and this (lots and lots of positive ease)

is the fit you might be looking for.

If you don't know the exact measurement of your bust try it now. Take a measuring tape and measure around your bust at the largest point(s). This is your bust measurement for sweater purposes and has nothing to do with your bra size.

A lot of us have in our heads a certain amount of ease we should be adding (or subtracting) for The Perfect Sweater. I think my ideal is 3". I like my sweaters a little on the looser side, with positive ease. But I do have store-bought sweaters with negative ease, go figure.

I think we can all tolerate a much wider range of ease in our garments than we suppose. I've measured the sweaters I currently have on hand. These are all sweaters I wear consistently over the spring/summer/fall seasons. Two of them are sweaters on the needles now. The rest of my sweaters are put away until September but would fall into this range.

+ 6" of ease: Take It From the Top sweater in Aran weight. Great for cool evenings. Fits over anything I'm wearing.
+ 5" of ease: Basic Cardigan from Need A Plus Cardigan book in DK weight.  My go-to sweater. (My friend Dana is wearing it in the photo.)
+ 4" of ease: On the needles, orange pullover from Need A Circular Yoke book in DK weight in hemp/cotton.
+ 4" of ease: Lakeside Raglan Cardigan from Button Up Your Top Down in DK weight. Old Blue, old reliable comfy cardigan.
+ 2" of ease: Lace Cardigan from Need A Plus Cardigan book in DK weight. My dress-up sweater.
+ 2" of ease: On the needles, red sweater from Need A Circular Yoke book in Aran weight.

All of these sweaters have a different fit but they do all fit. If the neck and sleeves look correct then the range of fit across the bust can be varied from sweater to sweater, style to style, yarn to yarn.

What kind of range do your sweaters fall into?

-Deb
P.S. Seeing the sweaters like that, I have a very definite 'blue' thing happening! Gotta knit with some new colours.

Bust Shaping

Good question Brenda (from the comments). I continue to look for ideas for Bust Shaping of women's garments. The idea that the Front should be wider than the back seems to make soooo much sense.
In the Need A Plus Cardigan? book we worked Bust Increases on the Fronts below the Divide so that they look like this. The Bust Increases are worked every other row.

For the pullover I have found that I can increase every round and there is room for more increases since it is a flatter dart.

It's interesting to discover more ways to work for a better Fit.
-Deb
P.S. What do you think, Brenda?
T_A, thanks for your lovely comments. I hope there will be some more information for you in the upcoming book. It's really coming along and I'll be posting some more photos as we finish up some more knitting.

Move the Markers to Adjust Sleeves and Body

I'm just writing the custom fit section of the new book Need A Circular Yoke (which should be ready in June). I had an idea for an easy adjustment to get a better fitting sleeve. Thinking out loud here so please wade in with your opinion.

After working the circular yoke, we come to the Great Divide where you put the sleeve stitches on spare yarn to work later and cast on underarm stitches so you can carry on with the Body. You will have placed Markers to delineate the Back, Sleeves and Front for the Divide Round.

Let's say you really wanted a sleeve that is 1" wider than the schematic indicates. You could move your sleeve Markers out at the sides 1/2" on each side to make the sleeve wider when you work the Divide Round.

This makes the Back and Front narrower. Additional width (add 1" on each side of the Front) could be made up on the Front with the Bust Increases to the correct number of Body stitches. The Back would remain narrower.

The new increases in this book give a flater line of Bust Increases which mean you could easily work an extra inch in the bust shaping.
What do you think? Would this work?
-Deb