Change the Angle

T_a asked me what the difference was between the Spring Breeze neckline and the new ideas I have had for shaping the neck.

The Spring Breeze has the shaping system I have used in the Baby V, Button Your Top Down and Hoodies and Pullovers books. It works really well. I love using it.

Once the neckband is knit, the neck shaping is achieved by using short rows. On one side of the front the short rows end with SSK, K1 and Turn. The SSK is a decrease but it also attaches the front to the side of the neckband. The K1 kicks it over a stitch giving the neckband a 45 degree angle.

SSK, K1
         SSK, K1
                  SSK, K1
                           SSK, K1
I want to try to push this a bit and see if I can get a deeper neckline while still leaving myself some open stitches at the centre of the neckband to work a stitch panel down the front. What I've done is add extra rows that do not have a K1 at the end of the short row so do not bump the neckband over one stitch. It means that the angle is no longer 45 degrees. The extra rows add a short vertical section to the angle at the side of the neckband. One one side of the front the short rows end like this:

SSK, K1   attaches and adds to V shaping
         SSK,         attaches only, vertical
         SSK, K1,
                  SSK
If I was working a Top Down where the neckband is picked up afterwards, this is the equivalent of working an increase every 4th row. Of course I'm doing this the hard way but ... there you go, it's more fun.
I wonder what it would look like if I used P2tog instead of the SSK? That might work great. OK one more swatch just to see.
Deb