From Clair: This sweater was knit as a tube so that the motifs could be knit continuously, and not back and forth as one would do on straight needles. When the first tube was complete, I crocheted a row on either side of where the cut was to be made. Here is the sweater with the first cut done--the armholes were also later steeked.
Because the knitted fabric was fairly open and airy (knit with size 8 needles and fingering yarn), the crocheted rows didn't perform well and some of the floats on the back side looked like they might work loose after the cut, so I ran a couple of rows of machine stitching along either side to reinforce things. I skipped the crocheting later on the armhole steeks and used machine stitching only, with no problems.
I very much wanted to use this fabric for a facing but, even with several adjustments, it just didn't work and pulled up one side of the sweater. So, out it came, to be set aside for some future use.
The photos below, showing the finished sweater, are all by Karen L.
The photo below is a detail of the front, showing the second tube, which was picked up along the front cut edge, knit sideways to the body of the sweater, then cut apart at the bottom center front. (See the comments below for a more detailed explanation).
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Thanks for sharing this. I am a bit confused about one part, but will attempt clarification on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteThe part that confused Susan is the text just after the third photo, where I attempted to describe knitting the "second tube." If you look at the first photo showing the yellow crochet edging and the first cut, imagine picking up stitches along the cut, just on the sweater side of the crocheted line. Starting at the bottom right, the picked up stitches went up the right side, around the back neckline, and down the left side. Then I cast on a few more stitches across the bottom gap between the left and right fronts and joined up with the picked up stitches on the bottom of the right front, making the second tube (actually, more of a big oval). That way I could make another Fair Isle design, this time at right angles to the fronts of the sweater, by just knitting round and round with no interruptions and never having to purl. After casting off that section, I reinforced and cut apart the cast-on stitches at the bottom front, thus making the two fronts separate again.
ReplyDeleteI know, it's still confusing, but I've explained it the best I can. It's a technique I figured out for myself and unfortunately I didn't take any photos of that part of the process. Feel free to ask for further clarification if needed.