Watch the video above.Ā If you have any questions (or just want to tell me how you feel about the course so far) feel free to leave me a comment below, otherwise, just click here to go to Part 4: Bind Off Placket Stitches.
Enjoy!
Learn how to predictably, *consistently*, knit a sweater that come out the size you planned.
Watch the video above.Ā If you have any questions (or just want to tell me how you feel about the course so far) feel free to leave me a comment below, otherwise, just click here to go to Part 4: Bind Off Placket Stitches.
Enjoy!
In step 3, how did you know that you needed to knit 34 rows to get to the place where you mark where the sleeve will start?
If you look at the pattern you see you want to knit 5.5″ of stockinette before you reach the underarm. At my row gauge, that was 34 rows. You multiply your row gauge times 5.5 to find out how many rows you need there. It will probably be different.
When I cast on I find the best side to use as the RS is the opposite of my cast on. I guess then I need to use a purl stitch to being my ribbing, not a knit stitch. It becomes a knit stitch on the RS to use in seaming the sides.
Hi Cheryl,
A question… If I know that I need to get to a certain number of inches (for example, 12 inches of stockinette for the back), is it still necessary to count my rows? Can’t I just measure?
Also, not sure but thought I heard you say on one of the videos that all the rows start & end with a K ? I tried to locate where I thought you said that but can’t seem to find it. Can you please clarify what I may have heard?
Thanks!
Sharon
Yes Sharon. You can just measure, though I find I like to count rows so that I can make the front and back the exact same length. The section of video you are looking for starts around 2:48 in part 3 of the series. I start and end my ribs with a knit on the right side because I can make an invisible seem that way
Yes. I always arrange to have a knit stitch at both ends on the RS of the fabric.
Cheryl:
My gauge was 4.5 with the swatch.
I’ve knit 35 rows..marked for sleeve at row 33. I just checked my gauge on the back piece and it averages 4.3. This tells me I’m knitting tighter than my swatch was.
Is this enough of a difference that my sweater will be the wrong size?
Thanks….Susan
This is a great question Susan! First of all you did something that is pretty typical . . . you are more relaxed (hence bigger stitches) after you’ve knit with these needles and this yarn. The question is, how much bigger. It’s easy to calculate. I’m assuming you have 51 or 52 stitches in the back (4.5 times 11 inches plus 2 sts for the seam allowances). I’ll guess 52. I’ll subtract the 2 seam sts and use 50. 50 divided by your current gauge, 4.3, and you get 11.6″. If you are working with 51 sts, it’s closer to 11.4″
Thus, your sweater circumference will be about an inch larger, 23″ around rather than 22″. Because this is a practice piece I would just go with this and it has given you a valuable piece of information, that you tend to loosen up after you knit some.
There could be another explanation. Did you wash your gauge swatch and did it change from the pre-wash gauge? It might be that you’ll come out perfectly if that is the case.
I didn’t wash my swatch. I’m knitting 51….49 plus my two knit stitches. I used one size smaller to do my ribbing. So taking into account that I loosen up as I go, in the future do I change my count or needle size to accommodate?
Thank you for the help. š
Best just make a larger (longer) gauge swatch and measure toward the top. Be careful not to bind off too tightly or too loosely. Measure at the bottom and top and see if there is a difference, even in your original swatch. You’re likely to get too much change if you start changing up needles and that’s too unpredictable.
I finished the back. It measures EXACTLY as the diagram shows!!
Brava!!!! Of course!
Hi Cheryl,
Why would I need to increase or decrease to an even number after the ribbing?
I really learned a lot from this session. I finally actually made two sample swatches to simulate the front and the back so that I could very clearly see how the instructions would help them go together so well. During that little exercise I really became aware of the difference between Knit and Purl cast on stitches to use for selecting the public side, making sure first and last stitches were K stitches on the public side, and counting rows to include the row on the needle. Before this enlightenment I completely missed the significance of these points. Many thanks!
This is great Sivey! You are approaching it in a way that you will definitely learn a lot. Which side of the cast-on you use as the public side is not very noticeable for most people but I like the consistency of it, and the awareness of it. It makes for good finishing.
You only have to do this if you have calculated your sweater width based on your stitch gauge and it comes out even. Some gauges yield odd numbers, others yield even numbers.
When you say to start and end each row with a knit stitch, do you mean that we should start with a knit stitch on the ribbing edges even when it is on the side that would normally be a purl stitch; and likewise on the purl side of the piece each beginning and end stitch will be a knit stitch? In other words, all beginning and ending stitches are knit stitches.
For a 1 x 1 ribbing, the first and last sts on the right or public sides should be knits. Another way to say it is: RS ROW: Over an odd number of sts, *k1 p1* across the row to the last st. K the last st. WS ROW: *p1 K1* across the row to the last st. Purl the last st.
+Thank you for clarifying that. What about the WS? They would still be all purl, even the end stitches, correct?
The wrong side is also K1 P1 ribbing, but as you look at it the end stitches are both purls. A single knit on one side of the fabric is a purl on the other side of the fabric. Hope this helps.
Thank you, I am on my way..A whole new experience for me..
I’m excited for you Arlene!!!
HI Cheryl,
You said that after we get to the bind-off for the placket we will be joining a new ball of yarn. I am working off a Jumbo ball of Caron yarn…so will I have to divide it into 2 balls? Just want to be sure I understand before I do that. Also, I’m pretty slow, just finished the back…how long will these videos be available? Holidays are here and I don’t have a lot of extra time.
Thanks a bunch,
Sharon
Well, great disappointment..;-(( I measured and averaged everything but already I have more inches in length than I should .I still have 3 rows to go and I have 8 inches instead of 7.. This is why I have always given up. I get frustrated by tearing things out over and over again..What am I doing wrong?
Hi Sharon,
Don’t worry about availability of the videos. I know everyone is busy with the holidays so they will be free well past the end of them. One thing you could do instead of dividing the big ball into two smaller ones is to pull one strand from the outside of the skein and one strand from the center of the skein. They tend to twist around one another as you use them this way but it’s not for very far and if you pay attention and untwist them every few rows it shouldn’t be a problem.
Otherwise you can wind off a smallish ball for the one side. If you did the sides separately, first the right side and then the left, you could get away with one ball but unless you take good notes it might not be as easy to make them symmetrical.
Hi Arlene,
I looked back at your previous comments and am guessing that you are a novice knitter. None of us started out making things perfectly, and instead of being disappointed I encourage you to become curious. This is your opportunity to learn something about your own personal knitting style. Did you wash and dry the swatch and measure gauge before and after the laundry? That could be one problem. Perhaps you are knitting looser now because you are more relaxed. Maybe you were knitting tighter when you did the gauge swatch because you were nervous. Getting consistent gauge can take a long time for some people. My mother’s work sometimes looked like it came from a machine it was so regular . . . mine, not so much, but I’ve learned to pay attention to it and compensate. She always said, “Let the needle determine the size of the stitch. You don’t have to pull it so tight.”
I can’t answer the question of what you are doing that gives you a result other than what you expected. Every person knits differently. It’s in your hands and movements. It’s how you thread the yarn through your fingers and tension it. It’s the style you use, pick or throw. It’s the needles you use, grabby or slick. But this particular “problem” is an easy thing to solve. Rip it back to 7″ and now you have a new, giant gauge swatch. Make the front match the number of rows. Recalculate your pattern (I told you to use pencil, right?) I do it all the time.
If it’s any consolation, I am working on a sweater for my son and it was coming out smaller than I had planned. Then I realized I was working on it when I was listening to political news and I was tightening up! I ripped back some and paid closer attention to not hang on to the yarn for dear life.
One reason too many adults deprive themselves of the joy of life-long learning is that they find it hard to “make mistakes.” They expect to gain mastery at an unrealistic rate. Watch a baby learning to walk . . . wobbling, falling, grabbing onto the furniture for help . . . but they never quit. We find these antics endearing. I encourage you to be more generous with yourself as you learn to knit better and not quit this time either. Mastery takes time.
Ok, I will rip out to 7 inches, knit the front to match the row number and then recalculate. I did measure before and after washing. The calculations were almost identical. I am hopeful. Thank you so much for the words of encouragement and instruction. i will continue to try.
Good! I’m guessing part of your issue was that you more as you worked more with the yarn. That’s pretty typical. Curiously, I do the opposite. I start loose and then find my rhythm and a more even, tighter gauge, especially when I’m working Fair Isle which is what my son’s sweater is.
Hi Cheryl, Iām about finished with the back. Do I leave the ball of yarn attached? If not, how many inches of yarn should I leave before cutting?
Thank you!
Hi Mary. Sorry I didn’t get to this sooner. I don’t always check in on my websites for comments. Leave about 3 to 4 times the width of the piece. That will give you plenty!
Thanks, Cheryl! I feel pretty well behind. I started the front and am close to starting the neck shaping. Iām just hoping I get finished before you take down the videos. Iām a novice knitter as you can probably tell, but am enjoying this and look forward to learning more as I continue on. Thanks again!
You have plenty of time Mary. Not to worry.
Hi Rachel,
I have a question or two to ask you.
1. When you calculate all these stitches / inch or rows, where do you break to round it up or down? Do you round down from everything under 0.50 and round up from 0.50 and up?
2. You said that on the rib I should have an odd number to make 1×1 rib to work. And after the rib you say that we should decrease or decrease the stitches ??? So what number up or down are we talking about here? And where do they come from ?
Cheryl,
I have now ripped it all up again and restarted the sweater because i didn’t was my swatch, so I felt guilty and washed it and remeasured everything and recalculated it all again. But it’s still not right?
My calculations said the the rib should reach the 1.5 i 10,5 rows but it ended up at 9 rows.
Then the stockinette to the 5.5″ mark for the armhole should be 39 rows but it ended up at 35 rows. No numbers are correct, why ???
Hi Diana,
1) .05 and above round up. .049 and below, round down. These are common arithmetic conventions. Calculate stitches and rows to the nearest 10th of a stitch at this gauge. For larger stitches (3.5 sts per inch or bigger) round to the nearest 100th of a st.
2) The reason you need an odd number in the ribbing is because of the seam you will use to sew up the ribbings at the end. You want a knit on the public side of the fabric at each end of the front and the back.
If your calculations give you an odd number of sts for the body pieces, then you do not need to adjust up or down. However, if your calculations for the body pieces give you an even number of stitches, you need to go down or up one for the ribbing to get your odd number.
Depending on the yarn you choose, the difference in gauge can be a lot before and after washing. It sounds like your swatch “shrunk” in length when you washed it. I would go with the 39 rows and 10 rows. And remember. This is a class exercise to help you learn a whole new set of skills. If it does not come out to be the perfect measurements you will learn even more. What does it tell you about washing a swatch and how your yarn performs? Is your gauge very different if you are knitting in a different environment. Approach this as a learning tool and do not worry if it is not “perfect.”
I’m eager to use the schematics in future projects, but I wonder what should I keep in mind when working on circular needles for a sweater in the round?
Well, you don’t need extra stitches for the seams so, for example, at 4 sts per inch you would have 4 fewer sts in the body than if you worked it in flat pieces, a full inch added if you mistakenly added them. For the sleeves, only 2 sts. Then there’s the yoke design . . . and that varies depending on which type you choose. I would consult a good book on knitting sweaters in the round for this part.
Dear Cheryl,
Learning so much, thank you for sharing your wisdom, knowledge, and experience with us! š
Question:I am working on the back of the sweater. If I’m understanding correctly, the “top row of bottom of body” is where to place the markers for sleeve placement. It looks like your threads have been placed on a knit row. Mine happened to land on the purl side. Does this make a difference? Will it be a different row, depending on how many rows there are, or have I done something wrong?
Thank you! š
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but this has been an exercise in frustration. š
The back piece is supposed to be 12″ long, but mine is 11 1/4″.
I’m supposed to work the front until it’s 5 1/2″ long, but mine is 4″.
I did the gauge swatch exactly as you’ve taught. I calculated how many stitches/rows are needed according to that. I just don’t know what I’ve done wrong. *sigh*
Sorry I didn’t find this earlier Shelly. No, it doesn’t matter if your thread lands on a knit or purl side. You have done nothing wrong. You will figure out how to pick up your sleeves to work down by measuring your gauge again on the back of the sweater.
Well, that’s no fun Shelly. Even experienced knitters can have their gauge change in a single garment. I spent 4 hours in the emergency room with a friend recently. I took a mitered square afghan along. It’s slight but I can tell that several of the squares are a teeny bit smaller than the others because of my tight knitting there.
It could be that your gauge changed after washing. I should have had you check before and after laundering. Many if not most patterns have you knit to a specific length by measurement and not by counting rows, so go ahead and knit until you get the length you need. If you got your stitch gauge right you are in great shape. And no, you haven’t done anything wrong. This is a class exercise, remember. It’s a learning tool.
Hi Cheryl,
I just finished the back and ready to start the front. I mis measured the rib and only have 1-1/4ā. I added an extra stockinette row to get to the 7ā total to the armhole. My row gag was 5.75rows per inch and I figured I needed 32rows for 5.5ā. Instead, I knit 33rows and got the 7 inches I needed. I then figured 29 rows for the 5 inches from the armhole mark to the top and it was spot on…yay!!! Now, onward to the front, and the placket. So far so good. One question though, do I break the yarn once I have the stitches on a holder?
Sue
I do, but I leave a really long tail for the final bind off/joining of the shoulders. I have to go back and look at the videos to see where I left the long tail. Sometimes I leave it on the last front finished, but always at the edge of the work and not neck edge.
How do you make the first row a wrong side row? Don’t you always stare a row the same i.e. knit / purl ?
1) By having an uneven number of sts and starting and ending with a purl if we are talking about a sweater piece that begins with a 1 x 1 ribbing at the bottom.
2) No. Not at all.
Cheryl Brunette I am in the front part I I know I have to dec. on the neck I am having trouble calculating them I have 29 st.Divide by 2 =14.5 sts. but I use the 7 sts. for the button ribbing so that leaves me 3.5 std. on both sides that I have to subtract from 14.5 which leaves me 11 dec. on both sides which means I have 17.5 to dec. does 11 sts, q other row (am I right ?))
it been a long time I had to culculated any thing . I love your way of do the garment to fix I will use this from now onI really glad that you join our group and that you were in Suzanne off the cuff I had gotten before she had you on the show but have understand how to use til I explain in the show and now with this class I see so clear now thank so much Olga Alvarez
I’m not sure I understand your comment Olga . . . but it sounds like 29-7= 22 sts to eliminate, or 11 per side. You might not have enough rows to complete these decreases on every other row so you might have to bind off more sts at once for the first few steps. Check out my YouTube channel on sloped bind-off. https://youtu.be/r6vI1cCIfFs
Thank Cheryl I read your book and and also did part 5 ans you do it far better then and more simpler than me I spent hour doing math which i am glad i did not do I would have come out very bad. I have been reading the book but until I saw part 5 I did not understand I need to learn with both visual and read I learn year ago about that. thank thanks for your book and part 5 of the classes wow I can now relax I got it oh so happy Olga
Hi Cheryl,
Can you please clarify subverting for me? Regarding the “additional 1 stitch” on each edge… do you slip the last and last stitch to seam or do you just follow the original k1P1 rib pattern for 2 extra stitches…ie K1P1 for 52 stitches instead of 49, not slip or knit 1 then begin K1P1.
Thanks, Sheri
Never mind….got it!
Great Sheri!
I know you added 1 st on each end for seaming . I a little confused, you mention something about adding or subtractiing a stich when changing from rib to body . Is there a reason for that ?
Iām almost finished with the back.
Does it matter which side I end on?
No.
If you’re using a 1 x 1 ribbing at the bottom you need an odd number of sts. If your gauge dictates that you need an even number of sts for the body, you need to add or subtract a st to get there.
Hi Cheryl, I know you said you start and end every right side with a knit row for finishing. So the wrong side is always started with a purl stitch ? Then you continue in pattern ?
Yes, if I understand your question properly. I want knits at both edges of the ribbing so that I can do an invisible seam in the end.