Part 8: Pick up and Knit the Sleeves


Watch the video above.  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 9: Sew the Seams

Enjoy!
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28 comments

  1. WOW! This is like magic! Took me a long time to comprehend the neck shaping but then the light bulb came on. Working on my first sleeve now. Any advice on how to make sure the edge stitches are clear? Some of mine look like knots. Thanks so much for this tutorial!

  2. Hi Eunice! I just love it when things finally click for me, or better, for my students. I swear . . . I went into teaching for that reward, watching kids’ (and adults’) faces light up with, “I get it!”

    Your edge stitches in stockinette look like they are supposed to look: “a loop and a knot, a loop and a knot” as my ma used to say. It has to do with turning the work around and coming back into the st you made. When you seam it it will disappear. Edges that aren’t put into a seam I treat a little differently.

  4. Wow! Why have I never heard of this magic formula before! I am amazed! I couldn’t believe it when I counted the stitches I had picked up and it was exactly the number I as suppose to have and they were in a perfect pattern! Now it is time to knit the sleeve rows.

  6. OMGOSH it worked perfectly!!!! You are an awesome teacher!!! If I still lived in Seattle I would take the ferry across & give you a big ol’ hug.

  9. Really good question Sally. I count them as the first row because that’s how they appear. However, I don’t count my cast-on row as the first row. That’s an inconsistency, I know, but it works for me.

  10. I’ve gotten past that point but still have a question. After picking up the stitches and turning to knit them, all the stitches were oriented backwards. Is this normal or did I do something wrong?

  11. They are properly oriented when I pick them up. You must have done something a little different. You can knit into the backs of the stitches to automatically set them straight.

  12. My gauge gave me 25 rows compared to your 31. That means I need to pick up 45 stitches over 50 rows. Seems pretty simple right? I skip 5 stitches over the 50 rows or 1 stitch every 10th row. Does that seem right?

  13. Hi Cindi. Yes. You need to skip a total of 5 sts. I’d pick up 4, skip the 5th, then every 10th st after that.

  14. How does your little X division figure look if there is no remainder? Do you put a zero somewhere?

  15. Yes, you can for clarity, But if it’s something as simple as picking up 16 sts over 20 rows (thus eliminating 4 sts) you would divide 4 into 20 and know to skip every 5th st. You would need to distribute those evenly so that you’re not doing it at the ends, e.g. K2 skip, *K4 skip* to the end which would leave you with a couple of extra sts.

  16. Hi Cheryl,
    I am confused when decreasing sleeve. My stitch count is 4.7/inch and 6.336 for rows.
    I have 53 stitches at top and need 31 at bottom. I need 63 rows for 10 inches. If I figured out I have 22 stitches to decreases. Divided makes 11. So do I divide 11 into 61 rows? If so I get 10 at top then 11. at bottom 1 x 5. So I go down to 11th row and decrease once then down 10 rows 5 times. Is this correct?

  17. Cheryl, when working on sleeves is it good policy to increase or decrease only on the knit side of stocking stitch? If so, would that make using the more-or-less-right formula a problem? Thanks

  18. It’s easier to make symmetrical decreases if you do them on the knit side and it’s ok if you “fudge” the spacing of the decreases, like every 6th, then every 8th row rather than every 7th row. The left-leaning purl decrease is cumbersome to do . . . at least for me now. My hands are being a little cranky these days.

  19. Hi Cheryl

    When knitting the back and front I slip the first stitch of each row and then pick up those slip stitches to knit the sleeve in the round. It seems to work really well and I find it easier to see them too.
    I truly appreciate all your valuable tips and have used many of them to make a nicer, neater garment.
    Thank you so much for your efforts.

  20. Cheryl Brunette in mt calculation for the sleeve on the body I have 70 row front and backon my sleeve I have 65 +2 is 67 , now I take away from 70 rows – 67 leaves me 3 , or 70 – 65 leaves me 5 now I divide 3 or 5 into 70 =23 or 14 now add 1= 24 or 15 now I take away 3 from 10 leaves me 7. so now 23 circle and 24 24 circle and this goes with 10 and 23 goes with 7 am I correct or not It seem to me I have to decrease to many or I could do 3 divide into 7 which =3 ****** (that leaves me 10 left over from the 70 )****** then take away 3- 10 =7 I read the book but but still am not sure Sorry to covariance you and thanks very much Olga

  23. Hi and thank you for this tutorial. I would like to do the sleeves in the round. Could I just pick up the stitches on a circular needle? If so, what size circular would you think is best? I have the mini needles…
    Thanks again,

  24. Hi Cheryl, I love this class ! When attaching the arms to the sleeve the math equation of 4 stitches 11X’s and 3 stitches 6X’s. So I think I have it correct, the 4th st. is not worked but counted and the 3th stitch is not worked but counted ? Do I have the method correct ? Learning so much can’t believe it Thank You.

  25. Yes. Count 1,2,3, skip, 1,2,3, skip, 1, 2, skip, for example. That will be roughly your distribution.

  26. Yes, you certainly can. Personally, at 74, my fingers aren’t quite as nimble as they used to be for small, fiddly things, so I use the magic loop method with a rather long needle. That said, it doesn’t matter. Just choose the length that works best for you.

  27. Hi Cheryl, as I finish one section of the sweater I review what I have done, I was wondering if the sleeves could be used on a circular needle to eliminate the side seam ? In doing that the decreased rows would be 2 decreases one on each side of the sleeve. So the knit 2 together for the rt.leaning and the ssk for the left leaning would that still apply, or could just a knit 2 together be used on each side of the end row of the circular needle. Thank you

  28. Yes, you can adapt it to use a circular needle, and use the 2 different kinds of decreases leaving 1 or 2 plain sts between them.

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