The Sewing Place

The Emporia => A Good Yarn => Topic started by: Ploshkin on September 25, 2017, 11:53:29 AM

Title: Will this work?
Post by: Ploshkin on September 25, 2017, 11:53:29 AM
I've just got some yarn to knit a chunky sweater (James Brett Marble Chunky)
Having completed my top down, in the round sweater I am now hooked.  I like knitting with the cables as I have tendonitis in both hands and I particularly like the no sewing up.  The pattern I am going to use doesn't have raglan sleeves otherwise I might be tempted to attempt knitting it from the top. 
However I have a plan - knit the front and back simultaneously, in the round, taking off 2 stitches from what would be the sides (4 stitches in total) to account for there being no side seams.  Do this until the armhole shaping then split and do the front and back separately.  Knit the sleeves in the round minus 2 stitches to account for the lack of seam then knit the sleeve head flat.  That would mean the only sewing up would be the shoulders and sleeve heads.  Neckband then knitted in the round.
It seems perfectly doable to me.  Is there any major flaw in the plan that has escaped me?
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: b15erk on September 25, 2017, 11:58:00 AM
Sounds perfectly sensible to me Plosh.  Says she with half a dozen cardigan pieces on the desk, waiting to be sewn up.... :(

Look forward to seeing how it works out.  I've done it in reverse with a donkey pattern.  I couldn't manage the muzzle in the round,,,,

Jessie
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: Acorn on September 25, 2017, 12:05:19 PM
I did something very similar with a baby's cardigan and it worked so well that I couldn't understand why they're not always done that way (for children's clothes at least, since the maximum number of stitches is still very manageable even for non-experts).
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: Ellabella on September 25, 2017, 13:04:11 PM
I've thought about this, but never got round to trying it.

I cannot see a reason why it will not work.

Do you think that knitting individual sections was originally the answer to the limitations of conventional needles.

Now we have cables long rows are not an issue.

I am knitting a cardigan in one piece at the moment but confess the pattern was written that way.
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: Ploshkin on September 25, 2017, 13:13:39 PM
I'll go for it and hope it doesn't end up looking like a donkey  :)
Come to think of it, I'm sure traditional Guernseys were knitted on 4 needles.
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: b15erk on September 25, 2017, 13:16:09 PM
 :D :D :D

Jessie

eta the donkey looked very well  ;)
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: BrendaP on September 25, 2017, 13:49:36 PM
It's quite do-able. 

The only thing to be aware of is that a lot of people, me included, get different tensions for knitting and for purling - my purling is a bit looser.  If you look at stocking stitch worked back and forth on two needles and the ridges on the back are in pairs then this happens to you too.  It will result in a slightly different tension and appearance where the change from 2 needles to the circular one occurs.  If you do tension swatches you can work out which size needle you need to use for the purl/wrong side rows to match the size needed for the knit/right side rows.

I hope that's making sense!


Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: Acorn on September 25, 2017, 13:57:46 PM
Now I need to go and find some knitting to see whether my knits and purls are even...  ;)
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: Bogwoppit on September 25, 2017, 15:41:39 PM
if you look up steeks you'll find how they do it with fair isle cardigans.  Very cool.
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: b15erk on September 25, 2017, 15:45:22 PM
OOOooo Steeks!  I watched a wonderful video on this by Arne and Carlos (no link, but available on Youtube).

It looks wonderful when they do it, but I'm afraid if I tried it, it would turn out quite differently  :S

Jessie
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: b15erk on September 25, 2017, 15:47:39 PM
OK then, here's the link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8UVwATDASw

It's 3 videos long I think, but very interesting.

Jessie
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: Ploshkin on September 25, 2017, 16:29:40 PM
That's fascinating Jessie.  I've done a lot of traditional knitting in my past but have never heard of steeking.  When I'm at a loose end some time I'll knit up a swatch and give it a go.
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: Deafoldbat on September 25, 2017, 19:11:58 PM
I experimented with this many years ago after reading Traditional Knitting
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Pearsons-Traditional-Knitting-Expanded/dp/0486460533/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1506362567&sr=1-1&keywords=traditional+knitting

Knit the body in the round to the armholes, divide and knit front and back to the shoulders and cast off front and back together, pick up and knit neckband, then pick up round armholes and knit the sleeves in the round down to the cuff. (This requires some thought if your pattern goes the other way!) I only used this plan on T-shaped jumpers though I expect clever people can do raglans too. One tip was to purl a stitch to mark the sides, where a seam would go, and be sure to mark the beginning of the round.
Fishermen's ganseys were knitted like this on 4 or 5 needles depending on size.The reason for knitting down the sleeve to the cuff was that when the cuff wore out, you could unravel it and knit a new one.
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: Lachica on September 25, 2017, 19:48:29 PM
That's how I knitted 3 Icelandic sweaters in the early1980s. As a non-knitter, it makes perfect sense & is easier as there's no purling.
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: Ploshkin on September 25, 2017, 20:40:29 PM
Ooh DOB, thank you for that.  It hadn't occurred to me to pick up the stitches round the armhole though it is a shaped sleeve head so I'd have to think about that.  I'd probably need to pick up the stitches gradually and knit in the flat until I had all of the armhole on the needle.   I also hadn't thought about casting off the shoulders together.
I might yet avoid any sewing up.
Title: Re: Will this work?
Post by: tumblina on September 25, 2017, 23:27:26 PM
With a shaped sleeve head you'll need to do short rows (millions of tutorials for those!). I pick up half the number of rows on each side plus the number across the top, then wrap and turn (one way to do short rows) at each picked up stitch. Personally I find it easier if it's graphed out, so I print off free knitters graph paper and mark the outlines so I can "see" how the puzzle fits together!

The one reason to knit pieces is that seams provide some structure. I never worry about it for wool or acrylic, but alpaca, silk, or plant fibres seams can help check the growing they are prone to. Three needle bind off of shoulder seams works, but I don't like grafting. That area needs stability. If there's shoulder shaping, using short rows will allow them to be bound off together, which I find much neater than trying to sew two stair steps together.

Or you can just follow the pattern instead of tying yourself up in knots, but what's the fun of that?