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Discover knitting, crochet, scrapbooking and art and craft ideas on this forum.

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Discover knitting, crochet, scrapbooking and art and craft ideas on this forum.

Arts and crafts

NQC tries to make a sweater ... again

43 replies

NotQuiteCockney · 15/03/2007 21:22

Ok, I'm trying to make a sweater. I think I will do the Zimmerman yoked sweater (currently working my way up the body) as DS1 wants colours on it.

But the armpits and sleeves are bugging me. She is a bit 'and then the magic happens, make it up as you go along' about the armpits.

What are the seamfree (or relatively so) options for sleeves? I have found:

Raglan/yoked (basically the same, right? only difference is whether decreases are all together or spread out)
deeply weird one involving steeking (zimmerman)
picking up stitches and knitting sleeves top-down

Are there more? The third tempts me most, but I guess I won't do it for this one ...

OP posts:

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warthog · 15/03/2007 22:09

what about ultra-simple sleeves? ie. the 'arms' of a T? not set in, just tacked onto the body?

NotQuiteCockney · 16/03/2007 06:05

Oh, yes, there's those - but do they work with knitting in the round? I thought you could do those either by knitting a giant cross and then sewing the seams of the underarms and side, or I think I've seen a pattern that has you knit the whole thing sideways, starting and ending with a sleeve ... I forget how the middle bit went, though ...

OP posts:

earlgrey · 16/03/2007 06:18

NQC if you want to CAT me I'll give you my mum's email addy - she'll happily talk you through anything.

NotQuiteCockney · 16/03/2007 06:28

Is she big on seamfree knitting? Most English knitters aren't, from what I've seen. Knitting in the round works better with German/Scandi style knitting ...

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earlgrey · 16/03/2007 06:32

Oh gawd, I dunno! Just know she's never been unable to knit anything I've given her. She can make up her own patterns for things. Your question's a bit beyond my k1,p1 limitations!

Fillyjonk · 16/03/2007 07:15

you must not steek, it is too weird. I don't think you're allowed to steek in the uk, sorry.

I've done no 3 quite a few times, in fact I normally adapt those snobby erika knight/rowan patterns to be knit in the round then pick up and knit sleeves. Its straightforward. you just read the sleeve pattern backwards IYKWIM.

NotQuiteCockney · 16/03/2007 07:53

Picking up sounds like the best plan to me, maybe combined with some short rows to give proper shoulders?

Yeah, steeking too scary for me. Zimmerman loves it, and has some lovely ideas with it though, most notably adding a pocket by steeking. I don't think I knit like her, but I certainly find her ideas fascinating.

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warthog · 16/03/2007 08:01

ooooo i don't know. i think steeking can look pretty good. then you knit the body and sleeves in the round and not much hassle sewing them together, just the seam with the sleeve to the body.

it would take some serious fiddling to not have to sew a single seam. hat off to you if you do it!

NotQuiteCockney · 16/03/2007 08:05

Oh, I've made a couple of seemfree sweaters, but not been 100% happy with them. Will have to look at the latest one again.

My objection to steeking isn't about how it looks, but is about the fact it is Evil and Weird.

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warthog · 16/03/2007 08:36

snort - you mean CUTTING knitting? it does give me the heebie jeebies.

ok, i'm impressed. 2 seam-free sweaters! until you came along it hadn't occured to me to knit in the round. haven't tried it yet, but perhaps i will on my next jersey, coming up after i unpick and reknit all the squares i'm doing for marina - the right size this time

NotQuiteCockney · 16/03/2007 09:56

Do you knit English-style or German-style? The German way is more suited to knitting in the round, from what I've read (and experienced).

Thing is, I really hate sewing up. I know, with knitting, that I can get things just right, whereas I'm much less confident of my sewing skills. (Although I do want to improve them.)

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warthog · 16/03/2007 10:08

my sewing up is crap too. in fact, on my last jersey my mil thought it was inside out because the seams were so badly done actually, i think it's because it was because the multicoloured wool made it more visible. i've got a fairilse jersey to knit next. am very tempted to do a circular knit. it's a raglan shape, so i guess you just switch to regular needles when you get to the arms?

method depends on what i'm knitting. if fairisle, then i hold a thread in each hand. if knitting, german, if purling, english. what do you do?

NotQuiteCockney · 16/03/2007 10:19

I use DPNs for the arms.

I only knit German-style, but will start doing English-style for two-colour work I think.

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warthog · 16/03/2007 10:58

what's the advantage of using dpn's? you'd still have to purl wouldn't you?

NotQuiteCockney · 16/03/2007 11:00

No, with DPNs you just keep knitting in the round. No purling, no sewing.

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warthog · 16/03/2007 11:03

ah - we're talking cross-purposes. i was asking what to do about knitting the raglan bit...

so what's the difference between circs and dpn's then? surely more chance of dropping stitches with dpn's?

NotQuiteCockney · 16/03/2007 11:10

Ah, yes, right, sorry.

The only point in favour of DPNs is that you can do smaller diameter stuff that way. You are much more likely to drop stitches, also you get laddery bits between the needles.

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warthog · 16/03/2007 11:17

i must admit i usually knit with two circular needles when knitting with socks. so think i will try that...

scared of dpn's!

NotQuiteCockney · 16/03/2007 11:18

I should try the two-circulars thing. I have loads of circulars.

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warthog · 16/03/2007 11:55

i found it by far the easiest. am getting excited now!

Fillyjonk · 17/03/2007 07:27

"Picking up sounds like the best plan to me, maybe combined with some short rows to give proper shoulders? "

ooooh, posh

I must say I've decided to experiment with intrasia for these squares-avoided it til now seeing as how its the devils work and all-so my squares are a bit...variable in size, it must be said. Much better after blocking though.

Fillyjonk · 17/03/2007 07:30

oh and the laddery bits can be avoided to some extent by changing the point at which you move onto a new needle. so row 1 you might have say 5 stitches over 4 needles, row 2 move to 7, 7, 4 and 2 and so on.

Also you'll drop far far far less stitches if you use wooden / bamboo dpns (aka bbq skewers...)

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NotQuiteCockney · 17/03/2007 08:29

All my dpns are wood. And I do move the stitches about, when it's practical to.

I've nearly finished the body, about to get started on the sleeves. I have to find the sweater I knitted for DS2 and look it over to see how it all went, and figure out if there's anything I should learn there. I think I got the sleeves on that one by picking up, but didn't do short rows for it.

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Fillyjonk · 17/03/2007 09:30

ah yes nqc that wasn't so much for you but for the hordes of knitting lurkers hereabouts

i am a convert to dpns and don't want ANYONE to feel they are difficult, cos they're bloody not

warthog · 17/03/2007 16:36

what worries me about dpn's filly, is when you're not knitting. i like to scrunch the knitting against the back of the needle and stuff it in a bag. have to be a lot more careful with dpn's, when shoving and taking out...

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