I made an armpit!

[NotQuiteCockney]

I sewed the sleeves on my sweater! Ok, not sewed, more like grafted?

Whatever, I made an armpit!

There are weird holes in front of and behind my sleeves, I expect those will go away? Or will they?

Congratulations (bit woried about the holes?)

hmm, well nice and airy for summer. most impressed sweater made, in the round (except sleevies)?

Sleeves were made in the round, too.

I think the holes will disappear, they're not big.

The holes weren't disappearing, so I have frogged back to them. I think the problem was, I hadn't allowed enough stitches for the armpits, iyswim.

Going to try again.

Hmm, I did it with 8 stitches for the armpit. Big holes. Did it with 11 stitches, got smaller holes, but still holes, still not going away.

I guess I can expect some holes from this technique, like you'd get from cabling, but how do I know how many stitches to use for the armpit?

There are 108 stitches on the cardi body below the armpit. There are 36 stitches on each sleeve. I'm thinking about trying 14 stitches per armpit?

Oh help, I've got no idea. I've only ever made one jumper remotely like this but a) it was top-down and b) I just slavishly followed the pattern. I didn't get any holes, but it wasn't like grafting at all. Sorry :(

Hmm, maybe I'll start a new thread on KR, then.

I would- it's quite an unusual technique I think, so you need to reach a good number of experts. You can't just sew them, can you? I know you hate it but it might be easier in the end...

I'd really rather not.

The answer may involve sewing up the holes, though, I'm willing to believe that might be a necessary bodge.

tamum, I have a different plan now.

I was thinking about maybe making the sleeve a bit angled, using short rows.

And then grafting it on, by doing k2togs with the end stitches on the cardi (obviously splitting the cardi at this point). Would this work? Because it's garter stitch, it would come out at less than one k2tog per row, obviously, but I'm ok with fiddling with that ...

It sounds reasonable, but I am sorry, it's so hard to know without seeing it- I just can't picture it at all. Are the stitches on the cardi still live?

All the stitches are live. I'd have to use 3 balls to work the body, splitting it, and then rejoining it, which I've never done before, but it can't be that hard, right?

No, just like intarsia :o

Ugh, why is it like intarsia? All those bits of yarn? Ugh.

I don't know why these bloody holes keep happening, I tried with 8 stitches, I tried with 11, I tried with 14, still got holes.

Someone on KR is talking about doing reductions afterwards, in a raglany sort of way, which I'm now thinking is inevitable ... might help with holes.