Calling Knitters - baby due on Sunday and stuck on neckband - help!

[NoviceKnitter]

Hi there - just a neckband away from my first completed garment - a cardi for LO due on Sunday. It's a Rowan pattern and I don't understand if I knit the neckband by picking up stitches from the completed sections I've already done or if I create new stitches and then sew it on. I'm transcribing the instructions below - any help gratefully received - otherwise it's an emergency trip to John Lewis for help.

From my Rowan book:

Neckband

With RS facing, using 3 1/4 mm needles and yarn A, moss st 5 sts from buttonhold band, pick up and knit 9 sts up right side of neck, 12 sts from right sleeve, 19 sts from back, 12 stts from left sleeve, and 9 sts down left side of neck, then mosss st 5 sts of button band. 71 sts.

Keeping moss st correct as set by bands, work 1 row in moss st across all sts.

Row 2 (RS): Moss st 1 st, work 2 tog, yrn (to make 6th buttonhold), moss st to end. Work in moss st for a furhter 2 rows. Cast off in moss st (on WS).

OK, so now I've typed that out I can see I'm meant to pick up stitches from the existing panels. Do I literally just stick my needle through the top stitches? Any advice?

Also, the picture shows at least three or four rows - but no ref to these in instructions.

Sorry, I probably sound really thick, but I am Novice Knitter by name, Novice Knitter by nature. But once this is finished I think I may have to change my name!

Thanks in advance...

Hi there, experienced knitter here!!
You need to pick up existing stitches around the edge or top of the parts you have already knitted. No need to sew it on after, by picking up and knitting you are making a seamless transition to neckband. So presumably you have sewn the buttonhole band and button hole band on and these still have stitches on, ie they weren't cast off at the top? And also presumably you have sewn the sleeve to body seams and are now looking at basically a neckband-free cardi. So just knit the first 5 stitches which are on the buttonhole band. Then, and its a bit fiddly, use the needle that doesn't have the buttonhole band stitches on, to poke into the sides or top of the stitches )depending on whether its up the side of the neck or tops of sleeve/back of neck) and KNIT into it so that the knit stitch is the same way out as the KNIT side of the garment, ie make sure you don't do a row of purl.
The three or four rows you in the pic are there - the first one is the 'work 1 row moss stitch across all stitches'. The second one, you moss stitch all the way back then make the 6th buttonhole at the buttonhole band. then you are instructed to work a further 2 rows of moss stitch, and then cast off in moss stitch.

Does this help?

We all had to learn once but I had my granny expert knitter on hand all the time!

If still in doubt, I tend to put the knitting and pattern away, go to bed, then when you get up in teh mornign and look at it with fresh eyes the pattern miraculously becomes clear!

Sorry I made a few word errors, its late and I was trying to type too fast...
Was trying to say that you use the needle that doesn't have any stitches on it from the moss stitch 5 sts on button hole band, to pick up the stitches, and knit into it using the other needle so that as you go along you end up with row of stitches on the other needle.
Am I making sense? Feel like I ought to go and make a dvd and send to you!

That's brilliant, yes that makes sense and yes I have all the bits you describe. am as you say going to go to bed now and come fresh in the morning. Will post again if I get into serious aggro. Or indeed not, just to celebrate getting the darn thing done!

Great, good luck with it. I usually nip on MN in the late evening depending on whether dp is ebaying but if you post with any more problems tomorrow there seem to be quite a few knitters on mumsnet to help.
I knitted a little cardi for DS2 when pregnant. The midwives had been telling me head down, small baby. Turned out they were feeling the bum of my 9lber and the darned cardigan didn't even fit him at 1 day old!!! Gave it to the premature ward!!

Thanks fj - have gone for a 3-6 months pattern to be on safe side. Haven't dived into neck yet but will tonight. Fingers crossed. Then there's the small matter of stitching it all together - ooh er...

Calling FlibbertyJibbet or other accomplished knitters! Have only just summoned the energy to return to my knitting. realise that although I'm meant to knit directly to finished bits of cardi, these have been cast off, as per pattern instructions, with exception of button and buttonhole bands.

As pattern instructions seem to want me to knit neckband straight on to other bits I'll crack on and try picking up stitches from cast off bits, but any thoughts welcome from experts!

Hope this makes sense...

Thanks!

plan seems to be working so far, although it's creating a sort of internal ridge which seems annoying - i.e. the cast off edge will push into baby's neck - wish pattern had instructed me not to cast off... still, living and learning!

You are meant to pick up stitches from cast off edges, don't worry. You will get a teeny ridge probably but it should be fine. Good luck

Thank you. Another question. I'm making up now. Any tips for stitching together raglan seams at sleeves? One edge seems to have a double edge, one a single, so I'm assuming a sort of tuck one of the double edges under the single so they meet in the middle and looks as in picture. But no idea how to even begin to do that neatly. Oh dear, falling at hte last hurdle!

Thanks

Can you do mattress stitch? That seems to sort everything out for me

Well I'm struggling to do it while maintaining the look of the raglan edge. I'll give it another go though... thank you!

Whenever a pattern tells me to cast off at the top of sleeves, neck etc I slip the stitches on to a spare needle (does make it a bit messy sewing up though, all needles flying about!) and then just knit them up into the neck, makes it much neater.
TBH even my experienced raglans always look a bit wobbly when sewn up as you are sewing a side thats had say 'slip one knit one pass slip stich over' as its decreasing method to another side thats had 'knit two together', so the two sides aren't the same. I lay them flat on each other then push one slightly over to make the right side more even looking if that makes sense.
Don't worry, everyone will be tooo busy looking at your baby to worry about whether your raglans are perfect! And baby will be sick on it after about 3 seconds anyway...
Off to bed now, hope you get it finished in time x

Flibberty, that is why I always work the raglan a 'stitch in' as follows:-
Slip 1 purlwise, slip one knitwise, k1 sso work till last 3 sts, kn 2 tog k1.
As a matter of course I always slip the first st of every row purlwise.
This gives a beautiful edge which, if you have done it right will give you an equal amount of rows so you can graft the edges on the right side of the work for an almost invisible seam.
Otherwise I agree with you that it is very impressive for a novice knitter to have finished a baby jacket for her baby in the week before it is due and nobody will notice any glitches.
Hope all goes well with the birth novice knitter, Will you post in the birth announcements?

Aaaah..had to come and check 'neckband' in your thread title wasn't a euphemism for cervix. Good luck with both jobs!

Thank you so much for all your help and kind thoughts. Neckband is on!!! Seams are stitched together!!! Moss stitch seems to have become some kind of rib stitching round the back edge, but I have to say the cardi looks pretty ok. Oh and the raglan seams look three rowed rather than the two in the pic. But again it looks ok - no, more than ok. I just have to sew on the buttons and a little cat I've made up for the front, and then I'm done! Reckon it is all a bit tied up with birth metaphors and cervix readiness (!) which is why I got into such a state about it the other night. How can I be a good mother if I can't finish the cardi? But now I feel really quite proud of myself and all the little glitches are just idiosyncracies that make it truly homemade and I feel really quite proud to have finished my first garment! Maybe now it's ready baby will feel ready too - Yes will post a birth announcement. First I guess I better wash cardi - hope it doesn't fall apart in process!

Happy knitting, it's certainly been a learning curve...

Why are you washing it? Unless you've been eating fish and chips with your fingers before picking it up each time then no need. I never wash them. I don't press them either as sometimes that can pull them out of shape a bit unless you are skilled with damp cloth.
Just bung it on baby when he/she arrives - due tomorrow, hope all goes well!

OK, won't wash it. Buttons and cat now stitched on, so bring on baby!

Thanks again for your help.

Will look out for your birth announcement posting!

How are you novice knitter?