…or, how not to knit a sweater…
I’ve been knitting away on the blue and gold cardi. I knit down to the bottom edge and tried it on before deciding on the next step. There turned out to be many next-steps.
Before slicing open the front I took out a chunk of neck to get a square neckline.
I put in a reverse life-line – the royal blue yarn – and 2 little crochet secured steeks – the black yarn. Then I snipped down the center and ravelled across to the crochet lines.
Like so.
I actually went back and made the neck a bit wider but you get the general idea. Then crochet secured the fronts before slicing it open.
By crocheting through one leg of each color stitch both colors are secured.
Currently I’m adding a bottom border in garter stitch before I begin the considerable neck and front treatment. Oi.
I will never stek a sweater like this again. I was way too gung-ho to start this project and I didn’t plan it too well. I planned on making a square neck so I wouldn’t have to incorporate short-row shaping into the colorwork. Obviously it can be done the way I did it, but there must be better ways!
The best way to have done this would have been to cast on the steek sts only and then cast on the fronts in big balloons at the desired neck depth. Or it could have been done back and forth to the desired neck depth, but I’m not sure I can do colorwork from the wrong side. Hmm.
For now, it looks like arse, but I think it will all work out. And if it doesn’t, well then, it doesn’t. I’m not sure there’s enough gold yarn to the sleeves anyway. Guess I shoulda checked that before slicing up all my yarn.
Now incorporating my favorite technique… Knit and pray!
WOW!! that is some serious steeking. I was a bit shocked. It is a beauty though.
Maybe you can do the sleeves plain blue with the patterning on the cuffs. Give the eyes a place to rest.
Holy heck! I’m always impressed by your ability to just do it!
I think I’ll have to try the crochet to secure the steeking. The one little steek I did was machine secured. I think that made it hard to pick up stitches for the neck. But I wasn’t afraid it would unravel after 2 rows of tiny thread stitches.
I am totally confident that you, of all people, can do colorwork back and forth. You just need more practice with your right hand! I say this after blithely deciding many times to knit things continental only to get more comfortable myself and then giving up and going back to my usual technique 2 rows in… But try a warshcloth? Something small like that.
I’m at work without my knitting references at had but I remember something about binding off (in a pullover though) and then casting on in the next row with more stitches to steek to separate for the fronts above the scooped neckline – sorry this is about as clear as a dirt. I’ll look when I get home… the sweater is gorgeous and I’m in major admiration of your steeking bravery.
the biggest problem about knitting colourwork back and forth is tension… and maybe easier when knitting continental. i really have no idea. but the sweater looks awesome. and i have read about lifelines but never understood what the heck it was. i have never heard anyone here speak about it or read about it in any scandinavian knitting book. there is really a huge difference in the approaches. i was so confused with english and american patterns when i first started reading them because they make sure to explain to the extreme (well not ez).
i lam looking so much forward to seeing this sweater finished.