slopes and hacks...

Let’s talk about the pockets. They are made first, and the top of the pocket is attached to the Front as you’re knitting it, so this is a committed deal. You can’t just take them off like a patch pocket and readjust. Made one, following the stripe sequence for the Back, same as I’ll use on the Fronts, using the shortrowed decrease hack https://knitwords.blogspot.com/2018/02/decreasing-hack.html
(which I LOVE!) for the slope of the pocket and did the cast-off in tan because it made the most sense – there was tan at the bottom and top of the slope, so I naturally had the tan in work at the point of the cast off. I wasn’t crazy about the tan going across the navy because I had in my mind that navy should be the main colour but then navy would be interrupting the tan…yada, yada, yada. It’s probably time to go back to the original 3-stitch outlined decrease.
Look at me, making all these swatches ;)!!

size does matter...

Outside patch pocket? can be quick and easy or you could put some effort into it. Here’s my effort version. This one can be a bit bigger than the inside patch pocket from ‘Pocket Change’  http://knitwords.blogspot.ca/2018/03/do-i-take-chance.html
Here, we only have to worry about the top of the pocket bagging out so I’m going with 14 cm X 15 cm (5.5  in X 6 in) and because it’s just sewn on top of the garment front, things are a lot more forgiving. 

A long while back, I told you about a breakthrough I had with a chained edging on a patch pocket http://knitwords.blogspot.ca/2011/03/fourth-times-charm.html and I tried it again with fairisle http://knitwords.blogspot.ca/2013/08/perfect-pockets.html - now I’m attempting to take it a step further. Note about waste yarn – don’t use crap – make sure it’s a good firm yarn that’s at least the same thickness as your main yarn or you’ll be digging for those stitches forever! I used Bonita 4 ply cabled cotton that is slightly heavier than the 4 ply wool I’m using for the main yarn and knit the waste yarn tighter – go with T6 – it will make the main yarn stitches pop up better.
That chain is going to go around the entire patch if I’ve figured this right. Based on my gauge, for the chain, I will need 38 sts for the width and (60 rows divided by 2) 30 sts for each side. To be able to keep track of this, I place the actual pocket  on #19-0-19 ns. Add 30 to the left and 30 to the right for each of the sides #49-0-49 ns. Measure out 6X width of ns in work and double that so you have main yarn double stranded, chain across, going fairly loosely for part that is sides of pocket – you need to build in some room for the drop and then do it a little more snugly for the width parts. Main yarn single strand, main tension +2, knit 1 row. Break yarn. Remove 30 sts at left on WY. Remove another 30 sts at right on waste, leaving 19-0-19 sts in work for pocket. RC000. CAR. Main yarn, main tension, K1R. At right, pick up stitch from chain closest and hang on #20, Pick up #19, move to #20 and take both back to #19. Make sure #20 is out of work. K1R. This puts chain stitch on knit side of pocket edge. Repeat on left, hanging new chain st on side opposite carriage, continuing up to RC060. Each side should be finished now and CAR. Using tail at right and the main yarn from carriage, hand knit a loose row with double strand and chain off.  

silver lining...

So glad I made that mis took the time to knit that prototype of the collar! It was way too big! I had the cardigan all put together, shoulders and side seams joined and sleeves on – so I put that on and then held the collar around my neck and I could better judge the actual size needed. Took 10 stitches off each side, reknit the whole thing, (placing the N1 correctly ;-)) and it’s perfect! Added bonus, I could use the longer edging from the outside of the first collar to judge how many stitches needed for the front bands.
OMG! You’re not going to believe this, but I re-purposed that band. I kept holding it up to the front and measuring and it seemed like the exact length that I would need for the button band. I pulled off the lace part until there were 2 rows of stockinette left above the ribbed edge that I had before beginning the lace patterning. I rehung into the row below which worked perfectly because everything was well steamed, and stitches set, leaving one full row of stockinette across the entire piece. I removed the last row, did an RTR and knit a row so I had that nice garter stitch ridge, took it off on the garter bar, hung the left front, turned the band and rehung it and presto! my button band! I did do a swatch of the buttonhole and I went with the 15mm (smaller), 2-stitch hole rather than the 20 mm, 3-stitch hole. I thought it suited the size/width of the band better than the larger one.
 BTW, you know how I like to name my projects, this one is called ‘Pocket Change’.
P.S. I'm watching 'Ozark' on Netflix - I'm really liking it and I'm becoming obsessed with a long cardigan that the Laura Linney character is wearing in the 7th episode - watch this space!

do i take a chance? ...

I’ve been quietly knitting this longish, lace cardigan that I mentioned a week or so ago in the medium brown wool. I started with the sleeves – I always feel this is a good thing to do – it gradually gets me and the machine in the groove for lace carriage work before the heavy stuff of knitting lace across the whole bed, like for the back. I can practise my ravel cord shortrowing on the sleeve cap http://knitwords.blogspot.ca/2017/01/life-lessons.html and think about the other details of the design. I took a chance without making a whole new swatch (kids, don’t try this at home!) and deleted a few rows from the hem band, as it seemed a little deep, two less after the circular rows and two less between the racks, so 20 rows total instead of 24 and it looks nicer.
While knitting the back, the widest piece, I took my time and broke it up into 44-row spurts – that’s my row gauge, so it reminded me to hang the yarn marks at the edges for seaming and it gave me a breakpoint for the yarn spray which I found worked better when I left it sitting on the cone for a few minutes before proceeding. https://knitwords.blogspot.ca/2013/02/addicted-to-yarn-spray.html My method: put the cone into a larger, soft plastic bag with the opening at the top. I opened the bag, gave a couple of squirts and closed the bag over it for a second or two and then went back to knitting or took a coffee break.
While knitting the back, I sorted through my initial concept and decided to break up the back with a yoke across the top, going sideways and contemplated putting pockets in the fronts. I’ve never done this in lace before, so I was going over it in my mind. After I got the back off the machine and pressed out, I knit a 4X5 inch stockinette patch that would be the inside of the pocket – I figured an inside patch would be the better option here as a bag-style can pouch out sometimes. I do have a back-up plan, to sew a small snap inside in the centre of the pocket top opening, if necessary. Where does the 4X5 inch come from, you ask? Just my own idea of how big a pocket in knitting should be, basically the width of your hand across the knuckles and the depth from fingertip to the fork of your thumb. You don’t want it too big or it will bag and sag – to me the point of a pocket is to hold a credit card/money, maybe i.d. or your hotel room key and that’s it.
I pinned the patch inside the back where it would be positioned on the front and held it up in front of me, with a light-coloured backing on, so the brown lace fabric would show up better, to the mirror and I think I can live with this! I’m going for it!
Have a great weekend!

that blessed pocket.....

Did you know that was going to force me to choose? :-) Which side was going to be the right side, I mean! I was thinking I could knit it all and leave it to the last minute to decide if the knit side or the purl side was going to be the public side...but as I was knitting the pocket and shaping the angle at the side, I realized the look of that decreased edge was going to be the deciding factor. The pocket decrease is what I call the 'outlined 4 to 3 full fashioned decrease' and I'm not sure if I've actually put this part in writing before, but when I was doing those 1RT raglans (http://knitwords.blogspot.ca/2014/03/1rt-raglan.html) I thought I did.

I made sure there were no tuck stitches in this 4-stitch edge - I know you know how - you can cancel the patterning by simply bringing those needles out past the latches before the tuck row (but there might be someone else reading this!) (or you could change the point cams - Silver Reed/Studio). This gives that no-finish-finish - a nice plain edge that curls slightly under to the purl side and looks great from the knit side, either on a stockinette fabric or, on this 1RT fabric, without having to add a finishing band or edging later. Hence, unless I want to re-figure the pocket design (NOT!), the knit side is the right side!

I probably don't have to remind you that at the top of the pocket, remember to make sure it ends on a stockinette row that matches the same stockinette row of the front when you take the front off to rehang the pocket top before proceeding. If you're using the garter bar for this, leave the pocket stitches in the hooks - don't push them back before hanging the front (else they will knit through the stitches of the front and you don't want that creating a more distinct line on the top of the pocket), you  want to leave all stitches in the hooks since the next pattern row is tuck and the needles need to be in B position to read that row...
Back, both fronts and pockets done. 298g left. The hood is next in the line-up!

why re-invent the wheel?

Back in February, I mentioned re-knitting Hoods Up using 2 colours because I didn’t have enough of any one colour – well, what was I thinking? (forehead slap!) Omega - it’s a two-colour hoodie  design already (Serial Stuff 4) that I’ve had a ton of compliments on, so, just remake it with the Honiburd cotton!
That’s the best thing about using a charting device – I have the shape already, and I actually did make a swatch in the black.  Often, different colours can have quite drastic differences in the gauge, especially black cotton because of the way it is dyed and, especially standard gauge work because it is finer and the gauge is more crucial than for a mid gauge or bulky garment.
As you can see, I went with black and the paper bag tan. All I have to do is put the new stitch and row gauge into my KR11 and I’m ready to go. I do want pockets on this one – my original Omega is WCD, very fitted, and I didn’t do pockets, but I’ve often thought I should add them, so with this one, I’m adding them in a way to eliminate having to sew them on as patch pockets. I made the pocket from Hoods Up – same number of stitches and rows because it’s the same yarn, but instead of a fixed edge cast-on, I just cast on waste yarn and ravel cord (to have open stitches at the bottom edge) and knit the pocket - two of them actually, one in reverse of the other -  removed on a garter bar and set aside.  Knit the front up to the same row as the top of the pocket. Took the front off on another garter bar, rehung the corresponding pocket at the centre edge, put the front back on and continued to knit.
To join the bottom of the pocket, make the hem band same as in either pattern and hem it - band finished and right side is hanging on the needles. The bottom edge of the pocket - hang it starting from the centre edge and then hang the bottom stitches of the front on top. Pull both/all through band stitches, manually knit the loose row and chain off. The centre edge of the pocket gets joined in the front/zipper band and the only hand stitching to do is that last little half side of the pocket before the slope – so much quicker and neater than hand-sewing-on in any method! And it matches the more sophisticated finishing methods of  Omega  but I will go with the zipper technique from HU!

KR11- Silver Reed Charting Device

HU – Hoods Up
WCD – Wool Crepe Deluxe
PBT – paper bag tan

Fourth time’s a charm...

I’m working on a patch pocket...now, I’ve made them before and I want it fairly basic - it’s just plain stockinette, so I’m curving the bottom corners, by shortrowing - oh, I should say that I began with a chained cast-on, using the yarn double stranded because I know it will look nice - the top of the pocket is finished with a narrow stockinette band, made separately from the pocket - a few less stitches and a slightly tighter tension to draw it in a bit so the top won’t flare out.

The first pocket was not wide enough.

The second one was just right, but as I looked at it I thought, G! that chain would look really nice if I could make it go up the sides too.

Then, I measured the chain from the bottom, to figure out how long it needed to be to go up the sides and added that to the width of the pocket. So, instead of casting on 18-0-18 n’s, I cast on 25 sts extra to each side, chaining across using the main yarn double stranded. Then K1R, single strand. Then I took off the 25 sts each side on waste yarn. Now, I’m knitting the pocket, shortrowing the bottom corners for the curve, 1 stitch on every other row, 4 times for each side. Okay, row 9 and now I should start adding the chain up the sides....think about it for a bit and I want the chain to be on the front, like the bottom, (when the knit side/side away is the right side, what you put on first will be on the outside - like doing a cable, the stitches put down first will be on the outside) - so, I take the end stitch off, hang the next stitch of the chain and put the end stitch back on. Yes!! it works! I soon realize it’s easier to do each side on opposite rows so you’re not fighting against the yarn on the carriage side - no big deal, I was joining it on every other row anyway. As I get closer to the top, I realize I have too many chained stitches left - G! Can I attach it to the edges of the top band?? The band is made separately and hemmed into the bargain, so this method of attaching won’t work... I take the pocket off and make the band, pondering the problem as I make the band on auto-pilot. Attach the pocket to the band and yes, I have it! Hang the end of the band, pick up the stitches holding the chain, pull them through, cast off and Bob’s your uncle!!

Heh, heh! still a few extra stitches of chain... no problem, just knit a new one with less chained stitches - really think about it this time - only need 1 chain stitch for every other row of the depth of the pocket and don’t forget, you shortrowed those 4 sts/8 rows and the band was 8 rows=4 stitches - just happens to be the same as the shortrowed part - have I lost you yet??? The pocket was 40 rows, so all I need is 20 chained stitches each side!!!

I love a challenge!