ME:
So I want to design a top-down turtleneck sweater for my mom - my first ever attempt at designing - and I need a bit of hand-holding and advice. Some of my questions/concerns:
1. Do I have to work short rows to make the turtleneck sit better? This project I worked called for it, but I think it’s because it was more a cowl than a turtleneck, right?
1a. If I do have to work short rows, how exactly does one do so? I am short row-challenged. :/ I’ve read techknitter’s directions but I still don’t get it.
2. I want to put a lace or cable panel down the center to break up the stockinette and to distract from the fact that I will not do any waist shaping. ;p Any advice on how to incorporate the panel right below the turtleneck while doing the raglan increases so I don’t knit it off center?
3. Any other words of wisdom to impart before I embark upon this most perilous mission?
SCHROUDERKNITS:
So you’re making this raglan style. I would start with a conventional crew neck shaping. You can use a provisional CO if you want. The crew neck starts with the back, 2 sleeves, the 4 raglan “seam” sts and 2 sts on each side of the neck front. You work back and forth, inc’ing 8 sts on every RS row along those raglan lines (2 sts at each one), plus a st just inside each selvedge of the neck front, ergo total 10 sts every RS row.
When the front neck depth reaches ~3”, then count up the all the sts on the 2 fronts tog and subtract that from the # of sts that are across the back. You’ll CO all those sts across the neck front so the front # and back # are the same, and from thereon work in the round. You could then start your st patt across those new CO sts.
Later you’ll pick up sts around the neckline which is already lowered in the front so you won’t have to do any short-rowing. But for turtlenecks I like to change ndl sizes as I go through one. EG 2 sizes smaller than body for the first 2”, then 1 size smaller for next 2”, then end with last 2” on another size larger, ie the same size as the body. That way the upper part will be a bit looser to lay down along the outside of the fold and won’t feel so much like it’s strangling.
ME:
Oh, wow! That’s so much simpler than I’d envisioned. Thank you loads!
Two clarification points, if I may? When you say
The crew neck starts with the back, 2 sleeves, the 4 raglan “seam” sts and 2 sts on each side of the neck front.
does that mean I start off casting on 9 stitches then do all my increases? And where would I place markers to signify when to do my increases?
SCHROUDERKNITS:
You’ll need a lot more sts than that as you need some width to the back of your neck, say ~7” or so, where raglan points would end if you were making this bottom up. So 7 (or so) x your gauge. You might also need to start with a few sleeve sts since most people have some depth to the side of the neck, so perhaps an inch worth of sts for each one?
The Incredible Raglan worksheet is a great tool to help you calculate all that out. And yes, do reread Barbara’s chapter on raglans again as they should also help.
No comments:
Post a Comment