Blog #50 Knitting Up

 

Dear Knitter,

  The video that accompanies this blog is very short. Our purpose is only to demonstrate how to knit-up sts when holding the wool(s) below the fabric (see photo; Knit Up in Pattern). But there is more I want to say about that.

Knit Up in Pattern

image of swatch for knitting up in pattern

     When knitting a circular cardigan; V-neck or scoop-neck pullover; drop, or modified-drop shoulders, I always install the steek plus a "knit-up stitch" on each side of it - kept in background color throughout. After cutting the steek, there is the uninterrupted knit-up stitch thoughtfully provided in advance, and ready to receive whatever border (or sleeve) I have chosen.

    Previously, when Knitting-Up, I had tried going through the R side of the "knit-up-stitch"; then the L side; then both sides; then the bar between sts (which I used on the Mimbres Vest dvd). But the stitch distortion was noticeable, and there was always a slight gap between the new stitches and the body.

     The first design on which I tried my idea to knit-up-from-below was a solid color sleeve knitted up around a solid color cut armhole, and I periodically skipped a stitch to adjust for the approximate 5:7 ratio of vertical-to-horizontal stocking stitch. Since, by knitting up from below, I was not going through any part of an existing stitch, this new method entirely eliminated both the distortion and the gap problem.

   The diagonal motif of my Russian Prime sweater causes the row and stitch gauges to become almost perfectly square to each other. This permitted me to knit up every armhole stitch (in my fave mode: from-below) in the already established two-color motif, and proceed down the sleeve(s) with a continuous color pattern from cuff to cuff, even though the sleeves are knitted perpendicularly to the bod (see photo; Russian Prime Sleeve). This is the approach I applied in the Wool Gathering issue 113: Starflowers & Pinstripes Cardigan.

Russian Prime Sleeve

russian prime motif on a sleeve and partial body of sweater in blue and cream

 

Cuff to Cuff Sweaters (Image from Knitting with Two Colors)

 

hand to hand sweaters

 

 

    Chris and I taped an instructional video for the Russian Prime Sweater, so you can see knitting-up-from-below-in-color-pattern on the DVD. (Our Fair Isle Vest video shows knitting up in a contrasting color, but because I knit up from below, there are no cc purl-bumps!)

    But Wait - There's More: If, instead of going between two existing sts, you go between two halves of a single stitch, you get an outline of the L side of the stitch running under the newly knitted-up sts (see photo; Knitting Up).

Knitting Up

swatch of knitting up with fair isle

Knitter's Choice @ every turn.

Meg