This is probably just being knit-picky (hehehe, sorry couldn't resist), but I need some advice on making some sleeves for my sweater.
Although the rest of the sweater drapes very nicely, the shoulder area seems to stretch out, and seeing those stretched out stitches and what's underneath really irks me.
Am I doing something wrong, or is there something I can be doing better? Just wondering!
Allaya
Sounds to me like a gauge problem, ALlaya. Does this happen with all sweaters or just one particuler one?
Katherine
Also, are you knitting circ or straight? Noreen
Knitting on straight needles...doesn't seem to be a gauge problem. It happens every so often, but not all the time. The gauge I'm using is exactly what is recommended for the yarn, so I'm not sure. Maybe the yarn is too heavy? I thought maybe shaping the sleeve with short rows might be a remedy...problem is I'm not exactly sure how to control my short rows. Hmmm...maybe I"ll do the Knitter's Guild's Master Knitter course so I can learn all this good stuff!
Allaya
On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 15:04:38 -0700, Allaya Diep spewed forth :
Maybe the recommended gauge is too sleazy for the project or possibly the yarn is one of those slippery creatures that is just going to make the FO grow with use? Smooth cottons and synthetic ribbons have that tendency, as do very smooth worsted wools made up as large items.
Have you actually checked your gauge since you knitted your swatch? Its one of those obvious things that a lot of us - myself included - don't feel is necessary. After all, "the swatch was spot-on". Nevermind that with three glasses of wine onboard we tend to get a little loose *g*
Elizabeth Zimmerman's basic directive is to "knit the sleeve to wanted length to underarm, then short-row the top to fit into the armhole". Not very enlightening until one does it, I suppose, and I haven't. I don't see how short-row shaping would change anything - you're still working with the same yarn and hte same needles, right?
Are you grafting live stitches into the armhole? If so, try casting off and sewing it in instead. Possibly the top of the sleeve needs a bit more support provided by a cast-off edge.
If the shoulder seam is looking sleazy and you've grafted the fronts to the backs, use a 3-needle bindoff instead, or bind off each shoulder and then sew it up. Same argument as for the sleeves.
+++++++++++++Reply to the list as I do not publish an email address to USENET. This practice has cut my spam by more than 95%. Of course, I did have to abandon a perfectly good email account...
I've never had that problem myself. Did you design the pattern yourself? Maybe it is the sleeve shaping. Are these drop or set-in sleeves?
Katherine
Does the sweater have set-in sleeves, or are they just flat ends sewn onto a straight-sided body ("drop" sleeves)? Drop sleeves will pull on the shoulder area and stretch it out. A fix for an already completed sweater might be to sew a length of bias tape along the inside of the shoulder seam to keep it from stretching. I think heavy gauge knitting is more likely to stretch than smaller gauge work, which has smaller openings in the stitching. Are the sweaters you're having problems with done in thicker yarn?
=Tamar
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