Cast off HELP please

On 16 Sep 2006 11:47:33 -0700, "Roseagh" spewed forth :

Easiest fix: knit two halves from the cuffs, graft at the center.

Next-easiest fix: use a sewn bind-off

Time-consuming fix: experiment with different sized needles until you find one that let's you produce a reasonable approximation of your cast-on when you bind-off with it.

+++++++++++++

Reply to the list as I do not publish an email address to USENET.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'd unravel the cuff back to its starting point and try knitting it with a needle one size smaller, then casting off with one size smaller needle. This is assuming you've gotten to the cast-off point. Otherwise, I'd take Wooly's advice...unless you mean this is your first knitting project or your first shrug.

The problem in trying to help you with this is you only said the beginning and end was very different, but you didn't say whether your cast off is coming looser or tighter! I will go with the most common, most people have the cast-off coming out too tight. You must cast off thinking, "Oh, no, this is way too loose, this will never work, the stitches are too large" If they look right to you as you do it, they are probably too tight! I would suggest knitting a couple of rows and casting off, over and over until you get it so it doesn't pull in. Once you start paying attention to those first few stitches you cast off, about stitch 6 you should start being able to tell just by looking that it is beginning to pull in instead of laying flat like the bulk of the fabric. I mean, if you had knitted something that is about the size of a piece of paper (just pretend!) that the edges should finish just like the middle, even all the way to the end with no pulling in.

Good Point Cozy....

this is not my first project, I've been knitting for quite a few years but this *is* my first shrug when I am casting off on a cuff rather than casting on...

My cuff that I am casting off on, is too loose, I've tried different sized needles, tension, stitch, but it always "looks" different as well as much looser than the cast on cuff. I have finished it and am loathe to unravel half of this for the grafting *which I have done before to join shoulder seams* and I was hoping for a quicker fix than the obvious. :)

Thanks all for your help and advice ... looks like I may have to do some unravelling lol

Thanks Rach

*> The problem in trying to help you with this is you only said the beginning

All excellent points, and here's another: SWATCH. Cast on X number of stitches. Just knit a few rows. Now, cast off, and see if your cast on edge is equal to your cast off. If smaller needles don't do the trick, you can always try this:

Cast off normally X number of stitches, then cast off two together at intervals... EXAMPLE:

say you have 80 stitches to cast off. Cast off 8, cast off 2 tog, cast off 8, cast off 2 tog, etc... JM2C Noreen

Is your cast off row showing on the OUTSIDE of the garment, like big crochet single stitches? If so, knit or purl another row (the opposite of whichever you did last) and then cast off so that the cast off edge is on the INSIDE against your skin. Also, look at some techiniques at

where they have wonderful videos :)

yes it is!!! thanks for that advice, I'd never really thought about doing that, and the cuff is a rib pattern, would that make a difference do you think???

AND I will have to try the c/o X and then K2tog as suggested above also!

Thanks for all the help and advice everyone!

Rach

*in NZ*

cozyhomelife wrote:

When it's a rib pattern, I bind off in ribbing and `chain' lies on the very edge of the work, instead of facing in or out.

sue

I do it that way too. It kind of zig-zags. Shirley