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seafoam stitch/seafoam waves stability Q.

I'm trying to design a summer poncho for myself. I bought some Reynolds Cabaret cotton tape for the sole reason that it was really cheap and I liked it, without knowing what I would do with it. I think I've settled on trying to knit a poncho with it. I'm still deciding how to make it and how to piece it together (two rectangles? 4 rectangles?). Finally, I want to try a new and striking stitch - no more straight-up garter and stockinette.

I thought of trying this seafoam stitch as illustrated here:

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. From what I can gather the stitch is in Barbara Walker's treasury #2. I tried making a swatch (will continue it tonight) following the pattern (26 CO, about 5-ish inches long) and my cotton tape. As I was going along it occurred to me that this stitch, with its very loose nature in the middle, might be unstable. Can anyone allay my fears that the fabric will shift the tape from the loose area to the regular knitted area? Should I add stitches to the k6 sections so that there's more space in between? I could also knit an extra regular row or two (keep the reversibility) between loose areas. Maybe it's a not a concern, but maybe it's a minor one with wool since that is more blockable.Can cotton tape knits be blocked? Maybe a knit-on trim (selvedge??) would help the piece keep its shape, yes?

I wouldn't mind any poncho design assistance, either - I want it to have a point at the front and the back but maybe not on the arms, which is why I'm considering the two-rectangle method. Can 3 be used?

Many TIA for any advice! Rebecca

Reply to
bex
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The two-rectangle method, as I understand it, only puts points at the front and back. The side "points" are just where the long edge of the rectangle goes over your arms and seems to look like a point from the front.

If I'm visualizing it right, three shorter rectangles would be the same as one long narrow rectangle, just attached end-to-side at the front and looping around the back, sort of like a shawl that is permanently overlapped and connected instead of being wrapped every time.

You could try a ruana, which is essentially two long rectangles, just hitched together up the back instead of end-to-side like most ponchos. Or you could make a tabard, which is a long rectangle with a neckhole, closed in front as well as in back.

Firmer edges will help the outside edge, but the inside could still slip if the yarn/tape is slippery. It isn't just the wool being blockable that makes it hold shape, it's that wool tends to grab onto itself slightly (as in felting).

=Tamar

Reply to
Richard Eney

I've not done a poncho in tape yarn, but I did recently do this

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sweater. It does have a veryunstructured feel and is worked in an open stitch (veil stitch - done with adouble wrap.) If you want a poncho for warmth, an open stitch would not doit, but I think it would be delightful to ward off over zealous airconditioning this summer! If the final garment feels too loose, maybe acrochet edge for a finish might work.I did block my sweater, sort of. Laid it flat and held a stem iron close tothe surface, then just stretched and patted things into shape. I do think itwill not hold a rigid shape, though and will "sag to fit." Abi

Reply to
Gallagher

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