cutting knits!

sewphaedra | Posted in Knitting and Crochet on January 12, 2003 06:44am

Boy did I do a weird thing today in knitting. I had a sweater vest I knit. it was a Minnowknits pattern that I sized up for myself, but I got the neck wrong and it was too tight. Instead of unraveling and redoing it, I decided to try the Norwegian approach (and one Elizabeth Zimmerman puts forth in “Knitting Without Tears) and CUT the neck off! First I machine stay-stitched it, twice, with a very short stitch and stay tape. Then I took a very deep breath and cut it deeper. I picked up stitches at the new neck and knit the neckband.
It looks great, I’m very impressed. Now I just have to see if it holds up over the long term.

Replies

rjf | Jan 12, 2003 04:16pm | #1
Congratulations! I know how much courage that took because I remember the first Fair Isle vest I knit. It was knit in the round with a steek (an 8 to 10 stitch section of knitting where you change colors). At the end, you zig-zag up both sides of the center of the steek and cut it open. I stood there for ten minutes with the scissors in my hand. You almost want to close your eyes before cutting. But it worked fine.

Did you use an invisble cast-off? That seems to give a very good finish: it stretches to go over your head but draws back in to lie smoothly around your neck. I've discovered you can knit a smaller neckline than with the usual cast-off. rjf

sewphaedra | Jan 12, 2003 06:48pm | #2
I don't know how to do invisible cast off. I'll have to look for directions somewhere. This neckline was a rolled finish, you just do stockinette for 8 rows, cast off and let it roll over.

rjf | Jan 13, 2003 03:22pm | #3
Oh...then you wouldn't want an invisible cast-off because the neckline wouldn't roll. I've read in some directions to increase a few stitches here and there on the row before casting off. That gives some leeway.

Invisible cast-off is in Threads. volume 12. (And cast-on!) rjf

sanderson | Feb 03, 2003 05:47pm | #4
Knitting Without Tears has been my bible for a long time; I went to a yarn store to buy yarn to make my boyfriend (now DH) a sweater 30 years ago. The clerk wouldn't let me buy the yarn until I sat down and read the chapter from KW/OT! I still LOL when I get to her direction to "go lie down in a darkened room" after making the cut.