Knitters also have their fair share of dilemmas in working, and one of them is putting up or sewing together pieces of their works. Let us help you with our How to Sew A Knitted Sweater Together tutorial.

I’m using a classic, yet comfy-to-wear four-piece knit wardrobe pattern. The jacket from last time can be paired with the pants and top. Or, make your look

Vintage Machine knitting Techniques; Knitting Techniques book Brother; Knit Garment; 145 page; DIGITAL FILE on PDF This vintage book.The book describes in detail the various techniques of knitting on a knitting machine. The book can be useful when using hand-held, punch-card and electronic machines. Includes the following:Casting-on,Finished Cast-on Edge,Cast-off Edge,Taking off the Stitches (Swatch),Picking up Stitches,Increasing,Decreasing,Example of Decreasing,Partial Knitting,Bin ding off the Stitches,Knitting Stitches,Knitting the Ends of Yarn,Knitting Motifs without Seams,Reversible Knitting,ect. Please note that you will receive of file in PDF. To read, you need a program that opens PDF files, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader. Book you can download immediately after payment. You cannot return, exchange, or cancel an order. If the payment has been withdrawn twice, write to me and I will make a refund.

Sewing knits can seem like a daunting task. What happens when you want to shorten that knit dress of skirt because it is just too long on you?

A comprehensive list of knitting abbreviations and terms. There are video tutorials for any beginners who want to learn the knitting basics.

I knit myself a sweater a few years ago and did all the things a “good” knitter is supposed to do. I knit a reasonably sized swatch on the same needles I was going to use for the sweater. I washed and blocked the swatch the same way I was going to wash and block the sweater. I liked the results and

Duplicate stitch is a form of embroidery worked on a stockinette fabric. It gets its name because the path of the embroidery yarn exactly follows--duplicates--the path of the underlying knitting. Today's post, first of a series, shows the how-to, as well as a few little tricks to overcome some common problems. Duplicate stitch, part 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Background Issues How-to starting by self anchoring step by step Direction of work Row-wise Column-wise chaining embroidered chain stitch (chaining down) crocheted slip stitch (chaining up) Stitches pointing down vs. pointing up Starting the second yarn Partial stitches (smoothing a curve) Duplicate stitch in the wild Background Duplicate stitching has two uses: utility and decoration. In its utility guise (also called "Swiss darning") duplicate stitching is used for "invisible mending." With this trick, a worn fabric--an elderly sock-heel, perhaps--can be fortified by exactly following (duplicating) the path of the underlying knitting with strand of yarn threaded on a dull-tipped sewing needle. If the color-match is good, the fix is undetectable. (So undetectable, in fact, that I'm not posting my before-and-afters of a mending project. You can feel the fix, but I couldn't get the photos to show.) The second use is when a perfectly sound fabric has duplicate stitch on top to add color-decoration. You have certainly seen this use, the little hat below was worked in classic duplicate stitch. Classic duplicate stitch embroidery on a little girl's hat Naturally, the uses overlap. A colorful flower worked over a thinning elbow, or a little heart over a moth-hole in an old glove combine utility with decoration. ...a little heart over a moth-hole in an old glove... Issues As you might-imagine, working another strand of yarn into each underlying stitch thickens and stiffens the fabric. For utility use, this isn't much of a problem. When mending a thinning heel, restoring thickness is actually the aim. Similarly, stiff reinforcement improves little kid sweater-elbows. Further, since mending is done "invisibly" (in a matching color yarn) there is no issue about appearance. For decorative purposes, the situation is different. When working a secret message into the lining of a hat or a flower motif on a sweater front, thick, stiff fabric is not going to be popular. Using a contrasting-color yarn causes appearance problems, too. For one thing, putting a different color yarn on top gives the bottom yarn a chance to misbehave by peeping through. That's not how knitting works Tim Horton!* For another thing, you can't just put designs wherever you want them (although some graphic designer at Tim Horton's thought you could!) In fact, duplicate stitch is constrained by the underlying fabric, each stitch must lie exactly over a stitch in the knit fabric. This means duplicate stitch has a "pixelated" or stair-step look, especially on curves or diagonal lines (have a look at the leaves on the little hat, above.) In short, thick fabric, peep-through and pixelation combine to give color duplicate stitching a bad rep as clunky and stiff. However, there are TECH-tricks which can help (somewhat) with these problems. Today's post starts with the how-to for basic duplicate stitch, then features some tricks How-to Classically, duplicate stitching is worked with a yarn of the same weight as the underlying garment and this is fine for utility use. But for decorative use, the best results come with using a thin yarn, doubled. Laying two strands side-by side increases width without increasing thickness, reducing both peep-through and bulk. I recommend high-wool content sock-heel reinforcement yarn--it is thin and tough, and comes in many colors. If you can't find a display of this stuff in your LYS, a thin and woolly sock yarn is a pretty good substitute. A further choice is Persian embroidery wool, stripped to a single strand, then doubled. (Embroidery wool shrinks if laundered incorrectly, so it is best reserved for a classic wool requiring the same washing regime.) Self Anchoring Using a thin doubled strand also lets you fastening the strand to itself at the start, a trick called "self-anchoring,"or "loop-anchoring." Self-anchoring means you only have to work in the tails on the end, rather than on both ends because the beginning is a tiny loop with no bulk at all. Draw out a length of embroidery wool twice as long as you can comfortably work, then fold it in half. Thread the two cut ends of the yarn through a dull-pointed large-eyed needle. The self-loop--created by the thread doubling back on itself--is at the end away from the needle, as the illustration below shows (red asterisk). Naturally, the yarn in the below illustration is too short to use in real life, and you would use a much longer one. It's just shown that way for, well, illustration purposes. As the illustration below shows, hold the the smooth side of the stockinette fabric facing you. Insert the needle from back to front just where the arms of the target stitch (red) emerge from the stitch below. Peek at the fabric back be sure a small bit of the self-loop remains open, as shown on the photo below. (By the way: the blue yarn being used in the photos to work the duplicate stitch is Paternayan Persian embroidery wool, and the underlying green fabric is Patton's classic worsted-weight wool.) In the photo below, the target stitch has been colorized red. Working from the front fabric face, insert the needle sideways through both arms of the stitch above the target. In other words, the needle follows the path of the top loop of the target stitch. Right handed knitters will find it easiest to insert from R to L as shown, left handed knitters, the opposite. The needle next goes down onto the fabric back in the exact same spot it came up, having traced the entire outline of the target stitch through the fabric. On the fabric back, draw the needle through the waiting self-loop, gently snug up. The final result is shown below: a self-anchored strand waiting for the next stitch, no ends to work in. Sometimes, the self-loop wants to work itself around onto the fabric front. If this happens, split a nearby stitch-back with your sewing needle and draw the yarn through. This locks the yarn of the duplicate stitch onto the fabric back As shown below, the final result on the front face of the fabric is a duplicate stitch. You can see the two strands of the blue yarn spreading out to lay side-by side. Step-by-step Keep working new duplicate stitches in the same way as above. Specifically: draw up the needle from the back face of the fabric t the front face,just at the bottom point of the target stitch--where the arms of the target stitch emerge from the fabric with the needle, follow the path of the target-stitch's loop-top through the arms of the stitch above insert the needle in the same spot from which the needle emerged and draw to the fabric back Be very gentle snugging up each duplicate stitch. You want to leave plenty of yarn on the fabric surface to reduce peep-through of the underlying color, and to avoid the problem of collapsing the fabric with tight stitches. As to how to get from one stitch to the next, the rule is always: take the shortest route. This is completely opposite to most needle arts (especially needlepoint) so ignore any prior training you may have. Taking the shortest direction through the fabric back reduces bulk. Direction of work You can work duplicate stitch row-wise or column-wise. You can also decide which way the stitches should point--up or down. Row-wise The most perfect duplication of the underlying stitches comes when you work the duplicate stitch row-wise, meaning, from R to L or L to R (or both, when working a larger area). This is because you are actually following the direction in which the stitches were knit. When we come to repairing fabric via the duplicate stitch (it will be the third post in this series) it will be important to work row-wise for this reason. working row-wise Column-wise If you choose to work in columns, you have two choices. First, you can work each individual stitch step-by-step as set forth above. Or, you have another choice, a "sort-of" duplicate stitch--a trick called "chain-duplicate stitch" or "chaining." Chaining Chaining actually lies more on top of the fabric than true duplicate stitch. Specifically, the bottom of each stitch goes through to the fabric-back, but the top part of each chain lies on the surface, passing only through the arms of the duplicate stitch (but not the underlying knit stitch) above it in the column. This somewhat reduces bulk and makes for a more flexible fabric, but at a price: peep-through is higher. Chaining over a large area is actually quite odd, being a combination of two techniques which, at first glance, seem quite different. You see, chain duplicate stitch is structurally identical to both the embroidery stitch called "chain stitch" AND the crocheted slip stitch. In a stroke of serendipity, the embroidered chain stitch is most easily worked "down" a column, from top to bottom, while the crocheted chain stitch can only be worked "up," from bottom to top. Add these together, and you can work adjoining columns with the same yarn, working DOWN with a sewing needle via the embroidery chain stitch, then UP the neighboring column with a crochet hook via the crocheted slip stitch--two different techniques, but the same end result. Chaining works particularly well for long and relatively skinny designs, such as Xmas trees, initials and the like Chaining down: working from top to bottom via the embroidered chain stitch Let's take the down direction with a threaded needle first--the embroidered chain stitch. If working with a thin yarn doubled (recommended) you would begin at the top of the column via self-anchoring, as described earlier in this post and as shown on the top stitch of the illustration below. starting the embroidered chain stitch (working down a column) For the next lower stitch in the same column, you bring the threaded needle out of the fabric from back to front in the bottom point of the target stitch, in the same manner as for working individual duplicate stitches. However, the next step is to insert the sewing needle from right to left under the arms of the duplicate stitch only, rather than under the arms of the underlying knit stitch, as illustrated above. After drawing the threaded yarn through the arms of the duplicate stitch above, the needle is returned to the same place it emerged, and is drawn to the fabric back. These steps are repeated to form a chain which goes through to the fabric back at the bottom point of each underlying knit stitch, but which at the top, only passes through the arms of the chain stitch at the surface of the knit fabric, as illustrated below. several stitches competed of the embroidered chain stitch (working down a column) Working up (from bottom to top) via the crocheted slip stitch The crocheted slip stitch is simply a variation of our old friend the pinstripe (subject of the past several posts). However, rather than working the slip stitch into a purl column as for a "real" pinstripe, here, we work the identical maneuver into a knit column. Here is a link to the first pinstriping post. It contains a you-tube, showing the crocheted slip stitch in a purl column. Again, the chain stitch is performed exactly the same way as shown in that post, only you work it over a knit column, rather than a purl one. As you approach the top of a slip-stitched column, stop one stitch early. Rethread the yarn on the back onto the dull-eyed sewing needle you were using for the embroidered chain stitch and work the last stitch as a regular duplicate stitch. This fastens down the loose loop and leaves the yarn at the fabric-back when done. You are now in position to work the next neighboring column down again, via the embroidered chain stitch. Below are front and back photos of a little square worked via chaining, the "down" stitches worked via the embroidered chain stitch, the "up" stitches worked via the crocheted slip stitch. As you can see, the columns are identical, both front and back. (As you can also see from the above photos, peep-through is more of an issue with chaining, compare the coverage of the blue over the green background to the coverage in the heart photo which was duplicate-stitched row-wise with the same yarn on the same knit fabric). Pointing down (V) vs. pointing up (^)--which way should your stitches point? Duplicate stitch is worked on stockinette fabric. Looked at one way, each individual stitch in a stockinette fabric is made up of a downward pointing "V." However, if you look at the same fabric offset by 1/2 a column, now the fabric appears to be made of upward pointing stitches like this: ^. Therefore, decide whether your design would look better embroidered in downward duplicate stitches (V) or in upward pointing stitches (^) and plan your work accordingly. (FWIW: upward-pointing eyes generally look jolly, downward pointing eyes sometimes look sad, or even menacing. Also, pointy items like pine trees look better pointing up, hearts such as the one shown lower in this post, look better pointing down) Ending one strand and starting the next At the end of each length of yarn, work in the remaining ends by taking off the dull-pointed needle, then rethread onto a sharp-pointed needle. Skim in the ends. Once you've got some duplicate stitches on the front, here's another trick you can use to reduce bulk (assuming you're working with a thin yarn, doubled). Anchor every strand after the first by threading a single strand of wool through the needle eye, then draw this single strand under a nearby duplicate stitch to the half-way point, then fold up the yarn to make a loop-bottom (colorized red on the below photo). Finally, thread the second strand through the needle eye, so that two cut-ends of the strand are though the needle-eye, as previously. Easy-peasy and no bulk. The trick of partial stitches--smoothing a curve Here's a duplicate-stitch trick which is not well-known. Just as in cross-stitch embroidery where you can have a partial stitch (one leg of the cross) so in duplicate stitch, you can have a partial stitch, too (one arm or another of the "v"). This little trick helps smooths out the curves, reducing the pixelated stair-step appearance of duplicate stitch, and this is true even when the half-stitch leans away from the direction of the curve. On the below chart of a duplicate stitch heart, the shape of the stockinette v's is shown in red. Partial stitches which lean away from the direction of the curve are shown in blue, partial stitches which lean in the same direction of the curve, in yellow. I think the finished heart in the wool shows the smoothing action regardless of which way the half-stitch leans. To my eye at least, the little heart is a lot rounder and plumper than it would be without the half-stitches. This trick means you can go one better with duplicate stitch than with knit-in color patterns. In other words, it's not possible to knit a half-stitch, but you can duplicate-stitch a half-stitch. So, even if you dislike duplicate stitch because of the heavy and stiff fabric it produces, or because it isn't "real" color knitting, the perfectionist in you may want to consider using duplicate stitch just a little to reduce the pixelation effect caused by the the stair-steps of whole-stitches in "real" color knitting like intarsia or stranded knitting. Duplicate stitch in the wild If you search Ravelry for duplicate-stitch projects, you can see quite a range, from masterpiece florals in graduated colors echoing cross-stitch or needlepoint, to children's cartoon characters. Another place in particular where duplicate stitching shows up is argyle knitting. Although the diamonds are knit-in using the intarsia method, the diagonal dividers are often added afterward, via duplicate stitch, rather than running a separate bobbin for each. Even die-hard knitters may find this a worthwhile dodge, to say nothing of lazy knitters such as myself. In fact, even commercial argyles, knit on giant computerized knitting machines, sometimes use this trick, as you can see above. Next time you're in a men's and boy's department, look inside one of the argyles on display, and you’ll probably see something like the right top photo, knots and all. Another perfectly fair use of duplicate stitch is to mitigate very long carries. Have a look at this Ravelry Page for a lovely sweater pattern called "Pixelated Pullover." If I were going to knit this, I'd modify the pattern to eliminate the very long carries on some of the outlying "pixels." Instead, I'd create these as part of the finishing process by working duplicate stitch on the inside in a irregular "V" pattern, from the lowest to the highest, then down again, all around the sweater in a band. In other words, on the rows where the "pixelation" is crowded together, I'd work that row in two-color knitting (one yarn in each hand). But for the outlying stitches, I'd go over the sweater with duplicate stitching after the fact. * * * The next post in this series show a new and different approach to duplicate stitch. Maybe check it out before you commit to a duplicate-stitch project? --TK *Original source for the Tim Horton's picture. Photo and caption re-used by permission. Thank you BeeCDN.

Learn how to sew a drawstring cowl or funnel neck sweatshirt with this tutorial and video. This is a simple addition you can make for any shirt!

the katniss cowl sewing pattern - sew this hungar games inspired cowl from an old sweater. download the template

Messy fabric stash? Learn to digitally organize your stash so you can sew smarter - featuring Fraser Cardigan pattern from Love Notions

Whether you're combating the Quarantine Fifteen, or you're a seasoned workout vet, activewear that you feel comfortable in is a must when it comes to

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Explore At Swim-Two-Birds' 4003 photos on Flickr!

"The vintage-style knitted first aid kit has been designed with two expanding pockets. It measures 8 inches wide by 8 inches tall and is 3 inches deep when folded." Get the free pattern!

Sewing with sweater knits can be a little daunting if you haven’t much experience with them. Unlike other knits, they tend to do what they want, when they want to, and sometimes that doesn’t bode well when your aim is to cut and sew them up into a structured garment. Many of our patterns look great with a sweater knit, and we wanted to make sure to give you all some words of advice before you start! Hopefully these tips and tricks will alleviate any frustration you may encounter as a beginner.

Does it fit? How can I get a pattern that is proportioned for me? Maybe a knitting pattern generator will be the answer! I've run across several sites that offer free pattern generators for all kinds of knitting projects. Here are a few: http://www.thedietdiary.com/knittingfiend/index.html This is quite a comprehensive site, offering pattern generators for sweaters, vests, headbands, ponchos, socks, purses, hats, mittens, and more. http://www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/ knitPro is a web application that translates digital images into knit, crochet, needlepoint and cross-stitch patterns. Just upload jpeg, gif or png images of whatever you wish — portraits, landscapes, logos… and it will generate the image pattern on a grid sizable for any project. http://kpg.sourceforge.net/ kpg - Knitting Pattern Generator takes in an image and creates a knitting pattern. Generates an html document with clear instructions on how to knit a piece that will look like the picture it is based on. http://www.knittingnewscast.com/knc/Patterns/Generators/WristWarmers.aspx This site offers a wrist warmer pattern generator. http://www.panix.com/~ilaine/socks.html This one has a sock pattern generator. http://knitting.bikibird.com/patternDrafting.html This site has pattern generators for pullover and cardigan sweaters and ponchos. http://www.software4knitting.com/psockwizard/sockwizdem.htm At this site they offer software for sale that helps you make socks and sweaters. There is a free sock demo available to try. http://www.tata-tatao.to/e-index.html Here you can print out your own knitting graph paper.

I’m back at Itch to Stitch to share about gathering. I don’t know about you, but I’m still not sure what my favorite method of gathering is. I think it really depends on my project and the seam allowance I am using for a given pattern. Today I’m going to share the three methods I […]

84 p. 19 cm

Fashion inspiration, sewing advice, and pattern reviews for the modern sewists. Stitchin Camaro is a blog based around sewing, embroidery, screenprinting, quilting, and more at-home crafts. % pattern reviews - The Assembly Line High Cuff Sweater Pattern Review

DIY Sock Pattern (for Sewing Socks): Sewing is hipper than ever and I declare sewing socks using your own personal sewing pattern is the hippest thing yet.I first tried to create my sock pattern by measuring my feet quite thoroughly and thought somehow that a pattern would emerge. No s…

This post will explain several helpful tips for how to sew spandex- one of the trickiest fabrics- but will have you sewing your own yoga pants, mending leotards, and creating your own running gear …

B(l)ack to Life is worked seamlessly top down. The yoke is shaped by using the contiguous set-in sleeves method developed by Susie Myers. First the yoke is worked back and forth to the final neck CO. When the neck shaping is complete, the yoke is worked in rounds to sleeve separation. Sleeve stitches are then placed on hold and the underarm stitches are cast on using your preferred method. Then the body is worked in rounds down to the ribbing. Sleeve stitches are picked up again to work the sleeve in rounds down to the cuffs. Neck finishing is worked next. A cute and easy flower embroidery is added last. Original yarn: mYak Baby Camel Sport Weight [190 yards (175 m)/50g]; color Antracite – 6 (6, 7, 7, 7)(8, 9, 9, 10) skeins or approx. 984 (1061, 1158, 1240, 1333)(1445, 1568, 1674, 1782) yds/899 (970, 1058, 1133, 1218)(1321, 1433, 1530, 1629) m mYak Baby Camel Sport Weight; color Gobi – 1 skein or approx. 16 yds (15 m) for embroidery Gauge: 21 sts x 32 rows = 4" (10 cm) square (blocked)

Start a great Knitting Project this weekend with these fun and unique knits! If you are looking for a knitting project, but you are tired of making the same kind of things, why not

Hello, how are you today? Welcome to our blog About Knitting. We hope you are very well and looking forward to a new Free Knitting Pattern or Tutorial. Today we want to share with you

in a mad rush toward this weekend's school festival craft stall we made gnomes ~ gnomes galore! loads of teeny tiny gnomes in matchboxes and in pendant pouches some simple standing gnomes and even some knitted gnomes Here is the little pattern I made up for the knitted gnomes ~ Use size 4 -5 knitting needles – 8 ply wool scraps Head – Cast on 18 stiches in your choice of skin colour Row 1: knit, row 2: purl. Repeat for a total of 10 rows Body – Change wool to main suit colour and knit 16 rows (26row total) Legs – Knit across first 9 stitches; place other 9 stitches on a small stitch holder Knit a further 9 rows, cast off leaving a tail of about 6 inches. For the second leg pick up the other 9 stitches and knit 10 rows. Cast off leaving a tail of about 6 inches. Gather up both feet and stitch up the legs/body to the head section. Arms – Cast on 8 stitches in skin colour Row 1: knit, row 2: purl Change to main body colour and knit a further 6 rows, cast off leaving a tail of a few inches (8 rows in total). Repeat for second arm. Gather hand end and stitch up arm seam leaving top open for stuffing – stuff. Hat – Cast on 24 stitches in your choice of hat colour Rows 1 and 2: knit Row 3: purl Row 4: knit two together at each end Row 5: purl Repeat rows 4 and 5 until 16 stitches remain Then only decrease every second knit row until only 10 stitches remain Then knit two together every knit row until only one stitch remains – cast off leaving a 6 inch tail and sew up the seam. To make up – Gather head and stitch up head seam – leave a 1 inch opening for stuffing – stuff legs, body and head. Close the seam. Use body colour to weave in and out around neck. Pull fairly tightly to form neck and wrap around twice, tie a knot and bury it inside to finish the neck. Stitch arms to body and attach hat to top of head. My 100 post giveaway is still open til Sunday night. If you would like to put your name in the hat you can do it here

#1- Pin the front to the back at the desired shoulder width, and sew the shoulder seams (if it's not done already). Locate the center front of the sweater neckline, and place a pin at 1" below the desired v-neck depth (that 1" will be the ribbing band) #2. For the back neckline shaping, fold the back neck opening in and down 1" at the center. Ease the curve to the shoulder seams, and pin in place. #3. Sew the back neck facing down. #4. Angle a ruler from the front shoulder seam to the v-neck pin. Mark that line with pins. #5. Repeat with the other side of the v-neck. Use highly contrasting waste yarn and sew along those lines. Those lines will become the new fold line, where the neckline band stitches are picked up. #6- Zig-zag stitch 3/4" away from the contrast stitching for the new steek reinforcement lines. (or use whatever steek reinforcement method you prefer). #7- Cut along the new steek reinforcement lines. #8- Fold the v-neck steeks in and tack down. Note that you will not be able to fold the new steek in at the v-point until it is clipped (later). #9. Using a 16" circular needle, pick up stitches around the neckline along the fold (removing the contrast yarn as you go). Pick up 1 stitch for each stitch around the neckline, place a marker just before the V-neck point, pick up 1 st in the point, place a marker, continue around neckline, join. Work neckline K1 P1, and K the center st (between the markers). Every other rnd, dec 1 st on either side of the center st. Work ribbing for 1", then BO in patt. #10- After knitting the neckband, carefully snip the V-neck point steek fabric to within 1 st of the band (just like you would do if you were sewing on woven fabric). Use yarn or thread to secure the cut stitches and prevent raveling. Tack down. #11- Inside view of the finished back neckline. #12- The finished v-neckline! See the finished sweater here See the Tutorial on tandem sleeves here See the Tutorial on setting sleeves in a sweater tube here.

Beautiful knitted lace shawl knitting pattern with diamond stitch - written instructions as well as chart + video tutorial.

Let's not even talk about what a terrible blogger I've been of late. Darn... we're talking about it, aren't we? Anyway, let's just say that ...

Every woman should have an elegant knitted scarf in her wardrobe. It will be a perfect fit for an evening outfit.

How to Sew Pockets: Learn how to add pockets to a garment with a free pattern to use for DIY side seam pockets

Learn how to make a ruffle hem cardigan for a romantic look with the Boyfriend Cardigan sewing pattern from Love Notions.

March/April 2023

The Absolute Beginner Knitting Series is the best video course to learn to knit today! Taught by YouTube’s favorite knitting teacher Kristen of Studio Knit, you will go through a fun, easy to understand, systematic course to learn all the basics to create knitting projects this winter.

Sometimes, you need to sew a chemise and you don’t really want to spend a lot of time on it. Either you’re out of time,

While I am a huge believer in approaching knitting on its own terms, designing my…

On the community knitting board Ravelry, the subject has twice lately come up of crossing stitches to avoid a hole where a vertical opening (pocket slit, buttonhole, sleeve opening, division for the heeltab of a sock) is being made. Although it is not the only method for avoiding holes in this area, crossing stitches is a decent utility method for solving the problem and deserves a post of its own. Illustration 1 shows the nature of the problem. Specifically, when two columns of stitches are to be separated, the only thing holding the fabric together under the separation is a single stand of yarn (illustrated in green). That single strand tends to stretch out, and will eventually leave a hole in this area. Illustration 2 shows that by crossing the stitches in the row just under the separation, there will now be five strands of yarn to take the strain (green) rather than the single strand in illustration 1. (As to how to cross the stitches, the easiest way is probably to spear one stitch with a bobby pin and let it hang on the back or the front of the work, knit the next stitch, and then replace the stitch from the bobby pin onto the left needle, and then knit it. Whether you allow the bobby-pinned stitch to fall to the back or the front determines whether the front stitch of the crossed pair slants right or left) Illustration 3 shows an application of this principle at the heel tab of a sock. Illustration 4 shows crossed stitches at the bottom of a vertical opening such as a pocket slit or a vertical buttonhole, or at the bottom of a sleeve opening. Illustration 5 is the same as illustration 4, but shown "in the wool." As you can see, the stitches are crossed differently in illustrations 4 and 5, and it is up to you to decide which way you like better--structurally, it makes no difference at all. Crossing stitches makes a sturdy utility reinforcement--very good for socks, buttonholes, glove fingers, sleeve openings and children's clothing. However, this method makes a noticeable pucker in the fabric, and therefore is perhaps not so wonderful for a v-neck sweater, where (depending on the further edge treatment) the pucker created by crossing the stitches might be on very obvious display. A note to knitting geeks: there is one additional application of crossing stitches which is quite lovely. When you KNOW you are going to use a Norwegian sleeve "psuedo-steek" (no additional stitches added for the steek) you can cross the stitches in the row UNDER where the cut for the sleeve steek is going to end. In other words, after you have secured the two columns of stitches on either side of the intended cut, then when you come to cut the "ladder" between the two columns, there will be a nice pair of crossed stitches at the bottom of the ladder, just waiting to take the strain at the bottom of the newly-made opening. --TECHknitter You have been reading TECHknitting on "crossed stitch reinforcement for the bottom of a vertical opening in knitwear."

All Love Notions Sewing Patterns are digital downloads, you may print them at home or send to a copy shop. A physical pattern will not be mailed to you.The Fraser Cardigan is a cute, open front cardigan in the cocoon style that will envelop your shape in a comforting way. Choose from the hooded or plain views. And no cardigan would be complete without pockets! The Fraser Cardigan comes with a full bust option as well as a cuffed sleeve option. This is a quick and satisfying sew with a contoured collar band that won’t flop or contort the shape of the cardigan. It’s a great layering piece for the cooler temperatures. Dinna fash lassie, the Fraser Cardigan will keep you comfortable through all seasons.Fraser Cardigan Features: Meant for knit fabrics 2 views: plain banded & hooded Hemmed or cuffed sleeves Pockets Full bust optionSizes: XS-5X (See Size Charts here)Skill Level: Confident beginnerPattern Formats Included: Print at home for US letter & A4 paper, trimless format with layers Large format file for copy shop printing. This file will print on three A0 (33″ x 46″) size sheets. Be sure to instruct your printer to print actual size in black and white on their cheapest paper. We recommend PDFPlotting for printing the large format files. A projector file is also included for those using projector technology