New project - this time a cardigan.
I bought the yarn this summer in Denmark as a souvenir with the vague idea to make a cardigan / jacket with stranded colorwork at the yoke. On a black and white picture the colors have enough contrast against each other, but the heathering eats finer details, so it's going to be a very simple zig-zag.
The yoke will be based on the percentag system from "Knitting in the old way" but top down
Color transition completed - now I need another 20 rows until I can separate between sleeves and body.
I've crunched the numbers, so I'm a bit ahead of my knitting in that part.
I also bought a zipper yesterday. I think it's easier to adjust the length of the garment to the available zpper than the other way around.
I've 3 balls of the grey yarn (and one pink). In this picture the first grey ball is getting close to used up. I'll continue until I'm done with it.
Next: finish the neckline (picking up sts and making a double layered 1x1 rib in pink - probably).
Then: sleeves and the final length will be the rest of the yarn.
I took the cardigan with me to a large knitting meet up (25 people or so).
I managed to make the second sleeve the same length as the first and I did end up with the same amount of decreases. But they are not always spaced as evenly on the second one as they were on the first one.
I should have learned my lesson by now: anything that requires counting is not fit for knitting group. Especially not for large groups
But it's fine, nobody will notice.
Sleeves done, second grey ball of yarn all used up. The front is now about 50 cm long.
I bought a 65 cm zipper - I might have been too cautious about the length I can reach with my available yarn ... But then I need to reserve a bit of yarn for bands along the front as well. And a pair of matching fingerless mitts might be a great addition.
#Advice requested.
I haven't sewn a zipper into anything handknit in ages.
I'd like to use a sewing machine, because when I did it by hand I simply hated the result, it never looked good or even and now with my "Black Beauty" I'm conviced she can do a much better job than I can.
But I want the zipper a bit covered and the front to have a more polished look.
1/x
I think I'd like an Icord, but maybe a sideways double knit hem (about 1 cm wide) would be nice as well?
And how do I go about that? Insert zipper first then add the Icord / hem or the other way round?
Or am I going about this the wrong way and there's better options out there?
I'm open to any ideas, suggestions and experiences.
youtube university is nice and all, but real life experience is better.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/joyride-jacket
This is the general look I'm after. All of the fabric of the zipper is ideally covered, the teeth might be visible a bit.
The body of the cardigan is finished, ends woven in. I'm still not quite sure about the zipper.
For now it's turning a round in the washing machine (handwash program, cold), then I'll block it (meaning I lay it out flat to dry, blocking here is mostly to even out the stitches and get the stranded part relaxed).
Then I'll probably see in the zipper and only after that I'll decide if I want more "finishing" along the front or if I like the look.
Washed and dried, now "only" the zipper needs installing. And then maybe added some more finishing to the fronts. I've plenty yarn left for whatever I come up with. And to make a pair of matching fingerless mitts.
We have a public holiday today, so I can work in daylight. Which I guess is a great advantage.
Pinning, re-pinning, pinning a third time.
Then it looked good.
Took it to the machine. The sides are off by about 2 cm. I think it's because I was sewing one from the bottom up and the other from the top down.
As I used the longest available stitch it was pretty easy to rip out.
And now I'm taking time out to rethink things.
Done, finished, ready to wear.
I reworked the zipper. This time I matched up the crucial points and then worked in several steps. I think it worked out pretty well. There are two places, where it's a bit wavy but I think that's because the zipper is probably a bit too heavy for the fabric. Knowing me I will rarely close it and when it's open this isn't noticeable.
It's lightweight (about 360 g) and warm, perfect for this weather
@knitting @fiberarts
I'm pretty happy about using a sewing machine for the zipper. I've never dared doing that with my wonky modem machine but the old treadle machine was perfect for working slowly stitch by stitch.
The yarn is "Dansk Pelsuld 8/2" von Hjelholts Uldspinderi.
https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/hjelholts-uldspinderi-dansk-pelsuld-8-2
Great yarn, if you don't expect something extremely soft. But it bloomed nicely and the Gotland part of the fiber gives it a nice drape and shine.
@FanCityKnits @knitting @fiberarts
Take a loose thread in a differing color and lay it forward and backward every 5 rows. So counting becomes easy, even when you are talking while knitting.
@Irisfreundin @FanCityKnits @knitting @fiberarts Oh my god, this is so simple and yet genius! Thanks for sharing this tip! 馃ぉ
@FanCityKnits Oh, that' shaping up nicely. Love the yarn combo. It looks so soft, too.
Yarn contains Gotland fibers which gives it a great luster and a rather heavy feel. It is a fingering weight yarn with 400 m / 100 g, but it feels much "heavier"
