Tutorial- Adding a V-Neck to a Straight Neckline, Hitchcock Sweater

#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.

Hitchcock- FO

It's not a world record, but this sweater went together pretty darn quickly. And actually, I've had the assorted pieces done for a week, it just took me awhile to get around to assembling them.

I'll post tutorials this week, with lots of pics, for cutting/setting sleeves in a seamless sweater tube, and for neckline shaping. It's not necessarily easier to do both of those things this way- there are no pre-set guidelines for cutting. On the other hand, there are no pre-set guidelines for cutting, which means you can cut and shape and design your sweater after all of the knitting is done. It's wonderfully freeing.

anyway...

Ta da!

See the tutorial on V-Neck shaping from a straight neckline here.

See the tutorial on Tandem Sleeves here.

See the tutorial on setting sleeves in a sweater tube here.

Hitchcock Body

I spent most of today thinking about Lost- don't worry, I won't post any spoilers because I know that many haven't watched it yet. But I will say that I was totally satisfied with the ending. And that I sobbed. I'm going to miss spending time with those characters (and Sawyer's dimples).

While I was thinking, and remembering and comtemplating explained and unexplained mysteries, and watching the Chuck season finale (not quite so many tears on that one, though I probably would have misted up except that I was all cried out), I finished knitting the body of the Hitchcock sweater. I think it turned out rather well.

In the next day or so, I will cut the sleeve openings, sew the shoulder seams, and do the neck shaping (including a v-neck). I'll post tutorials and process shots of those steps, but probably not until the end of the week, since the AI Season Finale shows are coming up. I have finally decided that it's okay if Crystal wins, which probably means that she won't. Wednesday will tell...

Tutorial- Tandem Sleeves, Hitchcock Sweater

I hate knitting sleeves separately, so whenever I can, I knit them Tandem- 2 at a time on a circular needle, in a single piece with 10 stitch steeks in between. This works for any sleeve pattern, not just Fair Isle, as long as you're using yarn with some *grab*.

Cast on and knit the cuffs back and forth (not in the round) separately (so they don't have a bulky seam), and then join them, casting on 10 stitch steeks in between the sleeves on a circular needle. Knit as per the instructions, working the steeks in alternate colors on 2-color rnds. Bind off.

Click on any of the images to enlarge them.

#1. Finished sleeves, still in one piece

#2. You can use any sort of steek reinforcement method you prefer. I like to zig-zag stitch on either side of the center steek stitches. You can be brave and just cut the steek open and reinforce later, but I don't recommend doing that on your first steek.

#3. Steek reinforcement completed.

#4. Cut between the lines of zig-zag stitching. The stitches won't go anywhere. Trust me. (sorry for the blurry pic. I didn't realize it wasn't sharp until it was too late to take another).

#5. One steek cut. The other needs to be reinforced and cut.

#6. Sleeves separated.

#7. Inside view- just because I think it's pretty.

#8. Fold the steek edges in and sew the sleeve seam. This method does add some bulk to the sleeve seam. On the other hand, you don't have to weave any ends in, so it's an even trade. In case you're wondering, I didn't bother trying to make the motifs match at the seam. If you want nicely blended motifs, just center each set of sleeve motifs, and they'll work out.

#9. Whip stitch the steek down. I usually use a yarn or thread color that blends in more, but I wanted the stitches to show for the picture.

#10. The seamed sleeves are ready to sew in the armholes.

Except that the armholes aren't ready for the sleeves.

I'll post tutorials on cutting armholes without steeks, and neckline shaping as I get to those stages on the sweater.

See the tutorial on v-neck shaping in a straight neckline here.

See the finished sweater here.

See the tutorial on setting sleeves in a sweater tube here.

Sweater Name, and More Slickers

I'm nearly done with the sleeves on the leftover yarn bird sweater- the blue/brown border will take me to the proper length, so I can bind off, and cut them apart. I'll be sure to take pics. Then it'll just be a matter of making the sweater body long enough, which will involve 2 or 3 more bird borders.

Thanks to blog reader Mary Wilson- we have a name for the sweater:

Hitchcock

heh...

I spent some time sewing more American-Girl slickers yesterday. I used a different flannel-backed vinyl table cloth and I'm not nearly as happy with the results. Though both this one and  the red gingham cloth were made by the same manufacturer, same size, same price, same store, the stripey one is stiffer and more fragile. The fabric tears more easily and I am worried about how well these coats will hold up under normal little-girl dollie play. But they're far too fiddly to discard, or to start over, and I need 3 or none, so I'll forge ahead.

It's still pretty cute, and I am impressed with my own arty fabric cutting, which makes 3 coats (I'll finish the last today) cut from the same fabric, all look different. I am not so impressed with the fact that I couldn't get the stripes to line up properly on one of them. Oh well.

Drum Roll Please

.... I'm done.... Fearless Fair Isle is in the bag. Or at least, it's in the First Stage Bag- there is much work left to do, some of it will be exhausting and all of it will have a deadline. But for now, the book is donedonedonedonedone!

And I am free! freefreefreefree. Which you might think would mean a lot of lazing around, with the Houseboy peeling grapes and suchlike. But amazingly enough, no, it's not going to be like that.

Well, I am going to do some lazing, and some reading, and some sewing, and some knitting for fun, and I really (really really) should do some cleaning. But what I'm also going to be doing is writing.

Yep- writing. People occasionally ask me when the next mystery is coming out, and I have a ready explanation that involves not having a publisher and being busy with knitting books. But the real reason that there have been no Tory Bauer mysteries for a decade is that I haven't had even the slightest urge to write fiction. In fact, I thought it was gone forever.

Imagine my surprise when a new set of characters walked into my brain and started talking a couple of months ago. I could not interrupt work on FFI for this new whim, because if there is one thing I've learned in writing 5 knitting books is that deadlines come a lot faster than you ever expect them to. In fact, the last two deadlines barely allowed for eating and sleeping, with no time whatsoever for side-ventures.

And if there is something else I've learned, it's self-discipline. When I wrote only fiction, I waited for *it* to be there, which meant that sometimes I would go weeks without writing a word, and then I'd crank out half a novel in 6 weeks. Down that road lies Crazytown. I didn't like living there, and I don't want to go back.

This time, I am going to write a little bit every day (or almost every day- I'm still me, there are no pods in the basement), and I will work whether I feel like it or not (and it is work, hard work- there may be some writers who get up in the morning, chomping at the bit to get to the typewriter, but I am not one of them), and maybe, just maybe, in this interim before anyone wants another knitting book (if indeed, anyone does), I will get this book written.

Oh yeah, it's a YA Fantasy, something that I hope Voracious Reader will enjoy.

In the meantime- I'm making progress on Un-Named Bird Sweater:

Birdy Progress

Birdland? Blue Bird of Happiness? The Birds?

Whatever the name, I'm making progress. This is going to be such a colorful sweater. You'll see me coming from a half-mile off. The latest border actually has a dark green background, not charcoal as it looks in the photo. I found a larger circular for the sleeves, so the knitting isn't so cramped.

Side note- I'm using an old set of interchangeable needles on the sleeves. I have never been happy with interchangeables- the needles always came unscrewed, and at the worst possible times. I could never figure out how to use that little tool to tighten the tips- I thought it was inserted in and up and something clicked or a switch was pushed. Or something. Yesterday, I You Tubed the process. Boy, do I ever feel stupid.

Tonight, for the first time this season, I can watch AI and not feel guilty about not knitting (can't knit and take notes at the same time). Such freedom!

P.S. It worked. So far.

What I'm working on...

... whoa... I can show you what I'm knitting... imagine that.

I'm not sure what to call this sweater- Bird in the Hand has already been taken by a pair of beautiful, and fairly famous mittens. Bird Folk? The Birds? Happy Bird-day? Though the bird motif originated along the Danube, in execution it looks a bit Peruvian (throw a llama in there, you'll see what I mean).

The chart was adapted from the old Dover book Charted Folk Designs for Cross-Stitch Embroidery, which I bought back when Dover books cost $2.50 (a looong time ago). It's probably out of print now, but it's a treasure trove with hundreds and hundreds of old charted folk designs (all copyright free). I referred to it extensively when I designed cross stitch back in the day. It comes in handy for stranded knitting too.

But regardless of title, this sweater is a stash-buster. I'm using whatever old yarns (from my own purchases, and left from several books) that I pull out of the bag/box in combos that appeal to me. It's going to be bright and goofy and fun. I think it'll be a v-neck pullover, but I'll leave the neck shaping until the end because I could change my mind on that.

Oh- the 16" circ to the right holds the sleeves. I'm knitting them tandem- which means both are cast on at the same time, with steeks between. When they're finished, I'll cut them apart, and seam them. I'll take pics.

Stats: Size 8 (5mm) needles, worsted weight yarn, body of sweater: 224 sts. Gauge: approx 5 sts=1". It'll be about 44" around (I like my sweaters roomy). I'm keeping this one.