| Purls of Wisdom: Anatomy of a Sweater |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by Barbara Rottman |
 Edge: Knitting offers many choices, beginning with the cast-on edge. Long tail cast-on is a utilitarian method that will work well for almost any garment or project. Once mastered, you may never feel the need to use any other. Provisional cast-on creates a temporary base of stitches for knitting the garment and is later removed. This method comes in handy when you want to add the band last or hem your garment. Tubular cast-on is another form of provisional cast-on that blends into the knit and purl stitches of ribbing, creating an almost invisible edge. Other methods can be used to embellish the band. These include working it in a contrasting color, using a cable cast-on, or using multiple strands for a textured or colored cast on. The edge of the sleeve cuffs and cast-off edge for the neckline should match or complement the sweater edge. Band: The sweater can be anchored by a hem, ribbing, rolled edge, a series of cable panels, a lace panel, or any number of embellished bands. The length and style of the band will accentuate the knitting pattern and shape the garment. Consider using the rolled edge band for a relaxed and informal look to your sweater. It is formed by knitting a few inches of reverse stockinette stitch immediately after casting on. It rolls back on itself forming a flat tubular band. Common ribbing patterns include knit one, purl one stitch (1 x 1) or knit two, purl two stitches (2 x 2). The 2 x 2 rib pattern creates more tension and is somewhat more noticeable. Simply changing from 1 x 1 to 2 x 2 ribbing will add interest and texture to a stockinette sweater. Look closely at the wide range of bands used by designers to find one that will complement your knitting and please you. Body: The body of the sweater begins at the top of the band and ends at the shoulders. Patterns will cite actual circumference of the sweater; it is up to you to determine how much ease you want in the garment. Ease is a tailoring term describing the difference between body and garment circumference. A garment that measures 40” around will have 2” of ease if you have a 38” bust measurement and 4” of ease if you measure 36” around the bust. Fashion, personal taste, stitch, gauge and weight of the yarn are all factors to consider in determining the amount of ease in your garment. Some garments are oversize, unstructured and fit very loosely while others are tailored and form fitting. Bulky yarns generally require more ease than finer yarns. Rely on your personal measurements rather than the suggested pattern dimensions, which are only guidelines. If you have a long or short torso, for example, you may need to adjust the body length from the band to the underarm. For a perfect fit, measure your favorite sweater, sweatshirt or other knit garment. Make a drawing of your garment, noting all measurements including sleeves, neckline depth and width, cuff measurements, etc. This will give you the dimensions you’ll need for the fit you like. You can also add special shaping at the waist, bust or back of the shoulders to accommodate personal fitting needs. Besides accurate measurements, you must also know your gauge, not the gauge suggested on the yarn label or in the pattern. Take the time to make a swatch, particularly if you are using cables or other textured stitches because textured stitches will yield a very different gauge from stockinette stitch.  Sleeve shaping: To determine the sleeve depth, measure the distance from your armpit down to your waist or hip, depending on how long you like to wear your sweater, or simply measure a garment whose fit you like. The simplest sleeve is a drop shoulder seam. It has no shaping and is worked straight from the underarm to the shoulder. Garments with drop shoulder sleeves are often called “Norwegian” sweaters. This arm shaping -- or lack of it -- makes for very easy knitting, but consider that, because the underarm measurement is the same as the bust measurement, you will have some bulkiness at the underarm. You can remove some of this fabric by casting off about one inch at the underarm and gradually decreasing an equal number of stitches at each side of the underarm. A series of slanted decreases from the underarm to the shoulder will create raglan sleeve shaping. Sweaters started at the neckline and worked down often use raglan sleeve shaping, and this construction method allows you to try on for fit as you knit. Neckline: By the time you get to the neckline of the sweater, you’ll have a lot going on. While you finish the body of the sweater, you will be shaping the armhole, shoulder, and neckline. At the neckline, you will be working on both sides of the neck. Some knitters like to work one side at a time, and others attach a second ball of yarn and work both sides at the same time. This part of the knitting can get tangly and frustrating, but usually covers only a few inches over many fewer stitches than the body, so the confusion is short lived. Try to work the entire neckline in one knitting session; this will make it easier for you to keep the shaping symmetrical. The neckline, because it frames the face, is a focal point of garments. Neckline flaws are more likely to be noticed because they are front and center in your sweater, so choose a flattering neckline style and take care to shape the neck symmetrically and neatly. Boatneck (bateau) sweaters have no neckline shaping in front or back, but most sweaters are designed with neck shaping. The back neckline is generally the center third of stitches bound off at the top of the back shoulder shaping. If your sweaters tend to rise up in the back because you have a bit of a dowager’s bump, add two or three short rows at the beginning of the shoulder shaping to lengthen the back of the sweater. Front neckline shaping includes dramatic off-the-shoulder styles, v-necks, crew necks, cowl necks and turtlenecks. Personal taste and sometimes body type will dictate the style that best suits you. If you are not sure what style neckline best suits your figure and face, put on a dark sweater or t-shirt (one with no collar is preferable), tie the ends of a length of yarn together, then form the yarn into different neckline styles of varying width and depth. Use tailor’s chalk to mark your preferred neckline, and then measure these marks to incorporate into your knitting. Be sure to allow for the neckline band in your measurement. If a sweater is designed with a jewel neck, but you don’t feel comfortable in anything but a turtleneck, you can make the change with just a little extra knitting. You will need to do some calculating to change a jewel neckline into a v-neck, and you will need to know your row and stitch gauge to determine how deep/wide to make the neckline. Shoulder shaping: The boatneck sweater mentioned earlier has no shaping at the neckline or the shoulder, but most sweaters are knit with an angled shoulder slope, either through using short rows or casting off a portion of the stitches at the beginning of several rows at the top of the sleeve. Shaping the shoulders improves fit and stability of your garment. Sleeve cuff: In conventional design, the sleeve cuff matches the lower band of the sweater. There really is no reason that you can’t use a hemmed or rolled sleeve cuff with a ribbed band, but you probably would not want to mix a 2 x 2 rib in the lower band with a 1 x 1 rib in the sleeve cuff. Think about how you will be wearing the sweater: if you are planning a utilitarian pullover to wear as an outer garment, you will probably want snug cuffs that are at least 2 ½ inches long. These cuffs will seal out drafts and keep you warm. If you are knitting a lacy cardigan, you may want wide or flared cuffs to add a feminine touch. However, if you plan to use the cardigan “around the house”, those flowing cuffs may get in your way or the way of cooking or gardening. Sleeve and sleeve cap: Sleeves are shaped from the cuff to the underarm using a series of increases made on each side of the underarm seam line. The underarm shaping is knit to match the underarm shaping in the sweater, and the sleeve is finished by matching the sleeve cap shaping to the armhole shaping. If the sweater will be worn over other garments, be sure to add in sufficient ease for a comfortable fit. You should also measure the width of the sleeve cap to ensure it will fit comfortably around your upper arm. An otherwise well fitting sweater will be uncomfortable and unflattering if the sleeves fit poorly, so take the time to measure and try on the sleeves as you knit. Neckband: The neckline will need to be stabilized by finishing with a band that complements or matches the sweater band and sleeve cuffs. The band can be ribbed, rolled, hemmed, or finished off with an applied edging such as I-cord. You may also opt to add a collar or hood. The width of the neckband will affect the depth of the neckline, so be sure to allow for this in calculating where to begin shaping the neckline. |
Did you enjoy this feature? Make sure you never miss an issue of Knitch Magazine. To receive alerts for upcoming issues:
For Email Marketing you can trust
