Following our Road to a Sweater series it’s time for an update.
This was a big week for me. I turned my pull over into a cardigan. At the beginning of the pattern I am following, they joined under the arms, and then knit back and forth. And I made the executive decision to knit in the round and then steek the sweater.
“In knitting, steeking is a shortcut used to knit garments such as sweaters in the round without interruption for openings or sleeves until the end. After completing a tube, a straight line is cut along the center of a column of stitches, in order to make room for an opening or place to attach another piece. The steek itself is a bridge of extra stitches, in which the cut is made, and is usually 6-10 stitches wide. This technique was developed by the knitters of the Shetland archipelago and is particularly associated with Fair Isle sweaters, although it can be used for solid colors as well.” – wikipedia
I added three stitches to the middle of the sweater. That was in addition to the selvedge stitches on each side already. The gauge on my sweater is bigger than the average fair isle. If I had done 10 stitches as stated above, it would have created more than 2 inches of extra fabric. And that would be excessive.
When the sweater was the right length, I stopped, and prepared the front. First I ran a pink yarn up the middle of the sweater. Then I went to the sewing machine, and sewed up in a channel between the rows on either side of the pink yarn.
And then, the really brave part. I cut between the machine stitching.
And cut.
And cut
Until it was a cardigan.
The next step is to put the binding on in one piece from the neck, down the front, around the waist, up the other side of the front, and to the neck.
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Such a brave thing to do!