Back to Basics...
...or, simple stockinette can still teach me something.
With the completion of the back of the BRDP, I moved back to the LoTech Sweat that I had started for my Dad so long ago. I must have been feeling motivated, because by Saturday afternoon I was blocking the first sleeve.
Lo Tech Sleeve #1
Lest you think I am too speedy, I must make the admission that I had the ribbing and a few inches started before I abandoned the project.
Now, I'll be the first one to say that there is almost nothing exciting about one raglan sleeve done completely in stockinette, other than the fact that it moves me a little closer to the completion of this project. But it did teach me -- or at least remind me -- of a few things. And since the stich definition with this yarn is good and the yarn is a light color, I thought I'd post those reminders in the hope of re-inforcing a few neural connections that somehow stopped firing.
Make 1 vs Knit 2 into 1 Stitch
Top: Make 1
Bottom: K2 into 1 Stitch
The increases in this sleeve are done with "Make 1"s. Now at the beginning, instead of reminding myself what a "Make 1" was, I simply decided that I would just knit 2 into the front and back of one stitch to get the new stitch I needed. After all, I figured, would it matter that much?
The figure above demonstrates that it does matter. Now, in this case, these increases are close to the sleeve edge and will not be terribly visible once the sweater is assembled. However, I think it's pretty clear why the Make 1 is a much better instruction choice here. The M1 is visible, but doesn't leave any gaps in the fabric. The K2 into 1 stitch leaves a small but visible gap. In a fabric that wasn't as dense as this fabric it might not show up quite as starkly, but here, it stands out fairly dramatically (at least when I use macro mode on my camera).
In addition to being neater, you can control the slant of the edge much better with the M1 since there are left and right slanting versions of it, whereas my K2 increase was done the same way on each side of the sleeve. Since this sleeve is quite large, I got to practice my Make 1's until they are pretty well ingrained. Suffice it to say, I won't be translating M1 into K2 into 1 stitch in any other garments.
Slip Slip Knit
Top: SSK the Right Way (knitwise)
Bottom: How Not to Do SSK (purlwise)
While I had forgotten about left and right slanting M1s, I'm pretty clear on the need to match up right and left slanting decreases. Slip, Slip, Knit (SSK) causes a slant to the left, while Knit 2 Together (K2Tog) leans the edge towards the right.
What I had lost my grip on here was the way in which the slip stitch operation is performed. In the picture above, the bottom circle encloses stitches where the two stitches were slipped purlwise, while the top circle encloses stitches where the two stitches were slipped knitwise. I suppose it is possible that under some circumstance slipping the stitches purlwise before knitting the stitches together could be considered decorative, but I think for raglan sleeves it just ends up looking sloppy.
I'm not sure when I started mis-executing this stitch (I noticed this unkempt looking decrease edge on some socks I've worked on, too) but it's definitely been a while. I'm also not sure what made me decide to look up the right way this time -- maybe having Montse Stanley's great book close at hand. But this demonstration makes it pretty clear what way the right way is. I am hoping that having to do about a zillion decreases to shape the sleeve cap re-inforced the right slipping procedure.
I think this whole experience is also a good reminder that simple projects are often where I can best hone my techniques. When it's easy to see the stitches it's also easy to see the differences in how two different methods accomplish the same thing or when something isn't being executed quite right.
see, this is Just the sort of reason why i read wonderful knitting blogs like yours. i am a new knitter (though, as my blog indicates i prefer 'fledgeling' ;) ) and i've never made a sweater so i haven't yet had the chance to decide on the merit of different decreases. educational and fun to read. that's you in a nutshell! (and yes, it's 4:40 am - my cough woke me up. wee!) can't wait to see more! /blathering
I am so glad you showed all that. I knew it but was getting "sloppy" myself AND am starting teach my daughter the finer points of knitting. Better teach her right. Thank.
The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie Wiseman is my favorite for matching increases and decreases. I never start a project without it anymore!
Thanks for the annotated photos along with your explanation; I'm guilty of K2 into 1 stitch myself, so I think I'll revisit M1 myself now.
How very educational!
Re: SSK
I forget where I read this (possibly Elizabeth Zimmerman, since she's my main guru) but it looks quite neat to slip the first stich knitwise, the SECOND purlwise, and knit the two together. The second stitch gets neatly tucked behind the first.
Worth a try?
Hello, Ms. Theresa! :-)
The first increase I ever did was the bar increase - or the k2 into 1 st. I still use it for some cases, sometimes in sleeves but mostly within the garment where a visible increase is required. I like the M1, but I feel that it pulls the yarn up from previous rows, so I have to remember to work the previous row loosely in order to avoid my gauge going wonky.
Awesome pictures. Your true confessions are making the knitting world a better place!
I am a recent newcomer to the SSK that Laura describes and I think it looks the nicest (with my knitting). I always enjoy your analyses!
I'm definitely going to have to try that other version of SSK. When I do the next sleeve I'll try to remember to do them both and see if I can tell the difference.
I like Nancie Wiseman's book, too, and would recommend it to anyone looking for another finishing book to add to their library. I particularly like that she explains the pros and cons of many of her techniques so that you can select the one that works best for you.
Maybe I need to change my blog title to "Knitting Confessions of A Keyboard Biologist" :-)