Spud & Chloë

Archive for August 2010

August 27, 2010

Boat Neck & Waist Shaping from Wendy!

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

Here are two informational posts straight from Wendy! Aren’t we lucky? Please make sure and you thank Wendy for all of her help. I appreciate her joining in so much.

The first informational section below is about her boat neck version of the raglan.

From Wendy: This is my yoke, nearly complete. I tried it on and it fits the same as my dress form, here, so I took a picture on it (lighting was better). I need about another two inches or so in the raglan length and I have 44 sts on the sleeve sections (8.8”) and 120 sts in the combined back/front sections (24”).

So, this is what I think I’m going to do (I had to measure my row gauge to know how many rounds I’d need to do–it is 6 rnds per inch):

I have 2 inches of length, or 12 rows to go before separating the body. In terms of sleeves if I continue adding 2 sts to the sleeves every other round, that’s six rounds, I’d add an additional 12 sts, or 56 sts which will give me 11.2” circumference BEFORE adding the underarm stitches.

Looking at the Body, I still need at least 10 or 11 inches, including the underarm adds to get my goal of around 34/35”. So, if I have 120 sts right now, and work incs on every other round for 12 rounds, that’s 24 added sts (4 for the combined sections every other round for 12 rnds). So, if I keep increasing this way, I’ll end up with 148 sts total, or 29.6”.

But 35” (goal) – 29.6” (actual) = 5.4” or 27 sts to add under the arms? Let’s see if this will work for me: I have 56 sts on the sleeve and will cast on under each arm to bring the body circumference to the right place. When it is time for me to pick up and knit those sts when I work the sleeves, that means I can either pick up each of those 14 sts for a final sleeve count of 70 sts, or 14”, which is a bit big for my upper arm.

Alternatively, I could probably get away with picking up 10 sts instead of 4 and come up with 66 sts, or a circumference of 13.2. Since I have upper arms that measure about 11”, I can probably handle that. Not to mention, I don’t want a super close-fitting sleeve.

So, there you go: I will work an additional 12 rounds and then separate the sleeve from the body by placing it on scrap yarn, cast on 7 sts under the arm, pm, cast on 7 sts and then join and work to the next sleeve and then repeat the procedure on the other side.

After that, I’ll try on again and make sure it fits before I continue.

Here is a second post from Wendy about waist shaping!

From Wendy:

Waist Shaping in Top-Down Knitting

If you try on as you go, you can decide where to begin and end waist shaping. But, the best idea is, is to first find out what your back waist measurement is, meaning, the measurement from the cast-on back neck down to your waist, and make note of it.

Then, you need to decide how many inches, or stitches, you want to subtract by the time you knit to that back waist measurement, minus the space you will need to begin those decreases, or shaping rounds.

If you want to make it super easy, most designers subtract about two or three inches only, then the add those same stitches or more, after an inch of working “even.”

Either way you want to go, you need to first decide how many stitches you want to decrease to get to your goal waist measurement.

Let’s say, you have a bust circumference of 38″ and by the time you’ve knit down to your back waist, you want your sweater to measure 34″. In this example, we have a gauge of 5 sts per inch, so, 38″ – 35″ = 4″, or 20 sts that need to be decreased. So, 20 sts need to be decreased.

Since we usually decrease four sts per round (meaning, k1, k2tog, knit to 3 sts before marker, ssk, k1, sm, k1 k2tog, knit to 3 sts before last marker ssk, k1.) We can do the math for the number of decrease rounds we need to do by saying: “20 sts need to be decreased and 4 sts get decreased each dec round, so, that means I will do a decrease round FIVE times” (20 decs needed / 4 sts per round = five total decrease rounds.)

The next step is to determine, using your row gauge, when you need to begin your decreases. You can also decide, by trying on as you go, where you want to start decreasing and use that initial inward slope and the final smallest waist measurement to decide where to start, but I will just do the math the way I typically do it for my patterns. In this example, I know that I need to do five rounds of decreases, and in my case I have a row gauge of 6 sts per inch.

Let’s say my “back waist” measurement is 17″, and I need to get to my target circumference by the time I reach that point. The only way to do this is to determine how many rows your decrease rounds and even rounds will take up. My idea is that I would like to do a decrease round every one-half inch, or every three rows (it’s up to you how often you want to do them). So, If I do a total of five sets of decreases every third row, that means I will need 15 rows to complete these decreases.

That’s just 2.5″ but for my frame, it will work. If you are taller, you might decide to space them out a bit more, and hence, begin them a bit earlier before your back waist measurement.

So, now I know that I have to begin my decreases about 2.5″ before my back waist measurement. And since I plan on working even for an inch or so before I begin increasing, I’m going to simply begin my waist shaping approximately 2″ before my back waist measurement, or around 15″ from the cast on edge. (back waist is 17″ – 2-ish inches = ABOUT 15-ish inches to start doing my decreases every third round to 20 stitches minus my original stitch count.)

Once I finish that part, I will work 6 rounds, or about 1″ even. Then, I will work the same number of increase rounds to widen the garment for the hips. If your hips are larger than your bust, then by all means, do more increases here. So, what I will do on every 3rd round (or adjust it if the slope of my hips is slower than than the cinch of my waist so that the increases happen every inch, instead) is to increase as follows: k1, m1, work to 1 st before marker, m1, k1, sm, k1, m1, work to 1 st before maker, m1, k1.

This type of shaping will work for the sleeves as well. But in that case, you’ll need to take your initial circumference and your “goal” circumference at the cuff and decide how many stitches you have to subtract or add to get to your goal. Then, knowing that you’ll subtract or add 2 sts per decrease/increase round, figure out the space in which you have to decrease in terms of ROUNDS and then divide the rounds by the number of dec/inc or “shaping” rnds you have to do to arrive at your nth. Wow. I’m getting too mathematical tonight.

Once we get to the sleeves, I think I will be able to express these ideas more simply!

From Susan: Hope you are all doing well! Have a good weekend.

Posted in General, Things We Love | 3 Comments »

August 27, 2010

More on the Sleeve

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

Here are more words of wisdom from Wendy:

Working your first top-down raglan in a situation like this is an unbelievably good thing because you’ll get lots of help and you are, in effect, custom knitting your own sweater. I think many people did this for themselves many years ago and now that we have patterns and are pretty dependent on them, we don’t think so much for ourselves or on our own. This is why I’m so happy to be here.

Regarding raglan measurements: I use a super complicated spreadsheet that “knows” the eventual circumference at every point in time when I design. But when you work the way we are working in this KAL, we don’t know all the factors in advance, but we can plan. That said, when you add body stitches under the arm, you are effectively adding the same or “a close” number of stitches to the sleeve as well. Why? Because when you place your reserved sleeve sts back on the needles you will work around the sleeve and then when you get to the underarm section where you earlier added body stitches, you’ll need to pick up and knit stitches to close the underarm (and remember to place a marker at the midpoint if you plan on shaping your sleeve). You do NOT have to pick up and knit the SAME number of stitches. In fact, you can probably get away with picking up about 75% of them, if you want to.

So, knowing your goals of Body and Sleeve circumferences, it’s a good idea to do what I do: Make a sketch and plot out the goal circumferences and stitch counts. Trying on as you go is a good idea, too, because trying on as you go doesn’t lie, while your goal stitch counts might (due to gauge issues or moods that make you knit tighter or looser at any given time). The stitch count that you planned for may not be perfect, but the trying-on part is really the only way to know if it’ll fit or not.

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August 26, 2010

Part 3 – Easy Top-Down Raglan Knitalong

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

Well, I am back and even better Wendy is back with some great advice for Steps 8 and 9 of our knitalong. The photo above is from Wendy and she is sharing the start of her boat neck raglan. Check out her sketch. She will look so gorgeous in the Chipmunk colorway. I can’t wait to see the finished sweater on her.

Please read below! Here is what Wendy has to say about her boat neck AND suggestions for all of us for the next step:

Wendy: Here is my completed neckline for the boat neck. I cast on 100 sts for the boat neck (which won’t be that boat-neck-ish, just wide) and worked 2×2 rib in the round for about 2 inches. Then, I separated the sleeve/back/sleeve/front into 16/34/16/34 stitch sections.

I will increase (kfb) on each side of each marker every other round, which means that I will add a total of 8 sts every other round. I will measure the raglan line, including some of the 2” of neckline until I “think” it might fit, while keeping track of the numbers of each portion. I don’t want my sleeves to be more than 12 – 13” around, and I am aiming for about 35” body circumference.

The way I will control these measurements is to know how many goal stitches I need and if I have to, do fewer increases on the sleeves than on the front/back sections. I will also plan on separating the sleeves from the Body sections before I reach that magic 35” circumference (front/back together). I will do this because I want to add stitches under the arms to improve the fit. I will probably try to end my Body increases when the two pieces together equal about 33” or thereabouts and will add about 6 sts under each arm. Not only does adding the underarm stitches improve the fit, it also keeps you from having too deep of an armhole and will control the circumference of the upper arms, something that a lot of people don’t like when making a raglan.

We shall see if it goes the way I want it to! Trying on as you go usually changes your initial plans a little, which is just fine.

BTW: I LOVE this yarn. I hope to use more of it in the future.

Susan: Please note that all of the basic steps for this knitalong are from Wendy Bernard’s book, Custom Knits, pp. 154-155! It is a wonderful sweater knitting book with loads of patterns and information.

Okay, so before we even start the next steps to separate the sleeves and work on the body, you need to figure out the bust measurement and the sleeve measurement you want for your sweater.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: My bust measurement is 36 inches

TC’s Raglan: a 30 inch bust measurement

Now, I keep getting asked about what “ease” means. Here is a quick explanation.

Negative ease – having the measurement of the garment smaller than the actual body measurement so the garment has to stretch a bit to fit, with negative ease you will have a tighter fitting garment. It will be more body-skimming. Wendy makes all of her garments with at least 1 inch negative ease.

0 (zero) ease – having the measurement of the garment the same as the actual body measurement so the garment fits right to the body.

Positive ease – having the measurement of the garment bigger than the actual body measurement so the garment is loose fitting.

You can decide how you would like your sweater to fit. I ended up having 2 inches of negative ease according to my stitch counts for the bust measurement.

Also, just as Wendy said above, I didn’t want my sleeves to go any larger than a 12-13 inch circumference. You need to figure out what would be an ideal upper arm measurement for you. The desired number of stitches for the sleeves will depend on if you like more of a fitted sleeve or a looser sleeve.

With these measurements for the sleeves and bust you need to multiply the number of inches by the stitches per inch.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan (with 2 inches negative ease for the bust measurement I subtracted 2 inches from my bust measurement): 34 inches x 5 stitches per inch = 170 stitches

Note: The 34 inch bust measurement is to fit my 36 inch bust.

170 stitches is the number of stitches I need for the body of my sweater.

TC’s Raglan: 30 inches x 5 stitches per inch = 150 stitches

150 stitches is the number of stitches for the body of TC’s Raglan.

Upper Arm measurement:

You want to have a number of inches in mind for the sleeve measurement and number of stitches that you will need to fit your upper arms.

*An important note from Wendy: When you cast on sts for underarms in Steps 8 and 9, not only will it add to BODY circumference, but the sleeve circumference as well, because you will pick up stitches there when working sleeves, although you can reduce that number by a bit. Make sure you take this additional sleeve width when you are figuring out your sleeve circumference and the number to cast on under the arms.

Grape Jelly Raglan: 12 inches x 5 stitches per inch = 60 stitches

60 stitches is the number of stitches for the sleeve.

TC’s Raglan: 10 inches x 5 stitches per inch = 50 stitches

50 stitches is the number of stitches for the sleeve.

Important Note: After you have read Wendy’s suggestions, above, for ways to modify the sleeve and body stitch numbers and keeping in mind that you will be casting on stitches at the underarms to compensate for any added width you need at this point for the sleeve and bust circumference AND that you are at the point where your sweater measures to about 1 inch below your underarms when you try it on, you can move on to Steps 8 and 9.

Steps 8 and 9 combined:

Count the number of stitches for the front, back, and both sleeves.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan:

Front and Back = 80 stitches each or 160 stitches total

Sleeves = 60 stitches each

TC’s Raglan = yet to be determined – I will fill in later tonight or tomorrow!

Now, I know that I want my body stitches to be 170 stitches and I have 160 stitches. To get to 170 stitches I will be casting on 5 stitches using the backwards loop method under each arm as I work the first round of the body. You will need to figure out the number of stitches you will need to cast on under the arms (you may not need to add any stitches at the underarms).

Wendy suggests that you can add anywhere from 1-6 inches at the underarms by casting on stitches to achieve the bust measurement you desire. This gives you a lot of flexibility. Right now the Grape Jelly Raglan has 160 stitches, which is 32 inches. I want to add 10 stitches or 5 stitches at each underarm to achieve 170 stitches for the bust measurement of 34 inches.

Figure out how many stitches you will need to cast on at each underarm to achieve your desired bust measurement and continue as follows:

Next round: Starting at the detachable stitch marker (leave it there) and at start of the left sleeve (remove the rest of the stitch markers as you work this round), place the sleeve stitches on a cut length of scrap yarn, using the backwards loop method cast on the desired number of stitches for the underarm, work across the back stitches to the right sleeve, place the sleeve stitches on a cut length of scrap yarn, cast on the desired number of stitches for the underarm, work across the front stitches. This completes the first Body round. Continue working on these stitches, ignoring the sleeve stitches, for the rest of the body of the sweater.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: Place 60 stitches from the left sleeve on scrap yarn, cast on 5 stitches, knit across the 80 back stitches, place the 60 stitches from the right sleeve on scrap yarn, cast on 5 stitches, knit across the 80 front stitches. (170 stitches total are now on the needle)

Place a stitch marker at the center of each underarm. This will be helpful if you decide to add waist shaping as you work down the body.

Continue to work the body section, knitting every round, until you reach the desired length minus any edging length you are planning to add, and trying on the sweater as you go.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: Work to 13.5 inches below the underarm. (I added 1 inch of garter edging at the bottom.)

Grape Jelly Raglan edging: 8 rounds garter stitch beginning with a purl round as follows:

Round 1: purl

Rnd 2: knit

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 four times total. Bind off loosely.

TC’s Raglan: body length and edging to be determined!

Important Note: For the Grape Jelly Raglan I did not do any waist shaping. Wendy is going to give waist shaping tips tomorrow!! I’ll be back with her information when it comes in.

I am leaving you today with a group of photos of the Blue Sky Alpacas/Spud & Chloë staff! These wonderful women are joining right in the knitalong with us!! I love that so much. This photo is in the beautiful and cozy Blue Sky/S&C headquarters. Aren’t they the cutest ever? Now you will understand why I love working with them so much. They are just plain fun!!

For all of their modification details, and there are many, please join them for frequent knitalong updates on the Blue Sky Alpacas Facebook page which you can find right here. On the photo album on Facebook each of these four ladies describes what they are doing to make their raglan fit them. I love it.

Colleen is working away. She is good with numbers (mostly the money kind of numbers) so this project will be a breeze for her! She is the resident sock knitter so a sweater will be a good change-up for Colleen.

Nice stitches, Colleen. Love the Popsicle colorway.

Karen is working away in the gorgeous colorway, Moonlight.

This blue will look so pretty on her.

Merri is my constant partner in crime so it is good to see her working in Firecracker! That’s perfection.

Merri is a master of design and has helped me with my math once or twice. This is going to be smooth sailing for her. I think she is going 3/4 length sleeves.

Val is my Oprah and I am her Gail. We decided this yesterday. She is the voice behind the Blue Sky Facebook page in case you wanted to know.

I think Val is making a cardigan if I remember correctly. She is using the Grape Jelly colorway.

Okay, I’ll be back soon. Good luck!

Susan

Posted in General, Things We Love | 15 Comments »

August 25, 2010

Wendy’s Boat Neck Math

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

I am excited to bring you Wendy’s directions to make a boat neck sweater. Wendy just got her Sweater in Chipmunk yesterday – click here to view a photo. She is going to make a boat neck version of the raglan pullover. She has provided her beginning instructions which are different than the crew neck beginning instructions.

The rest of the post is from Wendy taken from the Friends of Spud & Chloë forum, knitalong thread. By the way, the Easy Top-Down Raglan Knitalong is currently at #8 on the new and popular (most active recently published designs) patterns on Ravelry. You have to click on “more” to see all of the patterns on the list. That is great news!

Now to hear from Wendy….

Wendy: This is going to be a long post, but I want to tell you about the boat neck math. Beyond this first part, you will follow the rest of the KAL. It is only the first part that is different. You will cast on for the entire neckline and join in the round without any neck shaping.

I am just beginning to plot out my boat neck. I do not plan on having an off-the-shoulder-a-la Flashdance sweater, so I’m going to stick to about 20” around, which is 10” across the front/back. The yarn will stretch and I plan to knit the neckband in at the very beginning rather than adding it on at the end, so it will stretch more. If you are beginners, follow Susan’s advice and knit in the garter stitch edging last. That is a good way to go. Also know that I might cast on and re-knit it if this particular sweater doesn’t fit the way I want it to. The math that follows, however, should be easy to adjust if you have a different beginning neckline measurement.

Any rate, for those of you who are interested, this is my math. The separation of the sleeves from the body parts will be the same as the KAL:

My gauge is 5 sts per inch

I want a 20” starting circumference for the boat neck, meaning, I will cast on all sts and knit in the round from that point forward

So, 20” x 5 sts per inch = 100 sts

Separate Front / Back = 50 sts each

Acquire 1/3 or .3333’s worth sts from each body section for sleeves, so: 50 sts x .333 = 16.65 sts. Round DOWN to 16 sts (ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA TO ROUND DOWN FOR SLEEVES UNLESS YOU HAVE LARGE UPPER ARMS)

After I work the 1 – 2” of neckline trim, probably seed stitch or a seeded rib or something simple like that, I will work one last round and place my markers. From that point forward, I will follow all of the instructions for the KAL:

I have 100 sts. 50 for front/back each.

I will take away a total of 32 sts for the sleeves, or 16 sts for EACH sleeve.

Here is the math: 100 total body stitches / 2 = 50 sts for front/back

One body section equals 50 sts. So, I will take 1/3 or .333 from it for one sleeve: 50 x .333 = 16.65. I will round down to 16 sts for one sleeve.

So, 2 sleeves equal 32 sts (16 sts x 2 sleeves = 32 sts)

Therefore, 100 TOTAL stitches minus 32 stitches equals 68 sts for the back/front (100 – 32 = 68)

To delegate back/front: 68 body sts (back/front minus the two sleeves), 68 / 2 = 34

Before I begin working the raglan increases, I will place markers as follows: K34 (front) pm, k16 (sleeve), pm, k34 (back) pm, k16, pm for beg of round.

From that point forward, follow all directions, increasing on either side of markers….

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

August 24, 2010

Part 2 – Easy Top-Down Raglan Knitalong

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

Wow! We are off to a good start!

Please be sure to go to the Friends of Spud & Chloë knitalong thread and the comments on the posts here if you have any questions because they may have already been answered. There has already been a lot of correspondence back and forth. Please check in on our Facebook page for sneak peeks and updates, too. Here are a few comments from Wendy Bernard that were posted to the Ravelry knitalong thread (click here to see this thread) to start.

From Wendy: My yarn won’t arrive until tomorrow and I will probably be casting on Wednesday (Aug. 25th) or so. My plan is to simply let you all know what I’m doing but I don’t think I will make a new “recipe.” Doing this alteration will require a little bit of a sense of adventure, and I know you have it!

If you want to gets started without me:

The first step to a boat neck is to simply measure around your neck/shoulders to decide how wide you want your boat neck to be (estimate on the lower side because it will stretch; you can also look at similar patterns in your books and magazines and see what the schematic tells you. Look at Ingenue in Custom Knits for an idea, if you have the book).

Then, based on that number of inches/stitches, use the current instructions to determine how to separate your stitches into sleeve/front/sleeve/back. Place markers, and join in round. Work either an inch or two of your desired edging (don’t have to add later if you don’t want to), then, after that is done, begin your raglan shaping, i,e. kfb on either side of markers. Try on as you go!

When your armhole depth is about what you want (works best if it is a bit shorter), count the number of stitches in one sleeve portion and decide if that circumference is about right. If so, move on. If not, let us know and we will tell you what to do. There are lots of ways to tweak this type of raglan.

From Wendy: If there is someone in the KAL who desires to do a cardigan, I’m sure they’d be happy to include their mods, though. (Wendy is referring to a question on the Ravelry thread about making a cardigan here.)

Also note, if you happen to have a copy of Custom Knits, there is a lot of information on working cardigans from the recipe.

Remember, the ONLY difference between working a cardigan and a pullover is that with a cardigan you don’t join in the round. You work flat, back and forth in one piece. A pullover is joined in the round and worked that way down to the hem.

From Susan: I am only providing the recipe for the pullover, crew-neck raglan this time around. I have so many first-time sweater knitters participating that I want to keep things as simple as possible. Please feel free to make any modifications on your own! It’s your sweater and I want you to love it.

Also, instead of asking ahead of time and individually for information that will be posted here in a day or so, please be patient. It is all coming in a timely fashion. I am trying my hardest to answer a large number of questions on Facebook, email and Ravelry and the blog comments here. Plus, I am knitting right along with you all and trying to get the blog posts up. It is all fun and fast and I love it but please be patient. I am only one man (so to speak). And a lucky man, at that, to have you all here.

Thanks for everyone joining in. I am so appreciative that Wendy has been jumping in to help with advice and to answer questions. What an opportunity for us all. Thank you, Wendy!!

So let’s get back to business.

Grilled cheese and a neckline! What a great combination. TC’s a good sport.

I ended up working to 3 inches (for Step 6) for TC’s raglan just as I did for the Grape Jelly raglan.

These photos aren’t the best but I want you to see how simple this measurement is. I wrapped my sweater, still on the needles, around TC’s neck and looked at where the first and last stitches would fall on her neckline. When I got to a point that looked good I stopped knitting. That’s it!

I had a couple of questions about the 2 to 3 inch length for Step 6. If you want a closer fitting crew-neck you would knit to maybe 2 inches (or whatever measurement is right at the bottom of your throat), if you want more of a slight scoop neck you would knit to maybe 3 inches (or whatever measurement you’d like). TC and I both don’t enjoy a closer fitting neckline and we will be layering our sweaters to keep warm in our Wisconsin winters. Our necklines are a little looser fitting.

Remember that we will be picking up around the neckline to add an edging so that will add another inch or so around your neck.

It’s up to you and your neckline preference!

Now that we have our neckline to the point where we want to join across the front here is what to do next.

The steps are from Wendy Bernard’s book Custom Knits on pp. 154-155. I highly recommend this book!

Step 7: Joining the neckline at the front.

Once you have reached the desired length for the scoop of the neckline you will be figuring out the number of stitches to cast on to join the fronts to begin working in the round.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: measures 3-inches from the cast on edge

TC’s Raglan: measures 3-inches from the cast on edge

Count the number of stitches you have in the back section. Remember that on your needles you have the stitches in this order between the stitch markers: front section, sleeve top, back section, sleeve top, front section.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: back section = 48 stitches

48 stitches = the number of Back stitches

TC’s Raglan: back section = 44 stitches

44 stitches = the number of Back stitches

Now count the number of stitches in each of the front sections. Add the 2 front section number of stitches together.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: each front section = 18 stitches

18+18 = 36 stitches

36 stitches = total number of Front stitches

TC’s Raglan: each front section = 18 stitches

18+18 = 36 stitches

36 stitches = total number of Front stitches

Now subtract the total number of Front stitches from the number of Back stitches. This is the number of stitches to cast on to join across the fronts.

Back stitches – total Front stitches = the number of stitches to cast on

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: 48 (back) – 36 (total front) = 12 stitches (number of stitches to cast on to join the fronts)

TC’s Raglan: 44 (back) – 36 (total front) = 8 stitches (number of stitches to cast on to join the fronts)

Note: Basically you want to cast on the number of stitches across the front so the number of Front stitches = the number of Back stitches.

Knit across the next right side row, continue with the increases on each side of the stitch markers, to the end of the row. Using the backwards loop cast on method, cast on the number of stitches to join the Fronts. Now join to work in the round by continuing to knit across the left front up to the first increase raglan line or one stitch before the next stitch marker. I placed a separate removable stitch marker on this stitch to indicate the first stitch of the round for the Grape Jelly Raglan.

Continue increasing 8 stitches (kfb in each stitch before and after each stitch marker on the raglan increase lines) on every other round until the raglan lines reach to about 1-inch below your underarm.

Important Note: The way to try on your sweater to take this measurement is to take a long cut piece of scrap yarn and place the end on a yarn needle. Pull the scrap yarn through all of the stitches and then remove the circular needles. The stitches will now be on the scrap yarn only. Now your sweater is flexible and you can try it on.

After you try it on, place the stitches back on your circular needles and pull out the scrap yarn. You want to replace your needles by starting at the removable stitch marker that marks the first stitch of the round. Then you will be all set to continue right on.

The measurement to 1-inch below your underarm will determine the length of your sleeve opening so this is an important measurement. I actually measured many of my other raglan sweaters and tried it on as I worked to determine how long I would make this measurement. I measured along the raglan line from the cast on edge to get my measurements.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: I worked until the raglan increase line measured 9 1/2 inches from the cast on edge.

TC’s Raglan: I am approximating that I will work to about 8 1/2 inches, measuring along the raglan increase line from the cast on edge. I will be trying the sweater top on TC to double check this measurement as I work. This is only a guess at this point and I will keep you posted!

Okay! Carry on with Step 7. There are only 3 more steps to go but lots more knitting as we tackle the body and the sleeves.

By the way, I have been getting asked about the stripes. I am just randomly striping as I go with no plan in mind. I have used up about 5 tiny balls of leftover Sweater right now. I love that. The largest stripes so far have 4 rounds and the smallest, 1 round.

Here is a photo of the Grape Jelly Raglan at the Step 7 point. I had worked a couple of inches after joining to work in the round.

I’ll be back soon with more! Have fun.

Posted in Uncategorized | 31 Comments »

August 22, 2010

Part 1: Easy Top-Down Raglan Knitalong

Part 1: Easy Top-Down Raglan Knitalong

Welcome! This is a knitalong to create your own custom fit raglan pullover sweater! I will be posting the recipe in parts as we work up our sweaters. At the end I will post this knitalong version of the recipe as one of the free patterns on the sidebar. You can join in any time. Please join me on the Friends of Spud & Chloë Ravelry group to post photos, chat and share our progress.

Click here for the forum thread!

Click here for the Easy Top-Down Raglan Ravelry Project Page!

You can also leave comments here on the blog, of course.

To get started today we are taking your back neck measurement and doing some simple math to determine the number of stitches to cast on. That will cover steps 1-6 out of 10 steps total. Steps 1-6 are not difficult (just take them one by one) but I have to say after these initial steps the rest of the sweater is incredibly simple.

Size: Made to fit you!

Yarn: Spud & Chloë Sweater (55% superwash wool, 45% organic cotton; 100 grams/160 yards)

Bust measurement in inches – number of skeins of Spud & Chloë Sweater:
32 inches – 5 skeins
34 inches – 5 skeins
36 inches – 6 skeins (This is the sample size that fits me perfectly!)
38 inches – 6 skeins
40 inches – 6 skeins
42 inches – 6 skeins
44 inches – 7 skeins
46 inches – 8 skeins
48 inches – 8 skeins
50 inches – 8 skeins
52 inches – 8 skeins
54 inches – 9 skeins

Needles: US size 7 circular needles, 24-inch and a set of 4 double-pointed needles OR the correct size to obtain gauge

Gauge: 5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch

Materials:

Tape measure

Scissors

Yarn needle

Stitch Markers

Abbreviations:

k knit

p purl

k2tog knit 2 stitches together

ssk slip 2 stitches separately as if to knit, knit the 2 slipped stitches together through the back of the loop

sm slip marker

kfb knit in the front and back of a stitch

pm place marker

Let’s Get Started!

Note: I will refer to the Grape Jelly Raglan as an example and TC’s Raglan throughout the knitalong. The Grape Jelly Raglan is the finished sample I made to fit me (36-inch bust) and TC’s Raglan is the sweater I am making with the knitalong. TC is an average size 11-year-old.

Important note: All of this basic information to make this raglan pullover sweater can be found in Wendy Bernard’s book, Custom Knits, on pp. 154-155.

Step 1: The first measurement you need to take to determine the number of stitches you are going to cast on is the back of your neck. Do not include your shoulders in this measurement.

Grape Jelly Raglan: My back of neck actual measurement: 5 inches

TC’s Raglan: TC’s back of neck actual measurement: 4 inches

Measuring TC's back of neck

I measured TC’s neck for this step but I just measured my own back of neck for the Grape Jelly raglan. You don’t need someone else to take this measurement.

Now, you can vary this measurement depending on how big or wide you would like your sweater neck opening to be. The other thing to remember is that we are adding a garter stitch edging to the neck opening and that needs to be taken into consideration. For my sample I added 1 extra inch to my back of neck measurement to start. Wendy says that the average woman’s back of neck measurement is between 5 and 6 inches.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: Starting measurement: 5 + 1 (extra inch added for edging) = 6 inches

TC’s Raglan: Starting measurement: 4 + 1 (extra inch added for edging) = 5 inches

Step 2:

Multiply the number of inches for the starting measurement by the stitch gauge per inch which is 5.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: 6 x 5 = 30

TC’s Raglan: 5 x 5 = 25 (rounded up to 26)

*Wendy suggests that if you end up with an odd number that you should round up to an even number.

This is the number of back stitches.

Step 3:

We are going to figure out how many stitches we need for the tops of the sleeves.

Take the back stitches number from step 2 and divide it by 3.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: 30 divided by 3 = 10

TC’s Raglan: 26 divided by 3 = 8.6 or 8 (I am rounding down to keep this number even)

This number is the sleeve top number. You will have 2 sleeve tops.

Now we have the back stitches number and the sleeve top number.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: back stitches = 30; sleeve top stitches = 10

TC’s Raglan: back stitches = 26; sleeve top stitches = 8

Step 4:

To find out the number of stitches to cast on you will use the back stitches number and the sleeve top number for both sleeves. You will add 1 stitch to each end for each front.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: 1 (front) + 10 (sleeve top) + 30 (back) +10 (sleeve top) + 1 (front) = 52 stitches (number to cast on)

1+10+30+10+1 = 52 stitches

TC’s Raglan: 1 (front) + 8 (sleeve top) + 26 (back) + 8 (sleeve top) + 1 (front) = 44 stitches (number to cast on)

1+8+26+8+1 = 44 stitches

Using your circular needle cast on as follows:

1 st, pm, sleeve top number, pm, back number, pm, sleeve top number, pm, 1 st

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan cast on: 1, pm, 10, pm, 30, pm, 10, pm, 1

TC’s Raglan cast on: 1, pm, 8, pm, 26, pm, 8, pm, 1

Step 5:

You will be increasing using a kfb (knit into the front and back of the stitch) on each stitch before and after each of the 4 stitch markers.

Work the first 2 rows as follows:

Row 1 (right side row): kfb, sm, kfb, knit to 1 stitch before the next marker, kfb, sm, kfb, knit to 1 stitch before the next marker, kfb, sm, kfb, knit to 1 stitch before the next marker, kfb, sm, kfb

Row 2 (wrong side row): purl

Step 6:

You will continue repeating rows 1 and 2 in Step 5 AND at the same time begin increasing for the neckline by using a kfb in the first and last stitch of every right side row. Every right side row will increase 10 stitches as follows:

Next and every right side row: kfb, (knit to 1 stitch before the first marker, kfb, sm, kfb) repeat 4 times total, knit to the last stitch, kfb (increase 10 stitches)

Next and every wrong side row: purl

Continue working right side rows by kfb in the first and last stitch and increasing with a kfb in each stitch on both sides of the stitch markers (10 stitches increased) and purling the wrong side rows until the garment measures to the bottom of your throat. Wendy recommends that this length will be between 2 or 3 inches.

For example:

Grape Jelly Raglan: worked to measure 3 inches

TC’s Raglan: to be determined (I will share as I go!)

I am heading off to cast on for TC’s cardigan!

Yay! I am so excited to get this going. I will be back soon with some words of wisdom to add from Wendy. She is going to make a boatneck sweater (thus she will have a wider starting measurement) out of Sweater in the Chipmunk colorway right along with us. As soon as I hear from Wendy I will pass on her words of wisdom to you.

Tags: Sweaters
Posted in General, Things We Love | 65 Comments »

August 18, 2010

Surprise Guest Revealed!

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

I am starting with a quick side note before I dig into today’s topic. Please pop over, if interested, to see a few video interviews I did on Yarn on the House. I talk a lot about Spud & Chloë and the best part is that there is a huge Spud & Chloë giveaway running through Sunday, Aug. 22! The prize is enormous! Click here to watch and enter!

Okay, today’s the day! Do you see who that is up there in that tiny thumbnail? Our special guest contributor to the Easy Top-Down Raglan Knitalong is none other than the fabulous sweater designer/author Wendy Bernard! I am so excited to get to tell you this. I am sure you all know who Wendy Bernard is but just in case I will tell you a little about her. Wendy is an accomplished top-down sweater designer who has designed many of today’s most popular sweater patterns. If you look at the top 100 sweater patterns on Ravelry her designs pop up over and over again. In fact, right now she is filming a new DVD on top-down sweaters in Denver at the Interweave headquarters. I can’t wait for that one.

I feel so good about having her by our sides as we work. Wendy has written a completely awesome book which I am sure many of you are familiar with called Custom Knits. Now, let me tell you how this all came to be….

This summer I have knitted four (and a half) adult size sweaters for myself. All of them have been top-down and are varied slightly in styles and stitches. I have also been reading lots of patterns and formulas and recipes for top-down sweaters. I’ve had the book Custom Knits for a long time but haven’t had time to knit myself sweaters for literally years. I have had about 7 sweaters from this book ear-marked as must knit sweaters for some time now! I love everything about Custom Knits especially all of the technique and teaching aspects included in the book. Wendy is a great instructional writer as well as a talented designer.

I turned to the back-end material of the book to find formulas or as I like to call them recipes for a variety of top-down sweaters and cardigans and sleeve types. I kept thinking about how I wanted to do a knitalong on Spud says! so I had my eye out for a simple, no-nonsense recipe. On page 154 in Custom Knits I found the simplest 10 step formula for a top-down raglan sweater I have ever seen. I fell in love with the 10-steps to the perfectly and personally fitted sweater. I grabbed my tape measure, a ball of Grape Jelly and my size 7 circular needles and dug in. I had so much fun making my own sweater using Wendy’s formula.

Here’s where it gets good. I emailed Wendy to see if she minded if I used her basic formula for the top-down raglan as our general recipe for this knitalong. Not only did she say yes, she said she could help out as well. I couldn’t believe my good luck and your good luck. She really and truly is THE expert on this area of knitting in my opinion. She knows the pitfalls, the easy way out of trouble, how to solve fit issues, what looks best and where, techniques, tips and tricks, etc. The list goes on and on.

Wendy is currently working on her second book of top-down sweaters where she delves even deeper into the subject. I highly recommend Custom Knits (click here to see all of the projects in the book), Wendy’s first book, for anyone wanting to knit top-down sweaters. You may want to get a copy of your own especially after we knit this sweater together. You will want to branch right out and try another sweater immediately.

Here is the link to Knit and Tonic, Wendy’s ultra-fantastic blog. It has been one of my favorites for years now.

Here is the link to Wendy’s book Custom Knits.

Here is the link to Wendy’s ravelry designer page.

Go and enjoy her talent, her humorous and fun blog and her spectacular photography! Wendy is a gem.

One last thing, I am joining right in the knitalong with you to knit another sweater. I am gathering my stray balls of Sweater to make The Collector a sweater of her own. She loves mine so much that she wants one for herself. I will take photos along the way including the measuring and figuring out as I create her own “custom knits” top-down raglan.

Isn’t this great? I have heard from so many people gathering their skeins of Sweater in almost every color available, Cider, Firecracker, Watermelon, Toast, Moonlight, Grass, Pollen, Firefly, Chipmunk…. Will there be a Turtle, an Ice Cream, and a Rootbeer? We’ll have to wait and see! I know that a few stores are trying to get yarn for customers. I know a few stores that have been inundated with orders, too. We will move slowly at the beginning so everyone can get settled so don’t worry about it. The information will always be available and you can join in at any time, even after it is over!

This is all so exciting!

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments »

August 16, 2010

Top-Down Raglan? Check!

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

Finally! I finished the top-down raglan yesterday. Last week got so hectic that I didn’t quite get it done and I was so close. As I bound off the second sleeve, my daughter (The Collector or TC) was sitting right next to me. I wove in a few ends as she watched. As soon as I snipped off the final end she promptly snatched the sweater and threw it on. It looks so good on her even if it is a little big.

I told her now that she had it on she had to let me take a few photos. That’s the price you pay.

I can’t begin to describe the squish and warmth of the Grape Jelly Sweater yarn. I made my sweater roomy because I live in a cold climate and I will wear layers underneath. In the fall I will wear this to soccer games as a jacket. Can’t wait to throw it on and run out the door. Although it is so soft I wouldn’t need to wear layers at all.

TC has her own fairy garden in the back corner of our yard. She tends to it daily although some of her plant selection didn’t fare well in the shady spot. Live and learn.

Here’s the scoop. I am running a very casual knitalong so you can all make your own Easy Top-Down Raglan with me. You can join in at any time, no worries. When we finish as a group I will gather all of the information and put it up here on Spud says! as a free pattern so you can start any time even after we are done.

The difference for this knitalong is that we are using a formula or recipe to make our sweater. That means I will be giving you simple, easy to follow guidelines to make a sweater that will fit you! You will have to use your calculator and your tape measure along the way. I promise it is not difficult. One of the greatest benefits to making this type of sweater is that you can try it on as you go. Trying the sweater on tells you how long to make the body and sleeves, where to stop on your armhole increases and when to join the body, how long to make the neck scoop, etc.

I will be writing out exactly how I made my version of the sweater with all specifics on how I made it to fit me. If you are about my size you can make the same sweater I made but I want you to make a sweater that is perfect for your body.

I kept it simple and straightforward. I believe you can’t get any simpler than a stockinette stitch body and arms with a garter stitch edging on a top-down raglan.

Lookin’ good!

The Easy Top-Down Raglan Knitalong will officially start next week, Monday, August 23rd. This week I want you to gather your materials and to make a swatch to check your gauge. The wound skein above is the Grape Jelly that is the left over 6th skein that I just broke into. I didn’t use much of it.

Here is the yarn requirement for Spud & Chloë Sweater in skeins and bust measurement in inches.

Bust measurement in inches – number of skeins of S&C Sweater:
32 inches – 5 skeins
34 inches – 5 skeins
36 inches – 6 skeins (This is the sample size that fits me perfectly!)
38 inches – 6 skeins
40 inches – 6 skeins
42 inches – 6 skeins
44 inches – 7 skeins
46 inches – 8 skeins
48 inches – 8 skeins
50 inches – 8 skeins
52 inches – 8 skeins
54 inches – 9 skeins

There you have it! I worked up my sweater in US size 7 needles using 24-inch circulars and a set of 4 double-pointed needles. The gauge is at 5 stitches per inch. Please make a swatch to make sure you are getting the correct gauge.

Other things you’ll need:

Tape measure

Yarn needle

Scissors

That should do it! I’ll be back soon to announce who our special guest sweater expert is. I am so excited she is joining us for this project. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.

Posted in Uncategorized | 80 Comments »

August 12, 2010

Flamingo – Free Pattern!

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

Okay, I’ve got a cute one for you today. I’ve been putting out some sneak peeks on Twitter and Facebook yesterday (please join me on both – see the top of the blog sidebar for links). The response was huge! I didn’t know everyone needed a Flamingo but now I do. What a fun and fast knit. The Hi-Bounce Pinky Ball inside the body makes for a great shape and a great bounce. My daughter could not stop with the bouncing flamingo yesterday. You can bounce this one standing up and it will bounce high enough that you can catch it.

Here is some information you might like to know:

Finished Measurements:

3 inches wide (including the wings) by 5 inches tall (with the head curved over)

Yarn:

Spud & Chloë Sweater (55% superwash wool, 45 % organic cotton; 160 yards/100 grams), 1 skein each in Watermelon #7512, Ice Cream #7500 and Popsicle #7501

Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton (100% organically grown cotton; 150 yards/100 grams), 1 skein in Ink #613

Tools:

US size 5 double pointed needles, set of 4 or size to obtain gauge

Yarn needle

Scissors

Tape measure or ruler

Polyester fiber-fill

Pinky Hi-Bounce Ball (optional if you prefer to stuff the body with fiberfill)

Black embroidery floss

Stitch marker

2 pipe cleaners

Gauge:

6 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch

The wings and tail use a simple picot edging bind off. I have a video tutorial available on how to do this technique if you are interested.

Click here for the video tutorial!

The legs and tail help to balance the body so it can sit up nicely. Play around with the placement of these pieces so your Flamingo can sit up on its own.

The reason the Hi-Bounce Pinky has an optional after it on the pattern is because you could also just stuff the flamingo with fiberfill if you don’t want the ball inside. That works fine, too. The Hi-Bounce Pinky Balls can be found at many local toy shops but they are also available for online order on Amazon.

Click here for the Hi-Bounce Pinky Ball link to Amazon!

Click here for the downloadable pdf pattern for Flamingo!

Click here for the Ravelry page for Flamingo!

Have fun with your Flamingo knitting. Enjoy.

Tags: Toys
Posted in Free Patterns | 52 Comments »

August 9, 2010

Hi-Bounce Inspiration

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

The second sleeve is almost done! I should have the starting information for the top down raglan knitalong together by the end of the week. That means yarn amounts and other basic information you’ll need to work along. Plus you’ll want to swatch before starting to make sure you are getting the gauge for the project.

I also have some new toy ideas I’m working on. The materials above are for two new toys. My daughter and I were out at an adorable local toy shop last week and we saw the Hi-Bounce Pinky balls. She quickly informed me that these balls are the favorites of all the kids in her gym class. Apparently Pinkies are the best bouncy balls around. I bought a couple to have on hand to include in some new toys.

Now I can’t stop thinking about the Hi-Bounce Pinky balls. I know just the toys to make around these! You never know what will inspire you.

The colors may be a hint for the animals I am going to work up… or maybe not. Stay tuned. I am going to cheat a little and use some Blue Sky Worsted Cotton in Ink (black) for one of the toys. This character definitely needs a tiny touch of black.

So that’s Spud & Chloë Sweater in Watermelon and Popsicle and Ice Cream and then the Ink in the Blue Sky Worsted Cotton if you’re interested. You won’t need much of any of it. I am hoping to squeeze two toys out of one skein of each with Watermelon as the main color in both toys. The Hi-Bounce Pinky balls can be found right here!

Oh, and you have to check out this gorgeous hooded cardigan knitted up by Peggity on Ravelry. The charted designs are from from a vintage pattern and the yarn is Spud & Chloë Sweater. I love the result (plus I always love old stuff). Here is what Peggity writes on her project page:

This yarn is wonderful – so soft and squishy!! Charted designs are from 1977 Dover Needlework Series book “Charted Peasant Designs from Saxon Transylvania” which is an unabridged republication of “Folk Cross-Stitch Design” originally published in Germany in 1964.

Click here to see the sweater! Anyway, I thought you might enjoy seeing Peggity’s work! What a treat.

I’ll be back soon with more!

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments »