In one of my knitting books, it mentions knitting on to clothing, for example to make it longer (and maybe prettier with lace?) Does anyone know how to do this? And, does the piece of clothing have to be a knit piece? Any ideas to knit on decoratively? (bobbles,etc.)
Thanks much!
Adding knitting onto ready-made clothes
There are patterns for lace trim that is sewn onto fabric like this one on Ravelry. You could search for knit trim or edging there for more. And there are patterns for girlsā dresses like these with a knit bodice and fabric skirt.
http://www.knotions.com/issues/summer_2009/patterns/sunny_sunny_sunny/directions.aspx
You could
- knit the piece/extension separately and then sew it on or
- Hand stitch a row around the edge of the garment with desired yarn by hand, which is then used to āpick upā sts and knit directly onto the garment from there. This requires you to known your knitting gauge before hand so you know how many sts to space around the garmentās edge.
Salmonmac, what excellent informationā¦I havenāt clicked onto those sites yet, Iāll do it later tonight, tho. Thanks for getting my imagination rolling in that direction! Itās funny, sometimes we can read a bit of this 'n that, (knitting related, of course, and in this case your this 'n that!) and suddenly our minds expand and make connections to other ideas. Thatās how it works for me, anyway. Maybe Iām just weird. 
Rochester, Thank you, I never wouldāve thought of that! Iāll probably make the extention first then sew it on, since Iām newbie-ish and not good with gauge from a free design perspective-at least thatās what Iām thinking. From one of my knitting books, she gives two easy formulasā¦itās basic math, super easy, you just plug in the numbers (sts per inch, how wide you want your piece to be in inches, etc) and you can find out things like how many stitches to cast on for your project, how to figure out the width will beā¦wait, this is more for designing your own project, because she states ānow of course if youāre knitting a project from a book,etc., youāll use their gauge numbers.ā So, I can do this, or at least give it a try. So double thanks on your ideas!
:woot: Salmonmac, I took a peek at those two websites and got some ideas from the girlsā dresses. For the first one with the bodice and the fabric skirt, I think Iāll make a shorter skirt by knitting it in the round, possibly with an eyelet stitch pattern; I have a lovely knit sleeveless top in a charcoal gray that I can sew it onto; the top is too short, and adding a short āskirtā would be the ticket. Of course I must measure and get gauge (a simplified way to get gauge I read in one of my knitting books which is thorough and easy! I just explained this to Rochester.) Not sure about which stitch pattern to useā¦any ideas? And any color suggestions?
The second pattern, the āsundressyā one with the criss-cross halter attached, made me think of a saucy little black tank, complete with tie-ups up the bodice. (Think shoelaces going up the front of the chest and ending at the top where you tie a bow.) Again, this is to short, hence it hangs eternally in my closet. I donāt wish to make a halter, but I wanted to add some pizzaz to my top. The straps are 1/2" wide, and I think Iāll just make single bobbles the length of the straps. For the bottom of the top, I think Iāll make an extended edging, possibly the Seaweed Fringe (from the book Stitch Library by Claire Crompton- I canāt say enough about this book!)
So those are my ideas I got from those websites-thank you, thank you!! :woot:
Youāre filled with ideas and I like youāre thinking! The eyelet pattern is always nice, delicate and just lacey enough. Iāll bet the girls have decided preferences on color. Good luck with your additions and modifications. Post some pictures if youād like when you finish.
Yes, Iām doing this right now. I have a nice down jacket that I got from a thrift store for $10. Unfortunately, it didnāt come with a hood. I measured around the collar and Iām making one now to attach to the coat.
Salmonmac, I think thereās been a wee bit of a misunderstanding-the garments are actually for meā¦I donāt have any girls (or any kids, for that matter)ā¦but thanks for those girly websites, anyway, since obviously I got lots of ideas from them! So it was a good āmistakeā!
By the way, thanks for your vote on the eyelet stitch pattern I want to use; since Iām a newish knitter itās nice to know I made a good choice! Youāre great! 
Fatoldladyinpjs, what an awesome idea! I didnāt even consider thrift store buys, I was just thinking of what I have already, but now when I go thrifting Iāll check out potential clothes for revamping!
Ah, I misread your post. Glad you could adapt the ideas anyway and good luck with it.
I have an idea that you might consider if youāre wanting to add knitting to the bottom of a shirt or dress.
First, though, here are two common options, which youāve already seen: 1) Attach yarn all along the bottom of the garment and knit your design from the edge of the garment down, or 2) use the same cast on number as #1, but knit the insert without attaching it first; then attach the insert later. Both of these methods require you to have exact gauge and lots of precision so that you donāt bunch up or stretch your garment along the edge where the insertion is.
My idea is to cast on for the total [U]width[/U] of the insert and then knit it as [U]long[/U] as you need it.
This would, of course, turn your pattern sideways, but with many patterns thatās not an issue and/or it adds an interesting design element.
One benefit of doing this is you can block and measure the insert as you go, and you wouldnāt have to really worry much about gauge (except for the width of the strip maybe, but thatās not as crucial as the length).
Antares, what excellent advice, and I will take it! I think Iāll make the insert first, then attach it, as you suggested. So all this helps with my thinking more expansively, which is good for any creation! And I am going to be meticulous as to gauge-as I said in my first post Iām a newish knitter, and gauge is intimidating territory for me, but Iāve researched and found a few formulas that I feel will help. Thank you so much for your advice:cheering: Really thanks to all of you who came here to help me and inspire!
Yāall are good people.
Ooh, I hope we get to see pictures.
You can also embroider a buttonhole stitch (do you know it?) around the edge of whatever garment you want to add to - bottom, sides or neck, anywhereā¦then youāll have little loops to knit into. Sometimes itās difficult to just sew a knitted edge onto fabric.
You know those Christmas towels that have a knit or crochet handle on them that you can button to the door of your frig? This is a similar concept. You can sew either an embroidery chain stitch around the edge of the garment or use a blanket stitch like my daughter did. You then pick up stitches through these sewn on ones and knit around.