As one of my WIP’s, I’m making a variation of this sweater. At least I’m attempting to make it!
The variations are this:
I’m knitting it in the round and I’m adding a cable up the front. The cable is looking nice (it’s my first!) and I added 4 sts in the front to make up for the tension of the cable.
Here’s my question: I’ve knit circular up to the 8 3/4" and then split it for the front and back instructions, but I’m not sure that’s low enough for the sleeve! There’s only 2" above the split until the shoulder bind off. Is that enough? It doesn’t look like much at all!
You can follow the original pattern for measurements even knitting in the round. The instructions seem to indicate that that’s the measurement; you’re going to be doing a few more rows, so the armhole may end up about 3" by the time you’re finished.
The 8 3/4 in. is where you start the neck shaping. sleeve starts lower than that.
Sleeve width at top for smallest size is about 10 ins. So IMO you will need to allow about 5 inches, for sleeve to fit.
Sounds a lot for a baby I know, but the sleeve does appear quite deep on this top.
If in doubt you could knit one sleeve at this point to see for sure, how big a gap you will need for it to fit.
As suggested, stop and knit the sleeve now, then you’ll have a guideline for where to begin the armhole. It’s odd that the armholes for the body don’t have shaping, while they do on the sleeves, unless I missed it again.
G J, If you take the total length of sweater and subtract the height of the sleeve (once knitted), you will get the amount to knit before splitting.
I always have a calculator handy when knitting, it requires quite a lot of maths.
Just knitting experience and (to me)basic maths.
Study the pattern, it will tell you finished size, body & sleeve length, and also schematic drawings on a lot of patterns (this one doesn’t have one), can often tell you more of that sort of information, like measurements, or enough to work it out.
One Main formula I use a lot to get the size of piece in a particular Gauge,
Take number of given sts,
divide by Gauge, sts per inch
will give you finished measurement in inches.
Jints, thanks for coming to my rescue (again) and thanks for the lessons! The links are GREAT! The longer I knit (and get on this site) the more I learn! Thanks again!
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=darkorchid]Check out the sweater caclulator at http://knittingfool.com I find it is pretty accurate. I’m making a drop sleeve sweater from the bottom up in the round as we speak. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#9932cc]She does assume you know a bit about sweater construction, which I didn’t, but asking a few questions here fixed that.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
Well, now I’m knitting this Hailey sweater and need a little help, if I can get it. I decided to alter the pattern, too, by adding stripes and textures to it. I have a cable and ribbed pattern in the bottom, cuffs and collar, and random color/knitting pattern changes (i.e., garter and seed stitches) all the way up in a striped pattern. I have finished the front and back, joined the left shoulder, and finished the collar. I’m stuck on the sleeves. I wasn’t sure how to match up the stripes I’d made, so I went ahead and made a sample sleeve to see how it was going to be assembled. I can see that, as I knitted the sleeve, it will definitely not match up with the body stripes. I read above that someone noted that the sleeve is about 10 inches wide where it is joined to the body/shoulder. That amounts to not a whole lot of room for my cool stripes. I’m attaching a picture, so you can see what I mean (it shows the sweater back on the left, the front on the right, and the sleeve below). Any suggestions? To me, it looks like I’d have to place the green seed stripe along the top of the sleeve, so that, when sewn in, it would match up, then continue the rest of the pattern below that. Does that sound right?
So lost!
BTW, the inspiration for my adaptation can be seen in the background of the picture. I’m having a girl in July and wanted a girlie version. I did not make that first sweater.
I don’t think you’ll get the striping that you want with that pattern. The sweater in the background is a raglan shapped sweater. This Hailey sweater is not. If you look at the original pattern, it’s done in stripes but the strip doesn’t circle around the neck line like it would on a raglan sweater.
Yep, with a set in sleeve, the stripes are going in different directions because of knitting the pieces separately. With a yoked or raglan sweater you knit the top of the back and front and the sleeves in one piece the stripe runs the same direction.
Actually, while there is some shaping in the body to accommodate the sleeve, it is not quite a raglan sleeve. It has a 2.5-inch-wide shoulder before the sleeve starts (see attached pics).
I’m wondering if I could just make the sleeves narrower at the top, so that I can do more stripe matching below the armpit. You have to admit, it is a pretty wide sleeve at the top on the Hailey pattern.
Really? That would be cool! Can you direct me to more information on how to that? Believe it or not, I’m pretty much a newbie. This is only my third project, so I’m pretty clueless about techniques. Most of what I know, I learned here! Thanks for your suggestion!
The best reference for this would be Knitting from the Top by Barbaral Walker. It’s an older book, but many libraries have it or can get it on loan. It’s not a pattern book, but one on theory and construction of knitting top down garments. Not just yoked/raglan sweaters, but those with set-in sleeves too. I’m not sure how she does set in sleeves, but they’re done with short rows, I think. You would pick up sts from the very top of the shoulder, then pick up a stitch at the end of row across (or every other one). So that way you could theoretically match the colors as you go down the sleeve cap. I haven’t done it this way as I prefer yoked or raglans, but I can see how it [I]might[/I] work for you.
Oh well. More practice on the cables! I’m really getting to enjoy them!
I decided to alter the pattern, too, by adding stripes and textures to it. I have a cable and ribbed pattern in the bottom, cuffs and collar, and random color/knitting pattern changes (i.e., garter and seed stitches) all the way up in a striped pattern. I have finished the front and back, joined the left shoulder, and finished the collar. I’m stuck on the sleeves. I wasn’t sure how to match up the stripes I’d made, so I went ahead and made a sample sleeve to see how it was going to be assembled. I can see that, as I knitted the sleeve, it will definitely not match up with the body stripes. I read above that someone noted that the sleeve is about 10 inches wide where it is joined to the body/shoulder. That amounts to not a whole lot of room for my cool stripes.