This is my first post here, so forgive me if I’m not too familiar with the forums, but I need help!
I’m just finishing a top-down raglan for my son (16mo), and went to try it on him before I picked up stitches for the neckband, and it’s too tight. The neckhole just barely fits over his head – he was not too happy about me trying to put it on him. Maybe my cast-on was too tight, or I didn’t drop the front far enough, but either way, there’s no way he’s going to wear this sweater. :verysad:
Is there anything I can do, other than ripping it all out and starting all over again?
but first, take the smallest circular needle you own, and thread it through the stitches at the base of the neck ribbing…
go down and come up, with only 1 ‘thread’ between each down and up (this will in effect, pick up the stitches and put them on a needle–before you start!
if you have extra yarn, cut off (with a scissor!) the cast on.
Unravel, to "life line (cable needle) and double check you got ever stitch.
(slip missed stitches on to safety pins so they don’t ladder!)
now, take the same size needle you knit the neck edge with, and knit up!
(NOTE: you will "lose’ 1 stitch-- make 1 at a side shoulder seam to correct count)
re work ribbing/neck edge and carefully bind off loosely.
if you don’t have spare yarn, you can unpick the cast on. its slow and tedious, but it can be done. as you do, slip each stitch onto a circular needle …
it doesn’t have to be the size needle, (it can be way smaller) stitch size is set by the needle you knit ON TO, not the size you knit off of.
And when you cast off (or bind off) use a needle 2 or 3 sizes bigger than you were using to give it a nice loose edge. I did thin on my first sweater too. So you’re in good company. Welcome :cheering:
See, I knew the larger needle trick for binding off, I just didn’t think to check if the neckhole itself was large enough. I think the trouble was that I was using a pattern generator for the first time, and I didn’t realize it wasn’t proportioned right for big-headed kids.
Anyway, your suggestion worked great – my son wore the sweater all morning with no protests. Thanks for saving my sweater!