Einstein coat people: picking up stitches question

#1

Hi! Well I have finished the bottom and am about to start the top of my Einstein coat. But. I know how to pick up stitches through the back of the loop as Sally M. says to do. The thing is, I really feel it would be a much stronger seam to pick up through both stitches.

I know it will create a different look (or I guess it will) but it just seems (seams) all that weight on just the back stitch will eventually cause it to tear or get a hole after time. I’m using Lopi.

Anybody think this, and would it just look awful?

#2

P.S. It would be so nice to email Sally Melville directly and ask her a question. I did a google on her address but nothing came up.
Think it’s possible to find her address?

#3

Vic, I’m not a seasoned knitter or anything, so please don’t take what I have to say too much to heart, it’s just my humble opinion. I’ve made 5 of these total so far in infant and toddler sizes. I did try to pick up the stitches through the back like she said, but I really didn’t like the way it looked because to me, I didn’t think it looked like the picture at all. I too worried about the sturdiness of the seam there and again, I was just making little coats…I imagine the weight of a full size coat might really stress out that seam, and I used acrylic yarns for the coats. This technique creates a ridge which would be fine, except I didn’t see this ridge in the picture of the final project. I frogged the seam after knitting about halfway through that first piece, and just picked up the stitches through both loops. Once I got the whole thing together, I didn’t notice any big gaps where I had picked up the stitches through both loops.

This page has some helpful hints about the Einstein Coat that may help; one of the questions has to do with the weight of the coat which you may find helpful.

#4

Thanks Cookie! (can I call you Cookie coz I HATE w o r m s)

I’m glad to hear you say that… no one else has replied or experienced this it seems. It makes sense to me, I want the seam to be stronger and esp it being an adult’s coat and heavier and all.
I saw that website several times, they don’t get into though.

Wow you made a lot of them.
Thanks again! Vic

#5

I’ve only made one Einstein, but I too thought the same way, and picked up stitches through both loops. My second one I’m going to do the same way.

#6

THANKS Giedre! Good to know that… I thought so! I haven’t started so I will do it this way. Btw, I read over on that other site that some people’s buttonholes were way too small for an average size button. I just made my first and it looks really small… I think I should ignore her instructions (again) and do the 3 row buttonhold that Amy has here. Which did you use?

#7

[quote=VictoiseC;1021490]Thanks Cookie! (can I call you Cookie coz I HATE w o r m s)

:rofl: Sure! “Cookworm” is just a nickname given to me by my sister because I like to cook and read; kind of a combination between “bookworm” and “cook”. So it has nothing to do with actual worms at all.

I really like the Einstein coat. It’s really easy…well, again, I only did little sizes. After you get that first bottom part done, the rest of it seems to go pretty quickly. It was the first garment I ever made, and as the coat’s name implies, I felt “like a genius when it was done”. :wink:

Good luck with your coat, and post a pic when you’re done!

#8

I have made one Einstein Coat, in the largest child size (I think), it was pretty big and would fit a small adult. I did it the way the pattern said. I thought it looked very good, but I understand the question about strength. It seemed fine, but I gave it away and don’t know how it holds up over time. If working through both loops makes a finished product that you are happy with I would say go for it.

#9

HI Merigold! Well hopefully it held up! It’s sure been a lot of work (medium adult size) I just ripped out the row where I did buttonholes the way Sally M. said to… I didn’t like the look at all and they were too small. I redid them using Amy’s video and making them bigger.
A button would’ve never fit through Sally’s, a big coat needs big buttons.

Cookie… my husband had to point out what your name meant when I told him. Bookworm he said. Ha. Duh, took me awhile but he got it immediately and loves it.

#10

I used whatever size buttons the pattern called for when I did the infant and toddler coats, but here’s a word of caution. Instead of using the regular type buttons (you know, the ones with either two or four holes in the middle to sew it directly on the garment) as the pattern said, I used shank buttons on the first coat I made, which I felt was a big mistake. They wobbled and wobbled around like you wouldn’t believe, no matter how securely I sewed them; they felt like they were going to fall off. I kept the buttons the size recommended in the pattern because I figured after continuous buttoning and unbuttoning, the buttonholes would loosen up a bit. All subsequent coats have regular buttons on them. Keep us posted on how everything is going!

#11

I like shank buttons on most things especially heavy things like this coat. I wonder if sewing another button to the back side where you attach the button would have prevented wobbling. I have used that trick to reinforce button attachments before.

#12

That is a [I][U]great[/U][/I] idea! I figured that a shank button would be better for this type of garment too, but I didn’t know about the reinforcement technique. I’ll have to try that and see how it works next time.

#13

Wow, thanks Marigold! And you too Cookie…

I do like shank buttons on a coat this big and I would have been sad to see them wobbling around! Now that I think about it, expensive coats often have a smaller button on the inside, I just noticed that on something while I was shopping.

I picked up through both loops and working away on those thousands of ridges! I switch to a little sock when my wrist gets tired. This thing is a lot to lug around you know that?

thanks again, and I will keep you posted!