Hi I’m knitting Sirdars 10714 pattern in Jewelspun Aran.
The main pattern is fisherman’s rib as follows:
1st Row: K1, P1, *K1B, P1, rep from * to last st, K1.
2nd Row: P1, *K1B, P1, rep from * to end.
For the sleeves, I need to go from 27 stitches - increase 1 stitch at each end of the 1st row (after the 1x1 rib) and every following 8th row to 37 stitches.
And then increase 1 stitch at each end of every following 10th row to 57 stitches.
I’m kind of ok in counting back to ensure I keep the pattern (building the increase stitches in) , but what’s the best way to increase at the beginning and at the end?
Will I have to increase into purl stitches at times or only into knit stitches?
How do I initially build in the increased stitches? IE on the next row after increasing at each end, it will be a 2nd patt row but there will be X2 stitches to be purled rather than one - so do I purl 2 at the beginning and end of this row until I get to the row after the following 8th row (when I increase again) when I’ll have 2 extra stitches so can P1 K1B again (on the first 2 sts of a 2nd patt row)?
So it’s the best increase method at each end of the relevant rows and what to initially do with these extra stitches until each time I have enough to do both pattern stitches if that makes sense?
Welcome to KH!
You may want to keep the increases one stitch in from the beginning and end of row in order to make seaming easier and neater. In that case a M1 works well and then on the next row, work that increase into the pattern as either a knit or purl stitch.
You can use whichever increase you prefer in either a knit or purl stitch and again work the increased stitch into the pattern on the next row.
Rather than have 2 purls or 2 knits next to each other, work the increase as the predicted next stitch. So if the increase is next to a purl stitch, work it as a knit. if the increase is next to a knit, work it as a purl. That’s neater than changing the pattern with 2 adjacent purls or adjacent knits for multiple rows.
The increase one stitch in from the ends makes this more straightforward for me.
Hello
I found this video tutorial really helpful when I made a rib top. Mine was a 2 x 2 rib and I worked the increases a few stitches in from the end of the row. That way the seaming stitch at the edge stays the same throughout and there is a neat increase line going up the inner sleeve where the new stitches emerge. This is possibly more than you really want but thought I’d post it incase it helps.
The way I thought of it was like 2 different sections of the sleeve, the part which seamed all aligned (that’s the 2 edges which come together later and sit nice and flat and have their own direction of travel in the rib columns) and then the main part of the sleeve which is all the centre part which maintains its rib and direction of travel. Where these 2 parts meet (a few stitches in from each end) I had a marker and accepted that at the marker the rib “broke” and I would not expect the pattern to be true at that marker (for me it was 2x2 rib, for you 1x1) but instead to be true each side of it. Sounds messy but turns out great.
Hope it goes well for you however you decide to tackle it.
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I agree with this. I was knitting only brioche for a couple of years (aka fisherman knit when double sided, half fisherman when worked only on 1 side). I did not like the between/knit stitch spaces on the non-dominant side & tried to deal with both stitches at once. I tried everything I could invent. But this turned out neatest every time. Defeated, I joined the crowd.
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I made a brioche sweater pattern that very cleverly worked the increases or decreases in pairs. Solved the problem of keeping in pattern.
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Very nice. Especially the shaping. I will have to have a look at how that was fone…