Graft with a cable insert

How-to Questions
1

Help, I’m in over my head! I’m designing a hat and I’m stumped. First I knitted the body of the hat horizontally - wrapping around the head, instead of knitting in the round from cuff up to crown.

Next step: Graft the cast-on row to the ending row, to create the tube for the body of the hat. But instead of just straight grafting, I want to join the two ends with a vertical strip of cabling, six stitches wide, running up from cuff to crown.

I’ve got the “ending” row on its one needle, and I’ve picked up all stitches in the cast-on row on the second needle. But I’m stumped as to how to insert that six-stitch wide panel between the two edges while joining the two edges.

Am I explaining this in a way that makes any sense? Can anyone help me figure out what to do?

Thanks, everybody!

2

If I’m understanding you correctly… you have three separate pieces that need seaming together and then you need to graft the two ends together? Can you take a picture and post it yet? There is a link in my sig to how to do it.

3

Nope, just one piece so far, the flat piece about 4 inches wide and 18 inches long, that will wrap around the head, once its cast-on row and cast-off row are joined - with that clever little cable bit in between.

I’ve posted a picture of the “scrap fabric” I’ve been using to experiment with, so don’t be misled by the random ribbing and cabling in the photo’d piece. The point is, instead of just straight grafting of the two parallel needles, I need to work a cable strip in the gap. The cable strip will be worked at a 90-degree angle to the way the flat piece is worked.

4

I think I understand now… There isn’t a way to graft and add the cable at the same time as far as I know. I would make the cabled piece and seam it to both sides.

5

Durn, I was afraid you would say that! I had tried first to make the cabled piece separately, and then insert it as another step. But without some “ground” around it, the thing just twined itself up like a rope. Guess I’ll just have to find a way to wrestle it into behaving.

Thanks!

Betsy

6

Yeah, it’ll twist unfortunately. You can try blocking it by lightly steaming it or wetting and pinning it to get it to behave.

I’d add an extra stitch to each side (around the cable) by the way to use it for seaming.

7

Yay, I’m CLOSE to figuring it out! What I’ve done works, but there are fat sloppy stitches at the joined edges that I’d like to clean up. Maybe you can figure out how. Here’s what I did.

Terminology: I refer to Edge A and Edge B. Those are the ends of the first piece, the one I want to graft into a tube shape. Edge A is always the one on the right, Edge B is always the one on the left. “Slip” means to put the stitch on the right needle, usually preparatory to passing it over. “Pick up” means to put the stitch on the left needle, preparatory to working it. I’m working 10-stitch rows.

First, use waste yarn to secure all stitches of Edge A and Edge B. Remove needles. (photo 1)

Row 1 - CO1, slip first reserved stitch on Edge A, CO6, slip first reserved stitch on Edge B, CO1 (photo 2)

Row 2 - Slip next reserved stitch on Edge A, P1, PSSO, P8, slip1, pick up first reserved stitch on Edge B and purl it, PSSO

Row 3 - Slip next reserved stitch on Edge A, K1, PSSO, K8, slip1, pick up first reserved stitch on Edge B and knit it, PSSO

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 as needed. Once that pattern was established, I started working cables into those 6 st in the center (photo 4 - I didn’t post photo 3)

The remaining problem – other than my counting rows wrong for the cabling :slight_smile: – is those sloppy stitches at the joins. Any ideas?

Thanks, Jan!

Betsy

8

So you knit picked up the edge stitches as you knit the cable? And when picking them up you use the PSSO technique?

I’m not sure it can be neatened up easily. You could try duplicate stitch, but you’ll still have a ridge underneath I think. PSSO tends to leave a ridge I think.

:think: Clever method, but I’m not sure it can be done to your satisfaction this way. Seaming each edge would still provide the cleanest seams.

9

I have done this. It is like what you do to join the shoulders of a Fisherman’s Gansey sweater to each other with what is called a shoulder strap.

If you can lay your hands on the book Knitting Ganseys by Beth Brown-Reinsel she explains how to do it. You are beginning with a temporary cast on and working the rows of the cable and picking up a stitch on each side when you get to the side. It is a bit complicated to describe, but you might be able to get the book at a library.

You might be able to find something on the internet about how to knit shoulder straps to join the shoulders. :shrug:

10

Oh! Nice to know it can be done neatly. :thumbsup:

11

Thanks, MerigoldinWA, that photo’s beautiful work. I’ll see if I can get my hands on “Knitting Ganseys.”

I seem to have little patience with existing patterns. Somehow I always have other ideas, and then have to try to figure out how to make them happen. But I’m still a near-beginner, so every time I pick up the needles I have to learn something new. It’s great, but doesn’t lead to a lot of finished pieces! My husband has finally quit saying, “What are you knitting?” Now, he says, “I know, it isn’t anything, just let me know when it’s something, okay?” :wink:

Betsy

12

I see you have the right general idea. Let me see if I can tell you what the book says.

You do your temporary cast on with enough sitches for the cable and at least 1 maybe 2 would be better to have in Rev St st to flank the cable.

If you laid the piece you have out flat in a rectangle let’s call the part on the right the front shoulder (just to help me) and the end on the left the back shoulder. (I think I’m thinking of this right, if not, it is the other way. )

Hold the needle with the newly cast on stitches on it in your right hand, (the working yarn is coming from here), and the front shoulder needle in your left hand (drop the back shoulder needle for now).

Making sure the right side is facing you knit the first st from the left needle and past the last cast on st over it. Turn your work so that you can work the first row from the WS.
Row 1 (WS): (you want to knit the stitches that will be Rev St st and Purl your cable stitches) Sl 1 st purlwise with the yarn in front, work across your little row until you have one stitch on the cable needle section, purl that stitch together with the first stitch on the back shoulder needle (make sure the WS of it is facing you as you do this) (Note: when you purl those two stitches together you are working with two needles be sure the one holding your hat stitches is the needle in front and the cable needle is the back needle as you purl the 2tog) Turn again.

Now the pieces are joined.

Row 2 is a RS row: Slip the first stitch purlwise with the yarn in back, work across until you have 1 stitch on the cable needle part and work a SSK using the last stitch there as the first Slip and the first stitch on the hat needle as the 2nd one. Turn.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 crossing cables as you need to. Joining this way will make a decorative line of stitches on each side of the cable, but it looks good.

Let me know if this works for you. Good luck.