How do I increase in rib while staying in pattern?

#1

I’d be grateful for advice on how I can increase in rib (I am most likely going to do k2, p2 rib) while staying in pattern – i.e. I don’t want to increase from k2, p2 rib, to k4,p4 rib in the next row, I just want to incease at the sides as I am making a longer sweater and want it to fit over my hips. Thanks in advance to those who respond.

#2

What I do is make 1 at the beginning of each side. If your row starts off with k2, p2 I would make 1 p stitch and then continue with k2 p2. Your row would then be p1, k2, p2. At the end of the row, if you end with p2 then I would make the increase at the end be a k stitch so you’d have p2, k1.

#3

Thanks for this tip. I am planning to start each row with two knit stitches that will not be part of the pattern and will instead be picked up and knit. What do I do then?

#4

You can make the increase a knit stitch; since you’re doing a sweater, the increases will be partially covered up by the seam anyway and won’t be as noticeable.

#5

Thanks for all of your generous responses. My one concern is that this is a wrap sweater and I have already been doing increases at the sides to get that wrap effect that I was going for (i.e. getting the front to cross over). If I continue these increases at the side, I worry that it will extend the wrap-effect of the sweater more than I would like it to (i.e. the front of the sweater will appear to be extending all the way down to my hips).

#6

Does anyone know the answer to the above question? I will explain a bit more: I am knitting a seamless wrap cardigan, so the additional shaping will have to be at the front sides of the cardigan, as those are the only sides. Will this not make the fronts slope a bit? If so, is there another way to increase ribs in pattern that will be less noticeable?

#7

Instead of making increases to the front of the garment, you might want to make increases under the armholes to give an upside down v effect there.

So, if you’re doing k1p1 ribbing, for example, and there is a purl column coming down from the center of the armhole: The first increase would change k1, [COLOR=Red]p1[/COLOR], k1 to k1, [COLOR=RoyalBlue]p1[/COLOR], [COLOR=Red]p1[/COLOR], [COLOR=RoyalBlue]p1[/COLOR], k1. The second increase would change it to: k1, p1, [COLOR=RoyalBlue]k1[/COLOR], [COLOR=Red]p1[/COLOR], [COLOR=RoyalBlue]k1[/COLOR], p1, k1, etc. The purl center remains the same (in red). The added stitches would be to the sides (in blue).

For a k2p2 ribbing and a p2 center column below the center of the armhole: The first increase would change k2, [COLOR=Red]p2[/COLOR], k2 to k2, [COLOR=RoyalBlue]p1[/COLOR], [COLOR=Red]p2[/COLOR], [COLOR=RoyalBlue]p1[/COLOR], k2. The second to k2, p1, [COLOR=RoyalBlue]p1[/COLOR], [COLOR=Red]p2[/COLOR], [COLOR=RoyalBlue]p1[/COLOR], p1, k2. The third to k2, p2, [COLOR=RoyalBlue]k1[/COLOR], [COLOR=Red]p2[/COLOR], [COLOR=RoyalBlue]k1[/COLOR], p2, k2. And the fourth to k2, p2, k1, [COLOR=RoyalBlue]k1[/COLOR], [COLOR=Red]p2[/COLOR], [COLOR=RoyalBlue]k1[/COLOR], k1, p2, k2. And, yes, there is essentially a p6 after the second increase. If you wanted to, you could change it to a p2, k2, p2.

Hope these ideas help.

#8

Thanks a lot for these tips. Does anyone have advice about decreases?

#9

Same thing only reversed.