I am a relatively new knitter and am working on a neck down cardigan sweater. Although I’m not to this point yet in the pattern, I read ahead and after putting the sleeves on a holder for later finishing, you are to increase so many stitches and then join to what I am assuming is the front to continue knitting. I’ve never joined stitches before so am wondering if there is a video available on how to do this?
Thanks
Join is how they describe getting started knitting in a new place after the yarn has been cut. All you need to do is know where you want to start knitting, hold the piece on the needles so that that place is on your left needle ready to start in on, take a hold of the yarn coming from your “ball” and start knitting. That joins, or attaches the yarn to get you going again. Leave a tail to work in later. You may have a loose spot there on the edge for a few rows, but pulling on the tail will tighten it up and when you work in the tail it will “heal”, so don’t worry about it.
This is a very easy task.
Let’s say you have 20 sts on your left needle and 10 on the holder. If the pattern said work the 20 and then add/join the 10 you would do the following: Knit/purl the 20 sts from your left needle to your right. Set the empty left needle aside and pick up your holder. If the sts are oriented correctly on the holder (rs when you need rs), then just hold the holder in your left hand, as if it were a needle, and use your right needle to knit/purl the 10 sts off the holder and onto your right needle. If the 10 sts on the holder are backwards (rs when you need ws or vice versa), then slide the sts off the holder and onto that empty left hand needle and knit/purl the 10 sts onto your right needle. Use the same yarn all the way across.
For this pattern in particular, you knit to the sleeve sts, put them on a holder, CO a few sts, then knit the body stitches. That will ‘join’ the front to the back and the CO sts bridge the gap at the underarm. It’s easier than you think and when you get to that point will be able to see the sections and it will be more apparent how it works. Just follow the pattern at that point.