I have to repair a sweater I knit 25 years ago. My very first project! Nordic pattern, knit in the round with Lopi wool. It has had incredibly heavy wear but is in surprisingly good shape. There is one hole, about the size of a quarter. The cuffs are frayed though. I could probably reinforce them somehow, but I would really like to replace them. I read in a post on this forum that one can just snip them off, pick up the “live” stitches, and knit away. I stop breathing when I think about doing this. Won’t there be stitches that are “dead”? Won’t they unravel? Are there any pics I can buck up my courage with?
Thanks.
Rebecca
If the sleeves were knit from the armhole down, taking out the cuffs would be a breeze. Just cut off the bind-off and unravel.
If, however, the cuff is the cast-on edge, it would be a little trickier, but not as unmanageable as you’d think.
These stitches have been in place for 25 years. They won’t be itching to unravel. In fact, they’re probably felted together to some degree.
You could cut off most of the cuff and pick out the stitches. The ‘live’ ones can be slipped onto a needle and you can start knitting.
What you can try is to run a piece of yarn through one of the rows near the top of the cuff to hold the stitches in place, but to be honest, I don’t see them going anywhere on their own.
The cuff is at the cast-on end of the sleeve. I think I can see in my mind’s eye how to pick up the loops. But what about the loops I’ve cut through? Don’t I have to do something with them. I see what you mean about their not wanting to unravel - are you saying I can just leave the tag ends of the cut stitches?
Thanks for your help.
Rebecca
No, the ‘tag ends’ would be pulled out. You’ll end up with the in-tact knitting with a bunch of little curled strings on them. Pick them out and only keep the loops from the row you want to start knitting from.
As you get going, you’ll be able to see what goes and what stays.