I’ve just discovered the wonderful world of short rows for shoulder shaping --> 3 needle bind off and it is the best, I don’t know why I didn’t try this sooner.
So now, on the same project, I’m up to the sleeve cap and am wondering if I could do something similar here, minus the 3 needle BO. :shrug: The last 3 rows instructions at the top of the sleeve cap are to:
BO 3sts at beginning of next 2 rows, then BO remaining 18 stitches.
Could I do 2 short rows, leaving 3 sts unworked at each edge, then on the return row pick up the wraps and then bind off? I’m just thinking it would give a nice rounded top rather than the stepped bind off.
Barbara Walker’s Knitting from the Top explains how to do short row sleeve caps. I found it easier to follow than any of the info on the web. (I too looked at a couple of blogs, but none were explicit enough for a short row newbie. YMMV)
Oh wait. I just realized that you are working the sleeve from the cuff up. :oops: I think what you said would work.
Well, next time if you want to try something different, check out the Walker book. She picks up stitches from the shoulder of the body and then works down, starting short rows with about 1/3 of the stitches from the top of the arm hole. There’s no seaming, which I think makes it extra special nifty, don’t you? Now that I think about it, I seem to remember that EZ had a similar technique in one of her books… don’t remember which direction she was knitting in, though.
That IS a nifty idea!! I actually saw it on one blog when I googled what Ingrid suggested. For this project anyways I’m just going to keep on and simply short row the top of the cap instead of the step bind offs, but in the future…set in sleeves with no seaming - what a novel idea!! :teehee:
I just read another nifty little something in ‘Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques’ by Nancy Wiseman, that you can graft live stitches onto a bound off edge. Wonder if I could do those short rows at the top of the cap, but leave them on the needle and graft them right onto the top of the armhole, without binding them off first??
I was looking at a sweater pattern where you pick up stitches around the armhole and then do 3-needle bind-off to connect the sleeves and the armholes. I’m thinking of trying it on the sweater I’m working on now, especially since the body of the sweater is in a broken rib, so that little extra at the armhole edge won’t really stand out.
I’ll still have to seam the sleeves, but I want the sleeves to be my carry-around knitting and knitting them on to the sweater prevents that.
It’s done - it’s not all that dramatic because afterall it is only 3sts on each side before the final bind off, but it does make a very gentle slope down and none of that stepped look, so overall I’m happy with it. We’ll see how the seaming goes and if it’s any better/different.
