So I’m knitting the Precision wrap sweater. I’ve done the back and heading towards completion of left front. I guess I should have been paying more attention to the schematics provided. The left front came out perfectly measuring 7 1/2 inch from cast on to bind off for shaping armhole. Then I started thinking about the back and from cast on to bind off for shaping armhole it is about 3/4 inch greater. I remember holding it to my granddaughter and telling myself to knit a few more rows, failing to take into account it needs to match. Am I going to have to undo all this to below the armhole shaping on back or with blocking will I be able to make it work to seam it
Sweater construction
I don’t have a suggestion to make but I believe this is your pattern for those who can offer help.
Sorry, I can’t really answer the question about blocking to get the sizes the same. It does seem though that if you held the back up to your GD and made it a good length then perhaps the fronts need to be a bit longer? As painful as it is to undo and redo something it may be less painful than a wrap which is outgrown in a very short time because she is growing and the length of the fronts is already starting out on the shorter side.
If the blocking won’t solve the issue, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but am considering cutting my knitting and grafting back together. Can’t the decide the worse of two evils. So am hoping someone can save me from this.
To me the simplest way to correct this is to rip out the left front to the armhole, add the extra 3/4 inch to match the back and continue knitting the pattern. You may have to adjust the slope of the front decreases because of the extra 3/4 inch but that not so difficult. Just add a row or two between decreases.
Cutting and grafting will take at least as much time. Somehow, reknitting always seems to go faster than the initial knitting and the slope means fewer sts per row as you knit.
It’s a darling pattern and it’ll be worth the extra effort.
To me cutting and grafting would be harder to make work on this because of the sloped edge. With riping back the slope is maintained but over more rows as salamonmac said. With cutting and grafting you’d have a sort of step as both bottom and top of slope are already done and you’d be adding a mid section.
I ripped out the entire top of my last sweater, I had front and back done, shoulders seamed, and a neck band on and a sleeve set in. I know the feeling of realising ripping back is the way to go!! Mine was to add length too.
I can cut and graft pieces back together but for me it’s a last resort if otherwise I’m tossing it all, never to be seen again. For the reasons already mentioned I think I wouldn’t do it on this. If I did I would remove the garter stitch at the bottom and knit the additional 3/4" plain with no decreases on top of the garter stitch, then graft, and change the edge on the front. It’s not like making a king size blanket all in one piece and ripping back to the middle; I’d frog and redo it. Facing the frog is never pleasant but usually, for me, is the better way to solve the problem. Don’t ask me how many times I frogged and restarted a silly mitten I recently finished. I have no idea and can only say it was a lot.
Well I have just about reached the conclusion to rip out the back. The sweater is a crop length and I’m already doing a size larger than she actually wears now. I wasn’t paying attention and probably was measuring more from her actual waist. I just don’t want to deal with manipulating the front because of the slope. I held it up against her today and I think that is the way to go. It makes me sad to rip out so much but I’ll get over it. I think I’ll put the left front on a holder and tackle the back. I’m at the part of left front where there are no more decreases and just knitting to length of armhole and if need be I can add a little there. Especially since it is for dance and will allow for added movement.
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It is a drag ripping out. On the flip side it means more knitting for your money and you will be happier knowing the pieces match up.
It will be lovely .
There is no male equivalent to these cute ballet tops or I’d make one for my son.
I was just thinking about this.
You might want to count the rows you have from the hem to the underarm to make them equal rather then going by measurement. I usually do the first piece based on measurement, how long do I want the sweater before the underarm, and I keep track of the row count. Then for the other pieces I don’t measure at all, I work to the same row count. This way when seaming I get row for row even if one row has been knit a little looser or tighter. Same for sleeves, I work out how long I need it to the underarm, how many rows that will be and knit both sleeves to the same row count.
Maybe check the row count on the back and the front you’ve worked?
Do you know how to put a life line in before ripping out?
I do keep a record of rows knitted using knit companion. I think there is a difference of 4 rows but the sides to start of armhole both measure 7.5 inches. Yes I know how to put in lifeline but I just went for it and had no problems. I am on my way again. This was totally my fault. I got ahead of myself and didn’t think through the whole process. Sort how my first sweater went several yrs ago and didn’t think through having stripes match up when using self striping yarn. It’s all a learning process and I just have to remember these learning opportunities.
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There can be a lot of thinking involved in knitting can’t there?
Sometimes I just want something I can knit away at not think about at all but that doesn’t seem to happen very often.