SYLVI-KAL: The Ultimate Coat!

Knit-Alongs
141

well, being the impatient non-perfectionist knitter that I (apparently) am, I went ahead and stitched the cuffs more or less as directed. I decided just to use the CO end as the exposed ‘flap’ end even though it was slightly different (less flared out) than the BO end, I didn’t really want to redo the whole cuff, and figured no one will look close enough, it won’t be an obvious difference. I suppose that’s not good, but I think if I frogged and restarted over things like that I’d get discouraged and never finished.

I picked up 39 st. from the 4K side of the right cuff but was a little confused about “working into the back” when picking up stitches. So I just picked up the top half of the (now sideways) 2nd stitches and then once they were on the needle I worked the K’s and P’s into the back of the loop. Is that right? I’m not far enough into that (not even all the way around the first round) to see how it looks.

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Ha HA! I just NOW looked at the p. 2 instructions (now that I’m home) and see I actually did it RIGHT, using the CO end for the flap! What a nice surprise :slight_smile:

Now I need to try to figure out sleeve length, row gauge, and what adjustments I need to make.

Question: if I were to measure my own arm to compare to the lengths of the knitting, what do I measure? from the armpit? from the shoulder? where on the shoulder?

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Hi slugmom~

I measured from the base of the side of my neck, across my shoulder, down my arm to the wristbone.

On another VERY SAD NOTE: My SYLVI cuff are off. The RIGHT SLEEVE is good, the LEFT SLEEVE is off. The seamline is NOT over by the wristbone.

I am NOT going to reknit the LEFT SLEEVE, because, what’s to say I’d get it right? This cuff has me baffled.

So, my remedy: go to PLAN B. I always liked the turned-up seed stitch cuff just as well…so last night, while sitting up with my injured dog…I picked up 41 stitches around the bottommost edge of the cuff, joined in the round, and worked 16 rounds of seed stitch, and binded off on round 17 with a US 13.

Voila! It is a perfect cuff. And it’s gonna stay that way. Jury is out on adding a button to the side of it. I’ll wait til I’m sewing buttons on the FRONTS before deciding.

Here is a photo of my new cuff. The sleeve obviously needs blocking to even out the seed stitch.

Inside view of the new cuff:

I guess there’s more than one way to do something. I really had to noodle around with how to remedy my dilemma. I like the new cuff, and had considered it in the first place, like this girl over at Rav:

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/marymealittle/sylvi
I have big white pearl buttons like hers. I could use them just like she did.

I have 6 buttons, too! Could get more.

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So you knit extra seed stitch below the bottom of the cuff, then folded it back up and over? It looks very nice, and extra warm and cushy on the inside.

Hey wait! in those pix of the red coat the sleeves have a seam! That’s different than the pattern as written, right? ::breathes into a paper bag::

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[B]Yup. [/B]Just like we picked up the 39 stitches along the top edge of the cuff to start knitting the sleeve, I picked up 44-45 stitches along the bottom edge to create the new cuff that will be turned up when worn! Worked great.

It’s a whole lot better than frogging yet another sleeve.
[B]Stick a fork in me, I am done [/B](with these sleeves!)[B]![/B]

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Artlady you never cease to amaze me. How sneaky to just cover up the original cuff with seed stitch folded over. :rofl: Your cuffs look great. I’m going to keep that trick up my sleeve (heh) in case my cuffs don’t line up, or in case I don’t like them in the end.

Slugmom - measure your sleeve length as Artlady directed and then check the pattern. There is a drawing of the sleeve and it says the measurements for each size. You have to add the bottom part to the cap part and if they are close enough to your measurement, you’re golden. Artlady had to shorten hers, and I had to lengthen mine. Let us know and we’ll help you figure it out! My guess is they are probably about perfect for someone in the 5’6" to 5’7" range…

Those pics of Blue were just what I was wanting to see! What a handsome houndy face that is!! :inlove:

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PS, it does look like the coat above had the sleeves knit flat and then were seamed. Personally, I prefer to knit in the round whenever possible. I am already sweating over the seaming we’ll be doing for Sylvi, since we know finishing can make or break a garment!

AND, if you look at the photos, the first one looks like the button is on the outside of the cuff, and in the second one it almost looks like the cuff is pinched off to the outside with the button to make it fit her wrist a little better. Like there may be a button on the back side also. Hmmm… I think if I did mine that way, I’d put the button on the outside of the wrist.

I’m still hoping my “per pattern” cuffs will turn out okay. But the place where they are stitched down tends to flare out a bit, not roll up like the rest of the cuff…

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Here is my crude sketch of what I was babbling about in the previous post. In the first photo of the red jacket, I thought the cuffs were like my top drawing. In the second photo, it looks more like the drawing on the bottom. Like French cuffs!

Anyway, as you can see, that scholarship from art school probably isn’t forthcoming, but hopefully it illustrates my point.

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DEFINATELY frogging the cuffs and going with the seed stitch verson. I like the look much better.

My computer at home is fried so couldn’t take pictures this weekend. DH has spent most of the last two days rebuilding the hard drive (I am keeping my fingers crossed that my thousands of pics haven’t been lost). Hopefully I’ll be able to post pics this week…

Artlady, so glad Blue is healing and so sad that you need to rehome your St Bernard. I hope it works out for everyone!

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GinnyG~ You are fortunate to be making the seed stitch version from the get-go. When you make the seed st version from scratch: cast on 41 st with a US13 needle, using nice snug cast on. Join in the round, knit Round 1 with the US11 needle. Knit for 16 rounds. On round 17, decrease down to 39 stitches…and work 16 more rounds. (I binded off with the US13, and it gives the edge more room to breathe. Not tight or choked looking)

FYI: The first 16 rounds need those extra stitches cuz those rounds will be the ‘folded up’ part of the cuff. The fold-up ‘public’ part of the cuff should be a bit bigger around. BTW: whatever number you cast on, it has to be an odd number for the seed stitch to be right at the stitch marker. Been there, done that wrong the first time!

Then you will be ready to begin your sleeve as per pattern with the 39 stitches you’d have ‘picked up’. Be sure to put a temp row marker where the cuff ends and the sleeve begins. Use a diff color than you’ll use to mark rows in the sleeve.

Here are my new cuffs! Hippee. I have two sleeves that will fit! And the buttons will be on the outside by my wristbone!

Here is a side view on me (in my pj’s still :pout:):

Sorry this one is blurry, but the point is served:

Last night, I tried ‘pinching’ the stitches through both thicknesses…but I didn’t like it. This yarn is too fat for that.

“Help! I’m being strangled to death!” :roflhard:

I don’t know what she did to secure her cuff buttons into place,
but she also used a diff yarn than me.
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/marymealittle/sylvi

Maybe she pinched through all 4 thicknesses, but if so…I’m
thinking she might have done it real loose, leaving a long
thread through all the 4 thicknesses. Not cinching up like I
did in my trial.

Anyway, her SYLVI is beautiful, and she looks ADORABLE!
A real doll! :heart:

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Looks GREAT!!!

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:cheering: Those look great Artlady!! I really love those seed stitch cuffs. I am trying mine the original way for now though. My son and I went to a volunteer trip this weekend so I didn’t get any knitting done, but I’ll make up for it tonight :slight_smile:

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Yeah, I wanted to make those cute original cuffs, and in fact, I did make them! But, alas, I couldn’t position that cuff seam or overlap in the right place for the second sleeve.

So it was either off the the FROG POND, or, PLAN B for me!

I chose PLAN B.
If PLAN B didn’t look good, I’d to visit the FROG POND! :frog:

The ORIGINAL cuffs have turned out great for tons of knitters.
I still don’t know what I did wrong on my original cuff positioning. :wall:

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I knit about 8" of my LEFT FRONT, and decided [U]I hated the bottommost edge[/U].

I left it be, didn’t frog it. I started a brand new LEFT FRONT from scratch!

[B]I have 2 great tips on HOW TO avoid these 2 LEFT FRONT pitfalls:
[/B]
[COLOR=Red][B]PITFALL #1)[/B][/COLOR]

I’m gonna let my photos do the talkin’:

[COLOR=Red][B]PITFALL #2)[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Blue][B]SOLUTION FOR PITFALL #1:[/B][/COLOR]
Work shortrows on Rows 5, 9, 13, and 17.
Here are some photos of what I mean:


Rows 5&6 are repeated for the 3 following short rows.
[B][COLOR=Blue]
SOLUTION FOR PITFALL #2)[/COLOR][/B]
I had originally cast on with my gauge needle (US11) for the OLD Left Front (with the warped bottom edge). For the NEW Left Front, I used a US13 and cast on nice and snug. For Row 1 of seed stitch, I reverted back to the gauge needle, US11.

NOTES about Solution #2: Using the larger size needle for the cast on let my bottommost edge spread out more evenly. True, you could cast on LOOSELY with your gauge needle, but that in itself can be dicey looking. Better to upgrade the needle size an load the cast on stitches equally firmly. Not tight, just firm.

Here are the results!

I might add: the buttonband BUMP in my original LEFT FRONT is the same as seen on the model sweater. I just don’t like the look.

I believe it’s caused because: the seed stitches across the row meet up with st st & rev st st for the last 6 buttonband stitches. The st st & rev st st “stack taller” than the seed stitch.

It wasn’t necessary to work more than just those 4 short rows (on Rows 5, 9, 13, and 17). I tried doing it on Rows 21 & 25…but then the buttonband started curving vertically. :pout: So I frogged those rows. [B]Good news is[/B]: the straight edge across is bottom is stable. So why do more short rows when 4 will solve the buttonband bump?

WhooHoo!

I hope this post will help you achieve the [U]SYLVI that [B]you want[/B][/U][B]![/B] :happydance:

155

The Left Front is knitting up the inches quickly in a bulky yarn.

And if you use a yarn that you absolutely love to touch, every stitch is therapy!

Rowan Polar, Rowan Cocoon, and Malabrigo Merino are my YUM YARNS!

I’ve used yarns I hate to handle, eg Tahki Donegal Tweed, but sometimes ya just have to bite the bullet and go for it.

SYLVI is a joy to knit using Rowan Polar. :happydance:

156

Just a quick question – my sleeves fit on my shortest circs so I don’t HAVE to do 2 circs around - it’s comfortable to knit, but it is stretched out across the circle. Is that okay?

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Personally, I wouldn’t. Mine was the same way, I could’ve used one OPTIONS 16" fixed circ. However, the stitches were straining to make ‘in the round’.
It is an umcomfortable fit. And, OPTIONS tips were splitting my yarn like crazy. I ended up using2-24" Addi Turbos. Addi tips don’t split yarn.

I still wonder if the single circ would have changed the gauge or made the seed stitch holey.

You could try it for a ways…stop and measure your gauge, and assess the overall appearance. If you like it, continue. If you don’t, frog it and get out 2 circs.

Report back! We’re all curious!

BTW: there is a Raveler who knit her sleeves flat. I wish I’d given that idea more thought. In the round with 2 circs was an adventure for me (first time) but it was awkward and slow.

[B]Knitting them flat:[/B] the increases that woulda been on each side of the st marker would go at each end of the rows. The BIND OFF 7 would transition to BIND OFF 3 at the beginning of the next two rows. And the sleeve cap shaping remains identical, except that you have to lose 1 more stitch somewhere along the way. So’s you’ll end up with 10 at the top.

If you were gonna make the original pattern cuff, you’d still pickup those 39 st, however, you’d pick them up with the cuff flat, too. You couldn’t work the little overlap trick though. You’d seam the cuffs conventionally when you seam the sleeve itself.

158

Can you use Magic Loop?

159

[B]Oh certainly!

[/B]If there’s a next time for circular sleeves, I’ll make myself do MagicLoop!

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I love love LOOOOOOOOOVE magic loop!!