It is so exciting to see all the lovely colourwork yokes that our Grouse Creek KAL people are knitting up. Some of you are definitely faster than me so I wanted to get this part of the blog series posted quickly.
Remember: There is no need to rush. We've got lots of time. We're not racing. I don't want anyone to feel like they are behind. We'll all have a fablous sweater to wear when the cooler weather arrives.
Splitting the project into body and sleeves
There is only a few rounds to go after the colourwork yoke is completed before we have to divide our sweaters. When you get to this point, we need to put the stitches for both sleeves on hold. You'll want to use some scrap yarn and a darning needle or some circular stitch holders for these stitches.
Once you get a few rounds into the body, I suggest trying it on to see how it's fitting. While you've got it on, you should take some measurements. I know there are lengths in the pattern, but that doesn't have to limit you. Top down sweaters were made to be adjusted. This is where we're able to make it fit just for you. Get out paper, pen, mesuring tape and some stitch markers. Let's do this!
Clip your stitch markers onto the material so you can note where you are measuring from on the body and sleeves. Then measure to see the length you want (don't forget to note the ribbing too) so you'll know how far to knit.
Note: I do find that Berroco designs their sweaters short in the body and skinny in the arms. This is why I suggest trying on your sweater and making adjustments.
You can also check the circumference of the arms in different places so you can adjust the decreases down to the cuff. For example, I need my sleeves wider down to just past the elbow, so I usually start my decreases there. You can always put the sweater back on to check how things are going. Just make sure to take good notes so you can do the second one the same.
Tip: For better yarn management, I like to do the sleeves before I complete the body. I usually put the body stitches on hold when I have to attach a new skein of yarn. I do the sleeves then, and any yarn left can be used to add length to the body.
When you get to the sleeves, you'll have to pick up some stitches under the arms. No matter how many are written to pick up, I often find that I still get some holes. There are two things that can help with this area:
- leave a longer tail to fix up any holes afterwards
- pick up extra stitches and then decrease them out on the next few rounds
Do you have any sweater making tips? Feel free to share in the comments below.