Terra Cotta Raglan Progress
I have been thinking a lot about my terra cotta raglan tee and how I want to start the body. I'm just plain too lazy to consider making enough lace edging to do the whole hem (might as well be honest). But my other consideration is that I don't feel comfortable having something so full of holes around my mid section where it might snag on something. I wanted something a bit triangular to reflect the lace trim on the sleeves and thought maybe a picot edge, but it's such an understated edging I thought it would be too little an embellishment. The only person who would notice would be me because I had knit it. I started fiddling around trying to come up with something pointy...
It didn't take me long to give up! I'm too lazy to reinvent the wheel - why spend all that time when someone already got paid to do it? LOL! I went back to Knitting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein and browsed a bit. I ended up choosing Casey's Picot Point on page 84. Funny thing was, I had resigned myself to having to knit a sideways edging and pick up stitches along it to start the body - so imagine my delight to find this was knit from the bottom up and I could just carry on after that! Better still, it started with a picot hem! Win -win!
It didn't take me long to give up! I'm too lazy to reinvent the wheel - why spend all that time when someone already got paid to do it? LOL! I went back to Knitting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein and browsed a bit. I ended up choosing Casey's Picot Point on page 84. Funny thing was, I had resigned myself to having to knit a sideways edging and pick up stitches along it to start the body - so imagine my delight to find this was knit from the bottom up and I could just carry on after that! Better still, it started with a picot hem! Win -win!
For any one who doesn't know, a picot hem is a clean, easy start to any project. Start with a provisional cast on - my favorite is the crochet one - knit 7 rows of stockingette with one row of K2 together, YO in the middle (4th row). Fold your knitting in half and pick up one stitch from your cast on and knit it together with one stitch from your LH needle, pulling out your provisional cast on as you go. I find this way MUCH faster than the instructions which say to put all the provisional cast on stitches on a separate needle first. It takes waaaay too long to do it that way! Just make sure you use a contrasting color for your provisional cast on - it makes it SO easy to pick up the stitches! Isn't that an ugly green?
It gives you a decorative hem that doesn't roll and it's a nice change from boring ribbing!
When I was done the picot and started the rest of the edging it was a bit late in the evening - for me, never a good combination! After working a few rounds I put it down and went to bed. When I next picked it up, it didn't take me long to realize the stitch counts for some of the sections were off by one or two stitches... hmmm.... It took me two whole rounds to get them all sorted. I realized I should leave it until I could sit and finish the whole edging in one go, which I eventually did.
I think it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself! Pointy triangles plus a picot - I was so pleased as I started my first plain row for the body, glancing down the knitting occasionally... until I discovered this:
A whole row of purl stitches where there should have been stockingette! HOW did I miss that??? Better yet, WHY did I do it in the first place??? Ah, the joys of late night knitting! *sigh*. It goes without saying I was not about to rip out the edging all the way back to that! Fortunately it's an easy fix, otherwise I might have just left it! Time for Hook and Ladder repair!
When I was done the picot and started the rest of the edging it was a bit late in the evening - for me, never a good combination! After working a few rounds I put it down and went to bed. When I next picked it up, it didn't take me long to realize the stitch counts for some of the sections were off by one or two stitches... hmmm.... It took me two whole rounds to get them all sorted. I realized I should leave it until I could sit and finish the whole edging in one go, which I eventually did.
Quite simple, actually, it just takes a bit of time. Drop one stitch at at a time (not all at once) and ravel it to the bottom where the purl stitch is. I usually insert my crochet hook into the "good" knit stitch under the purl before I ravel, this way it guarantees the ravel stops where I want it to. Then simply pull the ladder rungs through the stitch on the hook, one at a time, until you're back at the top. In about 7 minutes I had fixed the whole "bad" purl row. Easy!
You might think it looks a bit wonky but after I wash and block the sweater that will disappear. And I can't say that about leaving the purl row! LOL! All in all, not too bad a start... I'm still thinking about what I'd like to do for the body... maybe I'll find some inspiration somewhere... Cheers! 
Posted by Gloria Patre at 4/21/2010 8:34 AM 
Categories: Sweaters
Tags: cotton wool blend knitted t-shirt classic elite
Categories: Sweaters
Tags: cotton wool blend knitted t-shirt classic elite
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