knitting

tutorial: working a cabled bind-off

Working a cabled bind-off

The cabled bind-off may look complex, but it’s really nothing more than a twist of a fat i-cord bind-off. Usually, an i-cord bind-off is made with 3 to 4 stitches. However, to make it a cabled bind-off, once every few rows the order of the stitches on your knitting needle is changed. These crossings are what gives cables their characteristic look. To give each half of the cable a bit of heft, they need to have enough stitches. Also, with cable knitting, you usually work stitches in stockinette. So, to make the cables pop against the body of the piece you’re binding off, a contrasting stitch in reverse stockinette is used.

In this example, I’ll be showing you a cabled bind-off with a 3/3 RC (3/3 right-cross cable). For this we will need 6 stitches, plus 1 purl stitch to make them pop. This bind-off is worked over a multiple of 6 stitches in the piece to bind-off, plus 1 extra stitches to bind-off the cable itself.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, in the colors Vintage Pink, and Lime Green.

Needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown. You will also need a cable needle in a similar or slightly smaller size as your knitting needles.

The cabled bind-off step by step

In short, the instructions for this bind-off would look something like this:

Cabled bind off: Cast-on 7 sts, *k6, p2tog, sl 7 sts just worked back to left-hand needle, pull yarn tight across back of sts; rep from * until 1 st remains.
Next: Bind-off 6 sts by knitting 1 st, *then knitting the next st and passing the one already on the right-hand needle over the newly worked stitch*, work *-* 5 times, p2tog, and fasten off.

  1. You can start casting off as soon as the last row or round of your work has been knit, and after your work has been turned when working flat back and forth.

    Step 1 of working the cabled bind-off

  2. With the right side facing, cast-on 7 stitches. I used the knitted-on method.

    Step 2

  3. Knit 6 stitches.

    Step 3 of working the cabled bind-off

  4. Purl 2 stitches together, 1 from the bind-off, and the other one from the body of the work.

    Step 4

  5. Move yarn to the back of the work, then slip the 7 stitches on the right-needle back to the left hand-needle one by one.

    Step 5 of working the cabled bind-off

  6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 once.

    Step 6

  7. Next, we’re going tot work the cable twist row with a 3/3 RC (3/3 right-cross cable). First, slip the next 3 stitches to the cable needle, and place at the back of the work.

    Step 7 of working the cabled bind-off

  8. Knit 3 stitches….

    Step 8 of working the cabled bind-off

  9. …. finish the cable by knitting 3 stitches from the cable needle.

    Step 9

  10. Next, purl 2 stitches together. Again, one from the bind-off, and the other one from the body of the work.

    Step 10 of working the cabled bind-off

  11. Move yarn to the back of the work, then slip the 7 stitches on the right-needle back to the left hand-needle one by one.

    Step 11

  12. Repeat steps 3 to 5 another 3 times. You have now bound-off 6 stitches.

  13. Repeat steps 3 to 12 until only 1 stitch is left over.

    Please note that in my swatch, I hadn’t accounted for this last stitch. So in this example, I had no stitches left over at this point.Step 12

  14. To finish, bind-off 6 stitches by knitting 1 stitch, *then knitting the next stitch and passing the one already on the right-hand needle over the newly worked stitch*, work *-* 5 times, purl the last 2 stitches together, and fasten off.

    In my example, I did not have any stitch left to do the p2tog with, so I just fastened off.The result of working the cabled bind-off

Pretty, right?!

A few notes

  • In this example, I worked the cabled bind-off in a contrasting color. You can, of course, also work the bind-off in the same color as the project itself.
  • All i-cord based bind-off edge on pieces worked in stockinette stitch are very pretty. As you know, however, stockinette tends to curl…. A lot. An i-cord bind-off is usually not sufficient to prevent curling. For this, you will have to look at other methods, such as garter stitch or rib.
  • Depending on the difference between your stitch, and row gauge, the bind-off may be tighter than the body of the work. If this is not desired in your piece, you could consider going up a needle size. Working an extra row, without connecting it to the body once every few repeats, may also be sufficient to get enough length at the edge.
Patreon logo

Thanks to my Patreon supporters for bringing you this freebie! Creating quality patterns and tutorials is a lot of work and resource-intensive. However, I find it important to give you free content like this tutorial. Thanks to the generous support of my Patreon supporters, I can make it happen. Thank you, patrons! Click here to join, or click here to read more about La Visch Designs on Patreon.

tutorial: working a cabled bind-off Read More »

atomic tangerine

Atomic Tangerine - a bulky weight knit shawl by La Visch Designs

Atomic Tangerine was inspired by the lovely, vibrant yarn I bought on vacation in Sweden. While the version pictured is knit in a bulky-weight yarn, the patterning is very flexible and can easily be knit in other yarn weights. Just repeat the body pattern until your shawl is the desired size!

This shawl is knit from the top-down in one piece, starting at the neck edge with a garter tab. The instructions for the body patterning are both charted and written out. 


Pay what you want: (minimum €7.25)

Add to cart


Difficulty level

This shawl is worked from the top down, starting with a garter stitch tab. Stitches used include knit, purl, skp, sl1-k2tog-psso, k2tog tbl and yo. This pattern is therefor suitable for the advanced beginner to intermediate knitter.

Sizes and finished measurements

One size: Span width of 178 cm (70 inches) measured along the upper edge, and a depth of 75 cm (29 ½ inches), measured after blocking.

Change the size of the Atomic Tangerine shawl by using lighter or heavier yarn and/or working fewer (or more) repeats of the various sections of the shawl. This will, of course, change the amount of yarn needed.

Pattern details

  • Gauge: Approx. 7 sts / 22 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over body pattern, measured after blocking. Gauge is not critical in this design, but for a look similar to the sample shown, a loose gauge is advised
  • Pattern languages included: English.
  • Digital PDF has 6 pages (letter size)

Yarn

256 m (280 yds) / 400 g Ullcentrum Lovikka (100% wool; 64 m (70 yds) / 100 g) in the color Lo-2122 Orange ljus.

Substitute a single ply type wool bulky weight yarn in a solid or tonal colorway for a similar result.

Materials

  • Size 8 mm (US 11) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles were used for the sample shawl. Use needles appropriate for the yarn chosen.
  • 4 stitch markers to indicate the center stitch and the edge stitches
  • Stitch markers to indicate repeats of the lace patterning (optional)
  • Yarn needle

atomic tangerine Read More »

stitch pattern – the honeycomb cable stitch

Knitting the honeycomb cable stitch

With cable knitting, you usually work stitches in stockinette against a background of either garter stitch or reverse stockinette. The cables themselves are worked in stockinette, and once every few rows the order of those stitches on your knitting needle is changed. However, unlike most cable stitch patterns, the honeycomb cable does not use any background stitches. The pattern is purely cable crossings every few rows to create the all-over honeycomb effect.

Stitch patterns with cables can be very complex. In this stitch pattern, however, I show you a simple 2/2 RC, and a 2/2 LC cable. This stitch pattern is worked in a multiple of 8 stitches. Please note that in the above picture, I did not add any edge stitches to the swatch.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color Marine Blue.

Knitting needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

You will also need a cable needle in a similar or slightly smaller size as your knitting needles. Unless, of course, you’re going to work the cables without a cable needle. The cables made in this stitch pattern are small enough to make that doable.

Stitches used

  • k – knit
  • p – purl
  • 2/2 LC (2/2 left-cross cable): Slip next 2 stitches to cable needle and place at front of work, k2, then k2 from cable needle.
  • 2/2 RC (2/2 right-cross cable): Slip next 2 stitches to cable needle and place at back of work, k2, then k2 from cable needle.

Honeycomb cable stitch instructions

Row 1 (right side): Knit. (8 sts)
Row 2 and all following wrong side rows: Purl.
Row 3: *2/2 RC, 2/2 LC*; rep *-* to end.
Row 5: Knit.
Row 7: *2/2 LC, 2/2 RC*; rep *-* to end.
Row 8: Purl.

Repeat rows 1-8 for pattern.
To adjust this stitch pattern for working in the round, simply replace all purl instructions with knit!

The honeycomb cable stitch chart
The honeycomb cable stitch from the right side
The honeycomb cable stitch from the right side.
The honeycomb cable stitch from the wrong side
The honeycomb cable stitch from the wrong side.
Patreon logo

Thanks to my Patreon supporters for bringing you this freebie! Creating quality patterns and tutorials is a lot of work and resource-intensive. However, I find it important to give you free content like this tutorial. Thanks to the generous support of my Patreon supporters, I can make it happen. Thank you, patrons! Click here to join, or click here to read more about La Visch Designs on Patreon.

stitch pattern – the honeycomb cable stitch Read More »

tutorial – the buttonhole loop bind-off

The buttonhole loop bind-off

The buttonhole loop bind-off is very similar to the standard knitted bind-off, but with a twist! There are loops of yarn worked right at the edge of the work, which can be utilized as buttonholes. Of course, you can also just use this bind-off because it’s decorative. And yes, in this tutorial I’m using the swatch of the slip stitch rib stitch pattern, I showed you two weeks ago. Let’s get started!

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color Vintage Pink.

Knitting needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

The buttonhole loop bind-off step by step

  1. To start, take the piece of knitting you want to bind-off, and knit the first stitch.

    Step 1 of working the buttonhole loop bind-off

  2. Next, knit the new stitch nearest to the tip of the left-hand needle.

    Step 2

  3. Insert the tip of the left-hand needle into the second stitch on the right-hand needle….

    Step 3 of working the buttonhole loop bind-off

  4. …., and pass this second stitch over the first one.

    You have now bound-off a stitch!Step 4

  5. Repeat steps 2-4 until you have reached the spot where you want to have the buttonhole.

    In my case, I want the buttonhole right between the 2 purl stitches in the rib. So I continued binding stitches off, until I had worked the first of the 2 purl stitches.Step 5 of working the buttonhole loop bind-off

  6. Next, we want to make a series of loops to accommodate the buttons you’ve chosen. Depending on the size of the buttons, You may want to work longer loops than I’m doing in this example.

    To start the first loop, place the stitch from the right-hand needle back to the left-hand needle.Step 6

  7. Next, insert your right-hand needle into the first stitch on the left-hand needle as if to knit.

    Step 7 of working the buttonhole loop bind-off

  8. Wrap the yarn around the needle…

    Step 8 of working the buttonhole loop bind-off

  9. … and pull it through. You have now made 1 “chain”.

    This is very similar to working a chain with a crochet hook, hence the name I’m giving it. Step 9

  10. I want a loop consisting of 3 “chains”, so I have repeated steps 6-9 another two times.

    Step 10 of working the buttonhole loop bind-off

  11. To close the loop, I then worked steps 2-4 once more.

    Step 11

The result

In the below picture, I worked another 2 buttonholes, again centered in the purl part of the rib patterning. I really like this result!

The result of working the buttonhole loop bind-off

 

Patreon logo

Thanks to my Patreon supporters for bringing you this freebie! Creating quality patterns and tutorials is a lot of work and resource-intensive. However, I find it important to give you free content like this tutorial. Thanks to the generous support of my Patreon supporters, I can make it happen. Thank you, patrons! Click here to join, or click here to read more about La Visch Designs on Patreon.

tutorial – the buttonhole loop bind-off Read More »

tutorial – working a yo at the beginning of a row

Working a yo at the beginning of a row

Recently, I read about someone wondering why and how to work a yarn over at the beginning of a row. Since this is a technique I regularly use, I thought to write a tutorial about it. So, first: why would you want to work a yarn over at the beginning of a row?

When I do this, I usually do that at the beginning of a wrong side (inwards going) row on a knitted-on or applied border. This can be in a project where a border is actually applied. Take for example my Sunglow Forest shawl. This however also applies to designs that are knit sideways, and in which the border is worked at the same time as the body of the shawl. My Kurkuma shawl is an example of this type of project. In both examples, I work “yo, k2tog” at the beginning of every wrong side (inwards going) row. It creates a nice loopy edge that can be used to place your blocking pins in. I also feel this yarn over gives a bit of extra stretch, right at the edge of the project.

Read on to see how to work a yarn over at the beginning of a row!

Materials used

Yarn: Ice Yarns Merino Silk (95% Merino, 5% Silk; 225 m (246 yds) / 50 g) that I overdyed with the exhaust from an onion skin dye bath. This yarn is unfortunately discontinued.

Needles: Some Addi circular needles.

Working a yo at the beginning of a row step by step

  1. First, make sure, you’re right at the beginning of the row where you want to make the yarn over.

    It’s a bit hard to see because the first 2 stitches on the needle overlap each other a bit, but the first 3 stitches are to be worked as knit stitches to make stockinette.Step 1 of working a yo at the beginning of a row

  2. To make a yarn over, I usually just wrap it around the right-hand needle. So that’s what I also do here. Just ignore that it’s at the beginning of the row.

    You may want to hold the yarn on the right-hand needle to make sure it doesn’t slip off, until you’ve worked the next stitch. Once the next stitch is worked, the yo will be fixed in place on the knitting needle.Step 2 of working a yo at the beginning of a row

  3. Below, you can see the result after I’ve worked a k2tog over the first 2 stitches on the left-hand needle.

    As you can see, that yarn over isn’t going anywhere now!Step 3 of working a yo at the beginning of a row

And that is all there is to it! Just work further as your pattern describes, and treat the yarn over like the regular stitch on the needle it really is. Below, you can see how that edge looks like, when viewed from the right side of the fabric. Pretty, right?!

The result of working a yo at the beginning of a row
Patreon logo

Thanks to my Patreon supporters for bringing you this freebie! Creating quality patterns and tutorials is a lot of work and resource-intensive. However, I find it important to give you free content like this tutorial. Thanks to the generous support of my Patreon supporters, I can make it happen. Thank you, patrons! Click here to join, or click here to read more about La Visch Designs on Patreon.

tutorial – working a yo at the beginning of a row Read More »

tutorial – working the knit 4 below (k4b) stitch

Working the knit 4 below (k4b) stitch

There are cases in which skipping the row on your needle for particular stitches is desired, and one is to knit or purl in the row below that one. In other words: you knit/purl into the stitch below where you normally would, exactly as the name suggests. Specifically for the bubble stitch, however, we have to work not 1 but 4 stitches below the one on the knitting needle. So that’s what I’ll be showing you in this tutorial on how to work the knit 4 below or k4b stitch.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color Tea Rose.

Needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

Working a knit 4 below (k4b) stitch step by step

In patterns, you may encounter the following description of this stitch:
Knit 4 below (k4b): Take the next stitch off the needle, and drop 4 stitches down. Insert the needle underneath the loose strands from front to back into the stitch 4 rows below the one on the needle. Knit this stitch, then pull the worked stitch and the strands above off the needle together.
But how to actually do this? Read on!

  1. First, work your way across the row until you’ve reached the point where you want to make the stitch.

    In this case, I’m making the k4b stitch 5 stitches in from the right edge.Step 1 of working the knit 4 below (k4b) stitch

  2. Carefully unravel the column of stitches, until you have 4 loose strands of yarn.

    Step 2

  3. Now, insert the left-hand needle knit wise in the stitch….

    Step 3 of working the knit 4 below (k4b) stitch

  4. … and also place the 4 strands of yarn over the needle.

    This will make it easier to knit the stitch underneath those strands, catching them.Step 4

  5. Insert the right-hand needle knit-wise into the stitch you placed on the left-hand needle.

    Step 5 of working the knit 4 below (k4b) stitch

  6. Now wrap your working yarn around the needle

    Make sure to do this at the back of the 4 loose strands of yarn.Step 6

  7. …. and pull it through the stitch, and underneath the 4 strands of yarn.

    Step 7 of working the knit 4 below (k4b) stitch

  8. Finish the stitch by slipping the new stitch to the right-hand needle.

    The result of working the knit 4 below (k4b) stitch

And that is how you work the knit 4 below (k4b) stitch!

Patreon logo

Thanks to my Patreon supporters for bringing you this freebie! Creating quality patterns and tutorials is a lot of work and resource-intensive. However, I find it important to give you free content like this tutorial. Thanks to the generous support of my Patreon supporters, I can make it happen. Thank you, patrons! Click here to join, or click here to read more about La Visch Designs on Patreon.

tutorial – working the knit 4 below (k4b) stitch Read More »

tutorial – left twist in stockinette

Tutorial working a Left Twist in stockinette

The basic characteristic of a left twist is that it switches the order of 2 adjoining stitches. One “main stitch” and one “background stitch”. This makes it appear that the main stitch travels to the left. In a previous tutorial, I showed you how to work the left twist used in a stitch pattern from the Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible by Hitomi Shida. However, in that tutorial, I worked the left twist as a single traveling stitch against a background of reverse stockinette. I used the method of manually manipulating the stitches in the correct order. In this tutorial, I will show you a different way to work a left twist, against a background of stockinette stitch:

Skip the next stitch on the left-hand needle, knit into the back loop of the second stitch, leaving the stitch on the needle. Next, bring the right-hand needle to the front of the left-hand needle and knit into the skipped stitch. Pull both loops off of the left needle to finish the stitch.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color Lime Green.

Needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

Working a left twist in stockinette step by step

  1. Do you see the first 2 stitches on the left-hand needle, in the picture below? These are the ones we’re going to work the left twist over.

    In other words: we’re going to switch the order of both knit stitches. This will make it appear that the stitches travel to the left.Step 1 of working a left twist on stockinette

  2. Insert the right-hand needle knit-wise into the back loop of the second stitch on the left-hand needle, skipping the stitch nearest to the tip.

    Step 2

  3. Wrap the yarn around and the needle….

    Step 3 of working a left twist on stockinette

  4. … and pull it through. Do not slip the original stitch off the needle yet!

    Step 4 of working a left twist on stockinette

  5. Next, insert the right-hand needle knit-wise into the stitch that was skipped.

    Step 5

  6. Wrap the yarn around and the needle….

    Step 6

  7. … and pull it through.

    Step 7 of working a left twist on stockinette

  8. To finish the left twist, slide both original stitches off the left-hand needle.

    Step 8 of working a left twist on stockinette

This is the result:

The result of working a left twist on stockinette
Patreon logo

Thanks to my Patreon supporters for bringing you this freebie! Creating quality patterns and tutorials is a lot of work and resource-intensive. However, I find it important to give you free content like this tutorial. Thanks to the generous support of my Patreon supporters, I can make it happen. Thank you, patrons! Click here to join, or click here to read more about La Visch Designs on Patreon.

tutorial – left twist in stockinette Read More »

camelia

Camelia shawl by La Visch Designs

In the Camelia shawl, a simple stockinette stitch body is paired with an easy to remember garter stitch based lace border. The contrast in textures is striking, and really highlights the yarn used.

This shawl is knit from the top-down in one piece, starting at the neck edge with a garter tab. The instructions for the border patterning are both charted and written out.


Pay what you want: (minimum €6.95)

Add to cart


Difficulty level

This shawl is worked from the top down, starting with a garter stitch tab. Stitches used include knit, purl, k2tog, yo, RLI, m1l, and m1r increases. This pattern is therefor suitable for the intermediate knitter.

Sizes and finished measurements

One size: Span width of 176 cm (69 ¼ inches) measured along the upper edge, and a depth of 77 cm (30 ¼ inches), measured after blocking.

The size of the Camelia shawl can be changed by using lighter or heavier yarn and/or working fewer (or more) repeats of the various sections of the shawl. This will, of course, change the amount of yarn needed.

Pattern details

  • Gauge: Approx. 14.5 sts / 21 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over stockinette stitch, measured after blocking. Gauge is however not critical for this design but should give you a fabric that you like with the yarn used.
  • Pattern languages included: English.
  • Digital PDF has 4 pages (letter size)

Yarn

495 m (541 yds) / 150 g Camelia by Filature du Valgaudemar (100% camel; 165 m (180 yds) / 50 g) in “Prune”.

Please note that this specific yarn has been discontinued. Garnstudio DROPS Alpaca (100% alpaca; 167 m (183 yds) / 50 g) would make a good substitute.

Substitute a sport to DK weight yarn in solid or tonal colorways for a similar result. Or, use 150-200 g of fingering weight yarn for a slightly daintier version.

Materials

  • Size 4 mm (US 4) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles were used for the sample shawl. Use needles appropriate for the yarn chosen.
  • 4 stitch markers to indicate the center stitch and the edge stitches
  • Stitch markers to indicate repeats of the lace patterning (optional)
  • Yarn needle

camelia Read More »

electric violet

Electric Violet - A knit shawl in pale pink yarn with multicolored speckles, a lace border in deep purple, followed by an edging in twisted rib. It's shown on a mannequin against a white background.

The Electric Violet shawl, was inspired by the gorgeous hand-dyed yarn from RMR Yarn Co. it’s knit with. It combines a relaxing-to-knit stockinette body, with a delightful lace section, followed by a twisted rib edging. The shawl as shown in size L, uses 300 g of fingering weight yarn. A smaller 2 skein shawl (size S in this pattern) is made by omitting the twisted rib section.

This shawl is knit from the top-down in one piece, starting at the neck edge with a garter stitch tab. The instructions for the lace are both charted and written out.


Pay what you want: (minimum €6.95)

Add to cart


Difficulty level

This shawl is worked from the top down, starting with a garter stitch tab. The patterning in the edging is worked on both right side and wrong side rows.

Stitches used include knit, purl, k tbl, p tbl, skp, k2tog, k2tog tbl, p2tog, p2tog tbl, yo and a wrapped stitch. This pattern is therefor suitable for the intermediate to advanced knitter.

Sizes and finished measurements

Size S (L): Wingspan of 196 (235) cm (77 ¼ (92 ½) inches) and a depth of 89 (106) cm (35 (41 ¾) inches), measured after blocking. The shawl pictured is a size L.

The size of the Electric Violet shawl can be changed by using lighter or heavier yarn and/or working fewer (or more) repeats of the various sections of the shawl. This will, of course, change the amount of yarn needed. 

Pattern details

  • Gauge: Approx. 14 sts / 25 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over stockinette stitch, measured after blocking. Gauge is however not critical for this design but should give you a fabric that you like with the yarn used.
  • Pattern languages included: English.
  • Digital PDF has 7 pages (letter size)

Yarn

RMR Yarn Co. Micaela (75% SW extra fine merino, 25% Mulberry silk; 400 m (437 yds) / 100 g) in the following colors and quantities:
C1: 400 (800) m (437 (874) yds) / 100 (200) g) in Para Harumi
C2: 400 (400) m (437 (437) yds) / 100 (100) g) in Jalea De Uva

Substitute a fingering weight yarn in a speckled color for C1, and a solid or tonal colorway for C2 for a similar result.

Materials

  • Size 3.5 mm (US 4) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles were used for the sample shawl. Use needles appropriate for the yarn chosen.
  • 4 stitch markers to indicate the center stitch and the edge stitches
  • Cable needle
  • Stitch markers to indicate repeats of the lace patterning (optional)
  • Yarn needle

electric violet Read More »

fixing damage in ready-made knitwear

Fixing damage in ready-made knitwear - by La Visch Designs

Last week, I was approached by a colleague about fixing damage in a garment: she had bought this lovely gold knit cardigan. But when she came home, she found this large laddered down area at the back neck of the garment. She could, of course, bring it back to the store, but it was the very last one they had available in her size. So, she approached me to see if I could perhaps fix it.

I must admit that I’m not too keen on mending, in the sense that I don’t particularly enjoy the process of mending itself. The concept of mending, however, is something I very much endorse. One of the best ways to minimize your environmental footprint, is to make sure to maximize the lifespan of the products you use. When examining this particular garment, mending actually seemed doable because it was indeed regular knitting, and not some complex machine-knit tuck-stitch. And it gave me an opportunity to show you that sometimes ready-made knitwear can be fixed just as nicely as our hand knits can.

So, I gave it a go! In this post, I’ll show you exactly what I did.

Helpful materials

To start, it is pretty handy to have some tools available to make fixing the mistake easier. I used the following:

  • A circular knitting needle, in a smallish size. Here I used 2.5 mm.
  • A crochet hook.
  • Some pins.
  • A pillow.
  • A darning needle.
  • A ball of yarn in a somewhat matching weight and color.

In this fix, I also used some new yarn, because I noticed that the top edge of the garment was consisted of a single thread of yarn holding the live stitches of the back panel. What probably happened, is that the thread snapped near the right shoulder, releasing the stitches and enabling them to run down. I was lucky that the stitches were caught before they ran through the bit of garter stitch below the first lace panel. In other words: the upper edge really needs some reinforcement.

Yarn used in the fix.

The pillow and pins were used to make sure that your work stays exactly where you need it to be. Also, it helps to see the mistake better when pinned out, instead of all scrunched up like lace tends to be before blocking.

On to the fixing!

  1. To start, I first examined the work. The lace consists of some sort of patterning involving double yarn overs, as well as left- and right-leaning decreases. So, this is the patterning I somehow have to try to replicate.

    Step 1

  2. Once had a picture on how to work the patterning back up, I pinned out my knitting on the pillow as described in this other post of mine, and followed the various steps using my circular needle. I ended up with the below situation.

    It’s not perfect, but being on the back of the garment, I think it’s good enough.Step 2 of fixing

  3. Next, I used the new yarn to bind off these worked-up stitches using the crochet hook and a slip stitch bind-off.

    Step 3

  4. Next, I continued reinforcing the rest of the back panel by edging it with a row of single crochet.

    Step 4 of fixing damage

  5. It’s a bit hard to see in the above picture, but the newly bound-off part is not as high and looks a bit different from the rest of the edge. So, I also worked a bit of single crochet over that part of the edge. Better!

    Step 5 of fixing damage

  6. Finally, I checked the garment for other potentially weak spots. And yes, I did find them… The shoulder seams were serged, but the finishing was such that the edges of the serged length were unraveling due to a lack of enough locking thread.

    So, I fixed that too on both shoulder seams.Fixing the shoulder seams

And there you have it, this is how I went about fixing damage in this garment! A fixed ready-made cardigan that can now at least be worn. I think my colleague will be happy!

Patreon logo

Thanks to my Patreon supporters for bringing you this freebie! Creating quality patterns and tutorials is a lot of work and resource-intensive. However, I find it important to give you free content like this tutorial. Thanks to the generous support of my Patreon supporters, I can make it happen. Thank you, patrons! Click here to join, or click here to read more about La Visch Designs on Patreon.

fixing damage in ready-made knitwear Read More »