Customising holes/unraveled hems in knits
Hi everyone,
Recently, I've been slowly but surely getting into custom alteration and dressmaking. I'm a big fan of unfinished edges and holes in knits, especially jumpers and cardigans. I'm looking to learn how to:
1. Put holes in the knits and not have the entire thing unravel
2. Unravel the edges slightly so I have some stray threads and also not have it unravel
Also, I'll need to know:
3. What yarn/knit combination would be best for this? I'm fairly sure I've read a medium-medium small stitch and a non-smooth yarn (such as a wool blend rather than a cotton fiber) are the best, but I wouldn't know. Are there any kinds of stitching I should flat-out avoid for unraveling?
I've seen people customise their tops like this before and I love the look, but I'm very inexperienced with knitting and so I have no idea how to go about it. I'm getting the sweaters from thrift shops, so I can look for something that fits my needs, rather than changing my technique around the stitch and yarn. I'll buy the sweaters after I have an idea what I need to look for.
My google-fu turned up a lot of tutorials on how to unravel sweaters into balls of yarn, but I couldn't find anything about putting holes in sweaters and making sure they didn't get bigger. I've seen several pages that tell you how alter sweaters and take off sleeves, but they work with the assumption that you want neat edges, rather than messy ones.
I'm sorry if these are silly questions. I usually like to work things out myself, but this has me a bit stumped. I've searched all over the net for the answer, and just can't seem to come up with anything (not in the least because I'm not sure of the right terms to use!).
Recently, I've been slowly but surely getting into custom alteration and dressmaking. I'm a big fan of unfinished edges and holes in knits, especially jumpers and cardigans. I'm looking to learn how to:
1. Put holes in the knits and not have the entire thing unravel
2. Unravel the edges slightly so I have some stray threads and also not have it unravel
Also, I'll need to know:
3. What yarn/knit combination would be best for this? I'm fairly sure I've read a medium-medium small stitch and a non-smooth yarn (such as a wool blend rather than a cotton fiber) are the best, but I wouldn't know. Are there any kinds of stitching I should flat-out avoid for unraveling?
I've seen people customise their tops like this before and I love the look, but I'm very inexperienced with knitting and so I have no idea how to go about it. I'm getting the sweaters from thrift shops, so I can look for something that fits my needs, rather than changing my technique around the stitch and yarn. I'll buy the sweaters after I have an idea what I need to look for.
My google-fu turned up a lot of tutorials on how to unravel sweaters into balls of yarn, but I couldn't find anything about putting holes in sweaters and making sure they didn't get bigger. I've seen several pages that tell you how alter sweaters and take off sleeves, but they work with the assumption that you want neat edges, rather than messy ones.
I'm sorry if these are silly questions. I usually like to work things out myself, but this has me a bit stumped. I've searched all over the net for the answer, and just can't seem to come up with anything (not in the least because I'm not sure of the right terms to use!).