Comments | knitting: Paired increases in the round: a comparison

ayse in knitting

Paired increases in the round: a comparison

Feb 02, 2009 13:52

I recently have been doing some experimenting with paired increases for a top-down raglan with sleeves in reverse stockinette (I'm knitting Stephanie Japel's Cable-Down Raglan, from Interweave Knits Spring 2007). The pattern calls for increasing by knitting through the front and back, then purling through the front and back. On my first go, I was ( Read more... )

Comments 9

bouwert February 3 2009, 02:29:15 UTC

Yikes! That's some freaky stuff happening. ;) I don't have much to offer in solid advice, but wanted to add some moral support. There are some serious knitting geniuses here, and I'm sure with your photos you'll get some help. It almost seems like you're increasing into the previous row's increase, and somehow getting all messed up there? Or somehow yarning-over and thereby getting the holes? The stockinette running into reverse stockinette confuses things too, I'm sure! I don't think your yarn choice is the issue here - your other stitches look very neat and even. The extra stitch between increases might be the key here... I do love a good mystery. Good luck!

ayse February 3 2009, 03:24:27 UTC

Actually, I was doing the increases correctly; I don't need help figuring out how to do that. Some increases just leave a little hole. But the increase called for in the pattern worked best when I twisted the stitch on the work-even rows (top of the last swatch shown). I thought this would be useful for those who are looking at the same pattern or a similar one and having trouble with holes on their paired increases.

As for the yarn choice, I know it wasn't the problem because the yarn I'm doing the pattern with is completely different and I got holes at the purl side of the increase with that, too. I just wanted to give a little feedback on the swatching yarn because it made my stitches look very wonky in places.

bouwert February 3 2009, 04:51:34 UTC

Ah, I guess I mis-read your post. So in the pattern are the holes incorporated as a design feature?

bouwert February 3 2009, 04:58:25 UTC

*facepalm* I am NOT paying attention, as I just realized there's a photo of the sweater I can look at. Yeesh. ;)

Thread 6

hecateuse February 3 2009, 04:51:59 UTC

My preference for a paired raglan increase is simply kfb, kfb. You wind up with a sort of ridge. Another is to K, P, K all into a single stitch (turning 1 into 3). Keep trying variations!

ayse February 3 2009, 05:01:31 UTC

I think that kfb, pfb worked nicely when I twisted the purl on the work-even rows to tighten it up. The thing that was messing me up was the switch to purl right at the increase.

ytaya February 3 2009, 09:12:03 UTC

My favourite paired increase is a variation on one you've shown above. Fewer holes!

Let's say you're increasing each side of one stitch. So. Knit up to that stitch. Lift the bar between the stitches by inserting the left needle from the back. Knit this loop through the front leg (which should actually be the left leg). Knit your stitch. Lift the bar between the stitches by inserting the left needle from the front. Knit this through the back leg.

The trick is to pay attention to a)which way you pick up the bar and b) which leg you knit the stitch through. As you do it, it makes sense - you're twisting that bar as you knit it.