Let's Knit Magazine - Your knitting, your style

I am currently knitting a dress for a friend’s daughter where instead of casting off at the top of the shoulders, you put the stitches on a holder.  Then you put the front and back right side together and from the instructions, it looks like you knit a stitch from the front, then one from the back then cast off.

Does that make sense to anyone, has anyone tried it or shall I just cast off and sew together.  Why does doing it like this make it any different?

I haven’t got the instructions with me at work so I can’t be a lot clearer however it’s a pattern called Duchess, by Louisa Harding that was in Knitting magazine a couple of issues back.

Sounds like its done to make the shoulder seams ultra flat, Clare.  I will be very naughty and have a quick look at their site, rather than getting ready to go out!

I had a very quick look but cant find it.  On reading your post again it would definitely seem worth a try cos it sounds like it saves sewing up!  I can imagine how it would work - so perhaps get a scrap of wool - cast on 10 stitches knit a few rows then do that again on new needles to give you effectively what you’ve got (the dress parts but tiny versions in scrap yarn) and give it a go!  It sounds like it should work like a zip to me, zig-zagging your way across the stitches.  Let me know what happens and sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. 

xx

Righty ho!  After saying all that I have tried it myself - and it works a dream!  It gives an invisible cast off - the underside is a little bumpy - but that may be more to do with my wool than the idea itself as i only used a scrap!  It looks pretty good - the stitches line up against each other!  I may have to use that on the next thing I do, just to try it on an item rather than scrap!!  So definitely give it a go - but make sure you can sit and do it straight off no interruptions - it’s not hard but it’s just odd at first so best if you can concentrate on it.  Hope this has helped!  Good luck with the dress.  Want a pic when its done, deal??

Thanks Leigh.  Did you knit from 2 needles onto 1 or did you put all the needles, alternately onto 1 needle?

3 needles!  the 2 with yr stitches on - 1 in front of the other, then the 34rd one to knit onto and cast off from.

I have got the pattern and it is a 3needle cast off which means you put the two needles with the work on them together then use a 3rd needle to cast off two sts at a time..one from each needle

PS, just noticed the time so you are probably at home and finished it by now. Hope it turned out OK.

gill1946 - 25 July 2008 09:26 PM

I have got the pattern and it is a 3needle cast off which means you put the two needles with the work on them together then use a 3rd needle to cast off two sts at a time..one from each needle

That’s sorta what I said I think!  It’s what I meant anyway!

Yes that is right

I didn’t do a lot of knitting this weekend, but did one seam last night, which worked fine - except I forgot to cast off and just knitted lol.  It’s certainly not easy to unpick.  I then knitted the wrong shoulder seam together and forgot to reverse the other instructions so seemed to be trying to knit a circle on a straight needle.  That was at 11pm last night at which point I decided to give up and start again sometime today.

Oh gawd.  That’s the ONLY area in which I am disciplined - if I start nodding the knitting goes down for the night.  It’s just not worth the hassle is it!  Good luck with it tonight - as I said in my post earlier, it’s odd when you start it but it’s pretty good looking when you’ve finished so it’s worth persevering with.  I had only cast on 10 stitches to try it out, but by the time I’d done 2 or 3 I had the hang of it.  But it DOES require concentration.  Good luck with it.