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I’m knitting another sweater: math and casting on

I have cast on for my second sweater. I’m making another Ribby Cardi, again using Cotton Ease yarn in Stone. This time I’m knitting all the parts for the body in one piece, and the sleeves in the round and I will knit the collar up without binding off anything (if I can). I’m making a size smaller (38 chest), and using #4 circulars (last time I used #5 for most of the sweater). What you see above is the bottom edge of my beloved 2×2 rib tubular cast on, I cast on using #5 needles (my experiments using #8 turned out flabby). I did all my calculations and scribbled a pattern on notebook paper. I figure if I run into something confusing I’ll only have to consult my first one.


I’m going to alter the collar a bit, hopefully making it wider, since the current one sits against my throat and feels a tiny bit uncomfortable when zipped up (not unlike every high collared fleece I’ve ever owned). I had hoped to have knit a prototype collar by now but I’m taking my knitting on the road soon and wanted to have at least the body cast on so I could fill some miles with mindless ribbing. I plan on doing a collar test later on. But for now I’m happy to have something to work on that I won’t have to think about too hard.

I just put my first Ribby Cardi through the washer, and it appears to have emerged unscathed. I had fears of it coming out with joins unknotted, but except for a few more woven in ends sticking out it is fine. I’m drying it flat on a wooden rack (which I love and have dragged around with me since college despite it’s ridiculous size). I wonder if it will have shrunk or stretched.

Would anybody like me to create a 2×2 tubular bind off tutorial? I think I could make one without breaking any laws, right?

· comments [24] · 09-14-2007 · categories:knitting ·

24 responses so far ↓

  • 1 liz // Sep 14, 2007 at 6:04 am

    I’d love a tubular cast-on & bind off tutorial, if it’s not too much work!

    Thanks Megan!

  • 2 anna // Sep 14, 2007 at 6:25 am

    Just a heads up on going straight up into the collar ribbing. Let me see if I can explain: When you bind off stitches, it creates a seam which has some resistance to stretching horizontally. That prevents the whole neck opening from just stre e e etching and winding up ‘off the shoulder’.

    So, be prepared for the possibility that you may need to create some other kind of horizontal resistance, if you forego the bindoff. For example, a length of tape sewn to the wrong side, or a line of chain stitch (embroidery) done in the same yarn, also on the inside of the neck.

  • 3 Erika // Sep 14, 2007 at 6:30 am

    So, when will these sweaters be available on the internet market?!?

  • 4 Kirstie // Sep 14, 2007 at 6:54 am

    I know I’d love to see a tutorial, if that’s something you’d be interested in putting together. I teach myself all things knitting from the internet, and for a lot of new (to me) techniques, I try to find lots of different pictures, explanations and tutorials, because every person is going to explain it and show it just a bit differently, and it’s usually a combination of several that make it click for me.

    Thanks for sharing your sweater knitting experiences! I’ve been knitting for a few years now, but I’m still working up the nerve to do a sweater.

  • 5 Star // Sep 14, 2007 at 7:36 am

    Like Kirstie, I assemble the most help I can find when learning something new. I’d love to see your tutorial.

  • 6 Katie // Sep 14, 2007 at 8:13 am

    Yeah, bring on the tutorial! As you’ve noted, it’s particularly difficult to find instructions for this bind-off. So, because I am lazy and impatient, I never use it, though I use the tubular cast-on on basically everything.

  • 7 jenny // Sep 14, 2007 at 8:19 am

    i would LOVE a tutorial…. your finished ribby cardi is fantastic- i may go get some cotton ease for my own!!!

  • 8 megan // Sep 14, 2007 at 8:22 am

    Anna – Oh, that would be bad. Perhaps I’ll just make the collar openings wider. I wonder if I were to bind off the tops of the sleeves (where they meet the collar) and the back of the sweater, would that be enough stability, or would it cause the front to stretch against the front of my neck?

  • 9 the aesthetic onion // Sep 14, 2007 at 8:36 am

    are you giving up men? We just watched the end of Gray’s anatomy season 2 on DVD last night. She knits a sweater because she’s giving up men.

    Haha, just kidding. I love your tutorials but I read them in bloglines and the images don’t post to bloglines so I miss my favorite part. Can you adjust that in your RSS feed?

  • 10 jamie // Sep 14, 2007 at 8:48 am

    martha,

    the new season of knitty is up–check this out:

    http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall07/PATTwoodins.html

  • 11 megan // Sep 14, 2007 at 9:02 am

    Aesthtic – I don’t know why my images stopped appearing, I didn’t change anything. I’ll look into it.

  • 12 WendyP // Sep 14, 2007 at 2:16 pm

    How was the Cotton Ease gague-wise?

    (I can’t wait for my invite to Ravelry. This is such a question for that site…)

  • 13 megan // Sep 14, 2007 at 2:26 pm

    Wendy – I went down needle sizes until I was able to get gauge for the pattern. The yarn calls for #7 needles, I got pattern gauge in stockinette stitch using #5. I’m going to use #4 needles for this one for a few reasons: it’s always good to go down a needle size in ribbing, my size 5 needles stick at the rotating joint, and I’ll be able to knit a little more loosely without worrying about losing gauge.

  • 14 sera // Sep 14, 2007 at 4:01 pm

    Tutorials are excellent–share if you are able! :)

  • 15 WendyP // Sep 14, 2007 at 6:02 pm

    Thanks! I saw a big mess of Cotton Ease at the store today and thought that it was high time I made this sweater.

    (You would think I could spell gauge, but not so much.)

  • 16 Autumn // Sep 15, 2007 at 1:50 am

    I am just now trying to do the tubular deal and having some difficulty. Up with tutorials!!!

  • 17 anna // Sep 17, 2007 at 7:50 am

    You said: “I wonder if I were to bind off the tops of the sleeves (where they meet the collar) and the back of the sweater, would that be enough stability?”

    My instinct is ‘yes’. Although, if you found ‘no’, it wouldn’t be so much work to add a line of reinforcing stitches just from zipper opening to shoulder seam on each side.

  • 18 Joyful Abode // Sep 17, 2007 at 6:20 pm

    I’m so glad they re-manufactured cotton ease. I was one of those people who frantically went out and bought all the skeins I could when they went on clearance at the end of their first run. Great yarn.
    Also, I tagged you! I can’t wait to read what your “7 things” are. :)

  • 19 youcraft // Sep 18, 2007 at 1:58 am

    I always love that moment when I just started something and I can relish the rest of the project…

  • 20 Chelsea // Sep 19, 2007 at 11:35 am

    I will be starting my very own in Cotton-Ease Charcoal (I really wasn’t trying to copy you, I just don’t have a sweater in that color yet). It will be my first sweater. I will definitely be going over your posts for some tips and tricks! Thanks for sharing them.

  • 21 Meg // Oct 3, 2007 at 10:19 am

    I was curious what type of grid paper that is in the background of the shot?

  • 22 megan // Oct 3, 2007 at 10:39 am

    Meg – It’s Doane Paper, which I’m planning on reviewing soon.

  • 23 Meg // Oct 3, 2007 at 10:46 am

    Thank You!

  • 24 Kim // Nov 4, 2008 at 3:11 pm

    I would love a tutorial for a k2 p2 tubular bind off! I am currently in need of exactly this. Please consider making a tutorial. :)

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