Knitting In Public

Knitters are generally a pretty kind and generous group. Many knit regularly for charity, most share their knowledge freely, often groups that gather welcome new members. I belong to a few knitting groups, and there’s always an interested ear to hear about your new project (and see it when it’s finished!), and someone with more experience to explain a technique or offer an opinion.

This time, it was my turn to help.

Molly’s friend, Jo-Anne (I met her when we went to San Francisco for Molly’s graduation) had a sweater she had knit for her grandson, but discovered that the neckline was too tight for him to get it over his head.

I told her she could send it to me, and I’d take a look and see what I could do.

The neckline was definitely too small. The bind off was a little tight, but I think the real culprit was that the neckline was garter stitch. The sweater was also knit of cotton, which has absolutely no “give” to it, so the problem was compounded. I ripped out the neckline, removed the back and front bind offs, and reknit the collar. I tried a multitude of “lace” and stretchy binds-offs, but none made this neckline any stretchier. I ended up with a traditional bind off, with a needle THREE sizes too big! It’s a little floppy/loose, but it’s now big enough to get over a 20″ head. I was considering making a button opening, but a button only at the neck edge would have looked funny, and creating a faux opening along the shoulder would have been difficult and probably not very good looking.

The neckline ended up being a little square-ish, but I think I was able to keep the style/integrity of the sweater.

This was a learning experience for me, too - garter stitch is not a preferred edging, especially anywhere that needs significant stretch (like a neckline). It was also a reminder to watch neck openings on kids’ sweaters (they are notoriously small on many patterns).

 The sweater is on it’s way back to grandma now, and on to Christmas knitting!