How to undo your cast-on edge (so you can alter your sweater length!)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 30 бер 2023
- Have you ever knit a bottom-up sweater only to wish later on that you could alter the length? In a top-down sweater, altering length is easy because you can just undo your bound-off edge. But you can't undo a cast-on edge in the same manner, so in a sweater that is knit from the bottom-up you may think you have no options...but you do! With a little sweater surgery, you can undo your cast-on edge and hem and alter the sweater length, whether it be adding more length or removing some length.
In this video lesson, I show you the method I like to use and I provide 4 different demonstrations. Sweater surgery may sound scary, but after watching this video lesson and practicing on your own for a bit, you'll learn it's not that hard after all! For additional tips and tutorials mentioned in this lesson, see below.
How to tink: • How to "tink" (un-knit)
How to insert a lifeline: elizabethsmithknits.com/2021/... - Навчання та стиль
Thank you Elizabeth from Adelaide South Australia. The best video tutorial on this subject. Great introduction and the information was precise and clear and helpful. This process can create a lot of anxiety but your method is brilliant and hassle free using basic equipment. All the best.
Thank you! This was so helpful and clear.
Finally! I found the video I wanted.
I just finished knitting a top, and when I washed it, it grew in length. I used your video to figure out how to make it shorter without unraveling most of the top. Great instructions! Thank you.
Excellent! Thank you.
Elizabeth -- what a fabulous comprehensive lesson! Very clear. I learned a lot and will look forward to more of your lessons. Thank you!
This is the BEST tutorial video on ANY topic that I have EVER seen. Your calm, clear voice, with VERY clear directions are AMAZING. Not only did I learn that it IS Possible to lengthen an already fully knit piece, but ALSO learned about TINKING. I am subscribing to your channel. I CANNOT WAIT to see how much I can learn from you about knitting, but also, I can't wait to try and lengthen the sweater vest that I made my sister for Christmas (that was just a little short). I have had it here since Christmas, wondering if I had to reknit the WHOLE THING...but apparently NOT! Her Birthday is in a few days.... I am going to see if I can try this method, and surprise her by giving it back to her....LENGTHENED. 😊❤😊
I’m so glad you found it helpful! 😊
@@ElizabethSmithKnits 🙂
Thank you Elizabeth. I knitted an aran jumper for my son, sleeves were too short. I braved out your method and successfully lengthened the sleeves. Very grateful. Warmest wishes from the UK. Look forward to learning more knitting techniques from you. Amanda
Fantastic video! Elizabeth, your explanations are so user friendly - I love them! Thank you!
Great video, thank you!
A big thank you for this very detailed tutorial! I need to lengthen two of my bottom-up sweaters and this is a life saver!
❤thank you so much this is so helpful. You are a terrific teacher!!😊
Thank you so much - I’d worn my new sweater only twice but the wool broke at the cast on edge in several places. Now I’ve fixed it and can wear again 😀
If I’m not mistaken, this type of process can also be used to alter the collar or yoke of a top down sweater.
Thank you, this helped me a lot!
Thank you, Elizabeth, for sharing your tutorial video!! ❤
OK...I am bringing up a point to consider...not a criticism. The difference in the way the wool comes out of the cut knitting stitch row depends on the age of the knitted piece. My jumper was knitted and washed a few times and the wool fibres entwined themselves around the loops. Take care as you can pull out the wool and it sticks a bit or a lot.
That’s an excellent point. Thanks for bringing that up!
This is such a good video! Could you explain why you have to turn the project around before picking up stitches? I've seen other videos where they don't do this, and then they have to knit on the cast-on edge and make that part longer and then graft the pieces together. I much prefer this method!
I’m glad you found it helpful! In this example, I’m now going in the opposite direction from my original construction. I’m ok with that because I’m working in stockinette stitch and changing direction causes only subtle difference in the fabric. But if you were working a different stitch pattern where changing direction (so switching to top-down vs bottom-up) would affect the look too much, then working the bottom part or hem separately and then grafting the 2 pieces together might be a better option. That’s why you may see other tutorials where they take a different approach. Hope that might help!
I really appreciate this video. I need to add on some length to the cast-on end of a scarf I’m knitting. I know that seems kind of weird when I can just add to the other end but I’m also doing that. Anyway, I did do a practice piece like you suggested and I ended up with that one stitch that like came out at the end so I was short one stitch, but I’m not sure how to fix that like you did on your sweater piece that had been stitched in the round. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks again!
Hi! I wonder if you can just pick-up into the stitch below the one that came out? It might not be too noticeable if you're just 1 row off in that area, especially if it's at the edge. Also, in case it's helpful, here's another UA-camr who did a video similar to the technique I did it's in a flat swatch instead of in the round: ua-cam.com/video/6ZZS83HCs1c/v-deo.htmlsi=zcsFXfklCGRN0plT
This is super useful! Are there any pictures or video of the finished products? I'm knitting my first sweater, and I think I can envision it, but I'm trying to do sort of the inverse where I'm redoing the collar on a top down sweater. If I used this technique, since the direction changes, it would be the least visible afterward if I restart at the round where I switched from 1x1 rib for the collar to stockinette for the yoke?
Hi! If you scroll down on my blog post (elizabethsmithknits.com/2023/03/31/how-to-undo-a-cast-on-edge/) there is a picture of a swatch I did after the fact - I hope that might be helpful! And yes, doing the undoing in the stockinette stitch area will be less visible then in any patterning. I suggest doing a little swatch that looks similar to what your sweater is and practicing first on that :)
Please could you tell me how to do this on a knitted garment with K1+2 purl body. I want to redo the bulky hem which is in knitted K2, P2. It would look much better in Garter stitch. I usually design patterns myself, this one I bought from Etsy. I have been knitting for over 40 years but have had nothing but problems with this particular pattern. Thank you for in advance for any help.
It will be similar but you'll just need to go into the purl stitch differently (sorry I don't have a video of this!). One method you can try is going into the purl stitches on the WS since on the WS they will look like knit stitches - to visualize what I mean, check out this tutorial from Very Pink Knits: ua-cam.com/video/crn5FRx5_74/v-deo.htmlsi=08XYPdS_j8aJYjIA&t=106
I hope that helps!
is it possible to do this on a rib stitch round instead of stockinette? I’m a beginner and i’m having a huge problem trying to figure out how to help!! 😭😭😭😭
You can - you'll just need to insert your spare needle into the purl stitch of the rib as well and that just looks a little different than the knit stitches. I'd suggest making a mini swatch of ribbing and practicing first so you can become familiar with it. I hope that helps!
Where do you insert into the purlside of 2x2 ribbing?
Things get a little trickier if you try to secure a row/round of knitting that has different stitches in it (i.e, they're not all knit stitches). It has to do with the fact that you'll then be working in the opposite direction and that distorts things in a rib stitch but isn't noticeable in stockinette stitch. There's another UA-camr who explains this in a bit more detail - here's a link to her video in case that's helpful! ua-cam.com/video/e9MyBt-CJsI/v-deo.htmlsi=HZtQgsI83EizTyat&t=176