Wahoo and hallelujah!
The pieces are all done for the MIL sweater! No more endless black stockinette stitch! (Well, only a little: the collar which has to be knitted on after the rest is put together.) Thank you, Great Goddess of Knitters for ending my misery!
Now comes the part I need help with from you other Knitting Goddesses. I haven't sewn a sweater together since before I was married (and that was 22 years ago). Help!
Here are my first and most basic questions:
1) Do you block it before you sew it together?
2) How do you put in a zipper (and what kind of zipper should one buy)? (I've NEVER EVER dealt with a zipper before.)
3) Any helpful hints on the proper order to do it in? It's shoulder seams first, right? But then what? Pocket? Zipper? Sew sleeve seems and then attach to armholes? I'm lost in a sea of black yarn here.
P.S. Just got my brand new copy of Arctic Lace and I'm having all kinds of fun picking out a pattern for my Qiviuk yarn. I think I'm going to modify an existing pattern because I really want a stole but need to stretch the yarn a bit to reach those dimensions. Of course, this will undoubtedly get me in a ton of trouble but, hey, it's only Qiviuk, right? LOL
P.P.S. I have no idea why Blogger is running all my paragraphs together--I've got about four returns between each one and it's ignoring them. Sorry for the difficult reading!
Labels: finishing, MIL sweater, qiviuk
posted by Nancy Herkness at 3:37 PM
9 Comments:
Ignore my "P.P.S." Blogger somehow fixed itself between the preview stage and the publish stage so now my post is perfectly readable. Go figure!
Congratulations on finishing - almost - the black beast. To answer your questions:
I like to block first. It allows the fabric to settle into its final size and shape and makes it generally more pleasant to work with. I would think that it would be essential to block before putting in a zipper because the last thing you need is for the fabric to shrink a little or grow a little *after* the zipper goes in.
Generally, it's much easier to set a sleeve in before sewing the side seams but, of course, it depends on the design. It's harder to match two round seams than to match two straight seams.
I've never put a zipper in a hand knit but I've read many good things about Claudia's tutorial for same.
claudiasblog.net/2006/03/everything_i_know_about_puttin.html
I have faith in her skills so, when the time comes to put a zipper in, I plan to have this printed out and sitting right next to me.
I can't wait to see what you make with your lovely new yarn.
Okay, so Blogger truncated the address for the zipper tutorial. Let's try this again. Try combining the three lines into one address and see if it will get you there. Have I mentioned how much I hate Blogger?
claudiasblog.net/2006/03/
everything_i_know_about_puttin.
html
Yay! The MIL sweater is almost there.
I don't have much experience with sweaters, but I have found that blocking everything to the measurements is easier now when it's still in pieces. This also makes sewing it up easier too.
But in regards to the order of sewing, I tend to follow the pattern. The ones I've knit have said which seams to sew first.
Okay, I'm blocking first, thanks to your excellent advice. Besides that puts off having to deal with the zipper a few more days. ;-)
Dallas, I'll check out the tutorial right now. Thanks for the addy!
Dallas, you're right! That's a kick-ass tutorial on zippers! Now I'm feeling more confident about the whole process. Thanks a million!
The sweater is gorgeous and your MIL will love it, Nancy.
Here's another tutorial on inserting zippers that I found helpful when I did mine:
http://www.unwindknitting.net/archives/2005/09/a_successful_zi.php
The sweater is looking awesome! What pattern is it? I have never attempted a zipper. Please post the project when completed.
Cindi, thanks for the new tutorial! I can use all the help I can get. Will check it out shortly.
Carol, the pattern is one my LYS Lady created for me in order to copy a sweater my MIL already owned. If you're interested I'll email you the pattern but it's a little sketchy in places since I had the original to look at--and my LYS Lady to ask. :-)
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