Frame your garments with beautiful bands, neck and armhole finishes. In class we will work half of a miniature double band for a cardigan. Prepare for the neatest pick up ever. Develop the ability to knit up stitches right first time by use of easy ratios. Mitred corners. Planning buttonhole spacing and sizes. Learn the beautiful magic buttonhole; a neat easy sewn buttonhole for a double band, perfect on both sides. How to employ turning rows and perfect finishes for the lower edge of double bands. Sewing and placement of buttons.
Technique Requirements: knit/purl, cast on/bind off, increase/decrease, have knit a whole garment, basic finishing techniques
Work all edge stitches exactly as given, please do not use any edge treatments, i.e., no slipped stitches. This swatch should resemble a slice of a cardigan right front, ribbed, straight, and then shaped on the right edge. With a light colored, wool-rich, smooth DK/sport- or worsted-weight yarn (gauge 4–5sts/in), cast on 18 sts onto 3.25–3.75mm/US# 3–4 needles.
Row 1 RS: (K2, p2) to last 2 sts, end k2.
Row 2 WS: (P2, k2) to last 2 sts, end p2.
Work 8 rows total as set (a 2 x 2 rib). Change to larger needles 4–4.5mm/US# 6–7.
Row 9 RS: Knit.
Row 10 WS: Purl.
Repeat Rows 9 and 10 until there is approximately 2” of stocking stitch fabric. Begin decreases as follows:
Dec Row 1 RS: K1, ssk, knit to end. For definition of ssk, see below.
All WS Rows: Purl.
Repeat the last 2 rows until 12 sts remain.
Bind off. Please lightly block swatch to subdue the curling!
SSK: Slip the next two sts, knitwise, one at a time, to right-hand needle , insert the left-hand needle into both sts and knit them together (it feels as if you are knitting through the back loops). This produces a one-stitch, left-slanting decrease known as a slip, slip, knit.
Circular needles approximately two sizes smaller than those used for the main swatch. 20g of contrasting DK/sport- or worsted-weight yarn (a similar weight to your swatch) and a 2m/yd length of another contrasting-color yarn. Darning needles. Crochet hook and usual knitting paraphernalia.