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a bit of color
Although I told you about the mohair sweater I’m designing, for most of the past week I’ve been working on this bit of colorwork. It’s a chunky fair-isle cardigan, and will eventually be (yikes) steeked to create the front opening. I’m using Eco Wool; one of my favorite go-to yarns at this gauge.
One interesting design challenge here has been just deciding how to shape the cardigan. I had initially thought of doing a vest-like cardigan, with drop shoulder short sleeves. But as I knit I wondered if the design would have more appeal as a long sleeved garment instead. So, a few inches before the armhole shaping, I decided to switch gears and make this a bottom-up raglan.
With fair-isle colorwork across the yoke. The entire yoke.
This presented an usual challenge for me. I’ve designed a 14 stitch wide panel for the yoke area. And since I’m a little (**cough**) detail-oriented when it comes to knitting, I needed to make sure this panel was properly centered and looked ok through all the raglan decreases.
Easier said than done, as it turns out.
I think I spent six hours on the charts this weekend. Six hours when I wasn’t knitting, or cleaning my house, or playing with Cooper and Jackson. Six hours of filling in squares with colors to make the pattern, then copying and pasting and moving and adjusting. Then going back to the numbers in the pattern to try to figure out how to make all the numbers I wanted… well… work at all.
So I think I’m on track again. I think I know where this is going, and I think I’m going to like it. I’ll tell you a secret though. I’ve never done steeks before.
I’ve helped customers at my store take that first cut. I’ve cut off hems and cuffs in order to knit down and make a garment longer. But steeking? Not on my own projects, no.
For any of you who haven’t heard the term before, to steek is to make a cut into a finished knit piece, in this case, in order to turn the tube of the sweater into a cardigan. Generally, one would stabilize the stitches in some way, either by crocheting or machine sewing a line up either side of the place to be cut. Then the cut is made. And finally, stitches are picked up and worked in your desired button-band format.
Many fair isle garments are made with steeks both to cardigan-ize as well as to work the sleeves. The ability to do colorwork in the round rather than in rows makes this bit of extra effort well worth it. If you’ve ever done stranded colorwork with the WS facing, you know what I’m talking about. Frustrating isn’t really a strong enough word for it.
So yes, this will be my first time steeking. I’m not scared. At least, I’m not THAT scared.
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November 8th, 2010 at 9:47 am
I just learned how to do two color- two hand knitting, and I’m looking forward to my first colorwork sweater. I’m not much of a pull-over wearer, so you know I’ll be cutting a steek. Any reason you’re not doing a round yoke? Just curious. I love your work!
November 8th, 2010 at 11:49 am
Squee! I was hoping this was in the works!!!
November 8th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
I ‘finished’ a bohus sweater in January 2008. I still have not cut the steek! I really don’t know what my problem is! Please let us know how fun and easy it is!
November 8th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Steeking is fun! It’s even more fun when you have a little bit of whiskey beforehand to steady your nerves (and your hand). Trust me!
November 8th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
I like that you’re “detail oriented” – my husband calls it something else though! So I know that I’m going to like the pattern. It will be an excuse to try Eco Wool too.
November 9th, 2010 at 6:26 am
I can not wait to see this completed! The color combination is sooooooo lovely! HURRY!
November 9th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
I’m all too familiar with whiling away the hours trying to get some small detail just right.
Have fun cutting a steek on your own sweater.
November 9th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Eco Wool as in Cascade Eco Wool?
November 9th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
I’m knitting Cadence from Knitty with Eco+…it looks fuzzier than yours…it almost has a Malabrigo-ish-ness to it. It’s going to be beautiful and I LOVELOVELOVE knitting with it but I’m preparing myself for pill-age.
November 9th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Steeking has never occurred to me before and I totally see the sense of it but I think I would need some serious mood stabilizers before cutting into my knitting – but more than happy to vicariously live the experience through your postings! Keep up updated!