Thank you for your comments. The waistcoat came out better than expected and I seem to have mastered how to shape the front edge so that I don't have to adjust it when picking up the front bands.
You ask about I-cord buttonholes. Warning: If you are a visual learner You-Tube is your friend. Like many things, it is easy to do but quite complex to explain clearly.
On the armholes I simply applied the I-cord to the edge, by casting on three stitches and knitting them. I lifted one edge stitch on to the left-hand needle and transferred the three stitches back on to it. I then knit two and knit two together through the back loop, thus attaching the I-cord to the edge. And so on, until I had gone right round the armhole, just changing colour for the front. The effect of this is that it looks as if the cord encloses the edge completely.
For the buttonhole band, I began by picking up stitches right along the front edge, this time pulling the working yarn though each stitch. Then I purled back along the row. Now I was ready to do the I-cord. So I cast on three using the backward loop method and transferred them to the left hand needle where the picked up stitches already were. I knitted two and knitted two
together through the back loop, so using up one stitch of the picked up stitches and effectively casting off in I-cord.
I had already worked out that if the buttonholes were two stitches wide, I needed to work 13 stitches between them to ensure even spacing. At the start of the I-cord, I worked two stitches, then the first buttonhole. I just lifted the next stitch over its neighbour and repeated this to cast off two on the picked up stitches. Then I worked two rounds of I-cord without attaching it before starting to attach it again. This leaves a gap between the I-cord and the cast off stitches which makes a very neat buttonhole.
I assure you that it is really easy and actually much quicker than knitting buttonhole bands in rib.
I was very pleased to be able to use up a few of the antique buttons I bought from a boot fair some years ago. These are dark mother of pearl with a stem glued to the back. They seem to complement the design without distracting from it.
Today is the fifteenth of February. I ate my lunch on the bench on our patio, in brilliant sunshine. Yesterday a gale was blowing and it was what we Cumbrians call "pickling" or "starvation". But today was a different season altogether.
You ask about I-cord buttonholes. Warning: If you are a visual learner You-Tube is your friend. Like many things, it is easy to do but quite complex to explain clearly.
On the armholes I simply applied the I-cord to the edge, by casting on three stitches and knitting them. I lifted one edge stitch on to the left-hand needle and transferred the three stitches back on to it. I then knit two and knit two together through the back loop, thus attaching the I-cord to the edge. And so on, until I had gone right round the armhole, just changing colour for the front. The effect of this is that it looks as if the cord encloses the edge completely.
For the buttonhole band, I began by picking up stitches right along the front edge, this time pulling the working yarn though each stitch. Then I purled back along the row. Now I was ready to do the I-cord. So I cast on three using the backward loop method and transferred them to the left hand needle where the picked up stitches already were. I knitted two and knitted two
together through the back loop, so using up one stitch of the picked up stitches and effectively casting off in I-cord.
I had already worked out that if the buttonholes were two stitches wide, I needed to work 13 stitches between them to ensure even spacing. At the start of the I-cord, I worked two stitches, then the first buttonhole. I just lifted the next stitch over its neighbour and repeated this to cast off two on the picked up stitches. Then I worked two rounds of I-cord without attaching it before starting to attach it again. This leaves a gap between the I-cord and the cast off stitches which makes a very neat buttonhole.
I assure you that it is really easy and actually much quicker than knitting buttonhole bands in rib.
I was very pleased to be able to use up a few of the antique buttons I bought from a boot fair some years ago. These are dark mother of pearl with a stem glued to the back. They seem to complement the design without distracting from it.
Today is the fifteenth of February. I ate my lunch on the bench on our patio, in brilliant sunshine. Yesterday a gale was blowing and it was what we Cumbrians call "pickling" or "starvation". But today was a different season altogether.
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1 comment:
Shandy - thank you SO much for your thorough explanation of the I-cord edge and the buttonholes. Those buttonholes look very nice. I'll have to try them. I agree that those antique buttons are a perfect choice.
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