Cut & Sew Neck Finished

Here is the finished cut & sew neckline. The picture on the left is the knit side & the picture on the right is the purl side. The neck looks just as good on the purl side as it does on the knit side. This neck came out perfectly shaped & looks great. Now I need to join the sleeves & make up. 

"Merry Christmas All"

Onward with the Cut & Sew

Here is the neckband for the sweater, & the sweater hanging on my machine. I knitted the neckband separately, with waste yarn on either side. After I cut out my neck I rehung the sweater, just under the rows of stitching, on the machine with the right side facing me, easing in any fullness. Then, I brought all the needles out to holding position. I rehung one neckband side into the hooks on the machine, closed all the latches & pulled the stitches through the neckline. Then I brought the needles out to holding position again, making sure that the cut edge of the neckline was underneath the needles. Rehang the other side of the neckband & push the stitches behind the latches. When I am binding off a crew neck I will bind off over 2 gate pegs, but since this is a scoop neck you can just bind off normally, making sure that you don't drop any stitches while doing that. You should wind up with an attractive neckline that is even all the way around the neck.

I have a neurological condition called tardive dyskinesia. The doctors don't know why I have it. Maybe related to all the breast cancer treatments that I took, maybe something else. Anyway, it causes tremors & involuntary muscle movements. When I am having a bad day it is impossible for me to bind off anything because I will drop stitches all over the place. My biggest fear is that I  will deteriorate so much that I am unable to do my crafts. I will bind off this neckline as soon as I settle down a bit.   

Lopsided Cut & Sew Necks.

Here is an example of a lopsided cut & sew neckline. If you check the neckline before you cut it, this should not happen. Even if you are just starting to learn the 'cut & sew' method you don't have to worry about this if you measure, measure, & measure. You can't expect perfect necklines in the beginning but measuring makes all the difference. When the neck is lopsided like this it does show when you are wearing the garment. If you have a beautiful sweater that has a lopsided neckline you will never be satisfied with. This sweater is  gorgeous but the neckline takes away so much. I made this sweater for a customer & was so disatisfied with it I picked it out & redid it for her.

I read many blogs that are so interesting & they just go on & on about all the things happening in that person's life. I wish I had that much to talk about but it is all I can do to bang out a couple of paragraphs per week.

Some 'Cut & Sew' information

Here on the left you can see where I have drawn my neckline. You can see the yarn tags at the first & last neck stitches. I did not have a big enough template so I printed out a template from the 'KnitWare' program. (You can do that for any size neck if you have the program. I will describe that in another post.) I marked the neckline with washable marker in a contrasting color. Then I sewed 2 rows of zig zag stitching on the marked line. I was very careful to not pull or stretch the neckline while I was sewing it. You can put some tissue paper or embroidery backing behind the neck if you want to. I don't do that anymore as I have learned to sew without stretching the fabric. Before you cut, be sure to eyeball the neck to make sure it is even on both sides. You want them to match as closely as possible. You do not want one side higher or deeper than the other side. I used to measure them before I cut, that might be a good idea for the first couple that you do. Then, with a pair of sharp scissors I carefully cut just inside the marked line. 

We had some snow here for a few days. It is unusual for us to get snow more than every 3-4 years. I am from Iowa so I do enjoy the feel of the cold air & snow. But not every year & not all winter long. LOL We have lots & lots of rain in Western Washington so that took a bit of getting used to.   

Colder Weather

This is a sweater set that I made for my g'son. The hat I knitted on the 'Kniffy Knitter' loom, and the sweater on my Silver Reed SK 860 in Red Heart Kids yarns. I like the RH Kids yarn the best for children's because it is sooo soft & not stiff & itchy like some of the RH yarns. He seems to like the worsted weight yarns the best. That is what he always picks out when he is getting a new sweater. His teacher asked me to make a set in red for her son so I will be working on that for the next few days. 

I am still working on the GC scoop neck sweater for my DD. I will be cutting out the neck soon & I want to take some pictures for you. I have been very busy with the holidays etc. but have not deserted you. I will post pictures of the neck when I draw it on the sweater front, & then after I sew & cut it. I use a washable marker for that because I can see it better than the 'taylor's chalk'. I have seen some cut & sew directions where the neckline is basted, then cut but I think my way is better. I do 2 rows of zig zag around the marked edge & then cut the neck out. I ease the neck onto the machine & knit the neck ribbing.  

Doll Clothes with KnitWare

A while back I made some doll clothes with the KnitWare program for my friends little girl. KnitWare Basics is a super program for doll clothes, teddy bear clothes etc. She has 3 programs for knitwear, Sweaters, Skirts & Basics. You can pretty much find a pattern for any size doll. I love all her programs & have all 3 of them. They work great on 'Windows 7' 32 bit so I can continue to use them after upgrading my computer. They do not work on 64 bit versions so make sure which version you buy when you move up.

A few posts ago I mentioned that I am having trouble with my Brother 965i not sensing the Garter Carriage on the right side of the machine. It caused the GC lamp to go out when the GC pasted that sensor & it mis-patterned across the bed. I took out my spare GC & tried it with that one & it did the same thing so I knew it was the 965i & not the GC. I do have an extra board for the machine but don't want to use it unless I have to as I doubt that I could find another one now. I removed the board from the machine & used my computer vac to clean it off. I did this without removing any wires, but I did check to make sure the wires were on tight, & they were. Then I put it back into the machine & set it to pattern for 50 rows. Problem solved!! The machine is patterning great again & I am back to knitting with the GC.

Another Cut & Sew Neck Template

Here is another type of neck template for your 'cut & sew' projects. I bought these at a yard sale some years ago for $2. I am only showing one, but I have 4 adult size templates & 4 children's size templates. I don't think these are available anymore. They are made by 'Hallandall's'. I did Google them to see if I could find any of them for sale but nothing came up. These are very useful as you can make crew necks & also scoop necks. I use washable marker to mark my necks as I found that the Taylor's chalk doesn't show up well, or falls of while you're trying to sew the neck. After the neck is marked I do 2 zig-zag rows around the marked line. Try not to stretch out the neckline as your sewing. Then I cut the neck out & hang the cut neck edge on the machine easing the fullness in across the row. I knit 1 row of stocking stitch across the neck & transfer sts for 1x1 rib, or whatever combination I am using . I am going to take a pix of the neck before I cut it so you can get some idea of how it is supposed to work. I do have a video recorder & will try to get it set up at some point to be able to show this in more detail.

While my DIL was pregnant we made a stack of baby clothes in 100% wool DK. The weather is finally cool enuff for baby to wear them. When we put them on him he seemed happy & was smiling & cooing. Then, when we took them off he had a rash. We dabbed him with a little spot of lanolin & sure enuff, it made a rash. Our little darling is allergic to wool!! We are all sooo bummed out over this development. My DIL packed up the clothes to save for the next one, that hopefully will be able to wear them.