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instead of binding off shoulder stitches and sewing them together, resulting in a very neat join. Do not bind off shoulder stitches; place them on a holder. To seam, place "live" stitches onto the same size knitting needle used to work the body. With right sides of work together and tips of the knitting needles parallel (back stitches on one needle and front stitches on another), *K2tog, one st from front needle and one st from back needle. Repeat from * once. Pass first stitch over 2nd stitch. Continue to work in this manner until all sts are bound off. Joyce Bischoff tells us these stitches may be purled together instead of knit for a flatter seam…
--- To neaten the last bound-off stitch, work to the last stitch, knit into the stitch on the row below and bind off. This prevents the loose loop at the end of the bind-off row…
--- Weave extra yarn into the seam for repairs...
December 2000 tips & ideas
How many times have you been knitting in public and needed to measure your work? Unfortunately, your ruler or tap measure was at home, in your other knitting tote. Mother Nature has provided you with a ruler that you'll find hard to misplace.
Measure your own hand and arm. Typical measurements are:
-- Tip of thumb to first joint is usually about an inch. The middle knuckle of your baby finger, crooked up like you are drinking tea, is about an inch.
-- Tip of thumb to the end of thumb at wrist is about 4 inches.
-- Length of middle finger is about 3 inches.
-- Length of little finger is about 2 inches.
-- Tip of little finger to wrist is about 6 inches.
-- Span of hand is usually about 7 inches. A dollar bill is about 6 inches in length, in case you have your wallet handy.
-- Length of elbow (outside) to wrist is about 10 inches.
-- Length of arm to elbow to fingertip (middle finger) is about 17 inches.
These are probably the only measurements which haven't changed since you reached adulthood. While it's easy to mislay your ruler, you probably haven't mislaid your right hand in years.
Source: Old Pueblo Knitters Newsletter, November 2000
In case all of this is too much to remember, you can always do what Kay Holt does. Kay leaves a long tail when she casts on her project. She then ties a knot at 3 inches from the needle, or whatever is the length of her ribbing. The next knot in her tail will be to the underarm. Then, she'll put one for the length from the bottom of the ribbing to the shoulder. In this way, she is able to measure from the bottom of the sweater to its top with each necessary measurement represented by a knot. This system works for all sizes, all yarns, all measurements. Perhaps, best of all, you do not need to carry anything but the project. Our thanks to Kay for sharing this tip with us.
January 2001 tips & ideas
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