Brrr. It’s cold. And here at Chez Hehu, we do what we can to stave off the chill.
And one of my main man Digit, taken while we were at the little mama’s house:
He’s sitting on a sweater I’m going to attempt to duplicate, and I have a brain teaser for you Nordic knitters (Janine, I’m looking at you). This was made in Norway for my mother forty-ish years ago. The woman who made it was from the Shetland Islands and married a Norwegian. And there’s something going on here that I’ve never seen. Seems that she picked up and knit the collar, fine and dandy. Then she made one purl ridge at the top of the collar and started knitting a stockinette facing that you can see (the solid green) above. Another picture (turned sideways) here:
And here:
So you can see the facing not only gets used as a kind of hem-binding along the steek edges, but it makes the button band, as well.
I understand the construction. I understand how to knit it. What I’m not getting is how to attach it so neatly. I have pulled those seams apart and looked between the stitches, and while it looks like the knitter used a machine to reinforce the steek, I can’t for the life of me figure out how she used that long strip so neatly — as a perfect ribbed button-band, and as a stockinette facing to case the steek. She’s using that strip in two ways, and must require two perfect seams. Is there anything written about how to do this well? How, exactly, to sew it? Anyone?
That is the Christmas puzzle I leave you with. I’m off for Boise tomorrow. Snow! Skiing! So excited! Back next week. Much love to you, my pets.
I have nothing to offer by way of your puzzle; only wanted to say you ARE a brave soul!
Happy happy to you and yours, and have fun!
I’m thinking that the buttonband/interfacing was knit as one piece without any seaming – the interface would’ve been double-knit: knit one, slip one with yarn in front, knit one, slip one, etc., then rib the button band, (turn), rib the button band, then knit the previously-slipped stitches and slip the knit stitches.
So – I think there may not be any sewing where you think there may be some sewing? (My theory is that the “seam” is built in to the construction.)
Though, I may be confused on what exactly you’re asking. (?)
Have fun in Boise!
Check out brooklyntweed.com’s (Jared’s) notes about how he did the hems to his seamless hybrid sweater. it seems that that is also how this button band, etc., would work. (he knit the hem with 10% fewer stitches than what he wanted the start of the sleave/body to be; then he did the purl row, and knit per pattern. Once he got the same length as the hem, he incorporated the cast-on edge of the hem with the in-pattern instructions and knit them together as he worked that one row – make sense? he explains it better)….
Have fun! and Happy Holidays!
Check out brooklyntweed.com’s (Jared’s) notes about how he did the hems to his seamless hybrid sweater. it seems that that is also how this button band, etc., would work. (he knit the hem with 10% fewer stitches than what he wanted the start of the sleeve/body to be; then he did the purl row, and knit per pattern. Once he got the same length as the hem, he incorporated the cast-on edge of the hem with the in-pattern instructions and knit them together as he worked that one row – make sense? he explains it better)….
Have fun! and Happy Holidays!
Merry Christmas, you HeHu darlin’s! Have you some fun up there in taterland…
At first I thought the Nordic puzzle was about figuring out where each black animal began and ended (in the top photo). Ha-ha!
Guaria
P.S. If I were a gatita, I’d have the biggest crush on Digit. No lie.
I don’t have the answer, but you might like to check out the way I made a button band on my recent Norwegian sweater. You can see it on http://www.astridskal.blogspot.com You’ll have to track back a few entries.
Your sweater pictures have given me a lot of food for thought. That inside is amazingly neat.
Hi! I just wanted to stop by and say thank you! I’ve been following Digit’s story and a while ago you posted a photo of Digit in his Scratch Lounge and I just had to order one for my cat Cary who loves all things cardboard. He LOVES it!
The Meg Swansen’s Knitting book touches a bit on how to create a facing with mitered corners but nothing as extensive as your mom’s sweater. If you figure it out, you could grow rich from selling the pattern!
Is it possible that it’s sewn, but the stitching is hidden between two columns of stitches?