Here is an excellent and extensive article about armhole shaping and sleeve styles. It doesn’t use the top-down method for set-in sleeves, but if you’ve been wondering about drafting a sleeve, plus drop-shoulder and modified drop shoulder (and raglan and everything else), check out this article from Knitty.com.
I just got a question from a knitter who said she didn’t have a circular needle (only straight, single-points), and wants to knit a sweater for her young daughter.
There are a couple of things she will do differently:
The sweater body is worked flat, with the front and back in two separate pieces that are seamed together in final assembly. An extra stitch must be added to each side seam as selvage stitches. They will become the seam allowance and lie inside the sweater.
No shoulder shaping is required–the shoulders can be knit straight across. Neck shaping is still needed, though.
Sleeves are drop-shoulder. That means no armhole shaping.
After shoulders are seamed, but BEFORE you sew the side seams, pick up stitches for the sleeves along the straight seam in the armhole area and knit the sleeve top down–no short rows.
Seam the side seams and sleeve seams, and you’re done except for neckline finishing.
Are you getting the picture here? Knitting a child’s sweater is like knitting two dishcloths, sewing them together and adding sleeves.
I tend not to post any videos but my own, but this video on the tulip buttonhole from Interweave knits is not to be missed. If you’ve tried making a decent buttonhole, you’ll see the value in this immediately. It looks like a little trouble, but the result is so worth it.
Watch this video by Berocco on casting on. Watch the long tail cast on closely. Is this how you do it? After scooping the thumb yarn, I have always brought my needle over the top of the index finger yarn (clockwise) and though the thumb loop. In this video the narrator brings her needle under and over the top (counterclockwise) of the index finger yarn. I tried it a few times and think the difference is the way the loop lies on the needle–I think the Berocco way gives the stitch the proper twist. I am still working swatches to see if they look any different.
The Berocco videos, by the way, are terrific. You can get on their mailing list and get notified every time there’s a new one.
Armholes are next. I have you start on the back of the sweater, where we’ll concentrate on the armholes. We leave the back unfinished–we’ll return after the front is finished. That way we can take one new technique at a time.
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