Little Lessons: Joining Sleeves and Body

July 14, 2021

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9 Comments
  • Always such clear, helpful information. Thank you Jen, and thank you MDK.

  • The first time I did this was #bangoutastopover and I still remember that dubious feeling as I knit the connecting row…

    • I had that same feeling when I knit the Carbeth!! Magical…

  • Your voice is perfectly suited to teaching a nervous student how to do anything–so soothing and calm! And you’ve inspired me to go ahead and knit a sweater for my granddaughter by using just tubes and joining. It takes so much of the pressure out of it!

  • I have no experience knitting a bottom-up in-the-round sweater; all mine have been top-down to avoid having to do sleeves separately and join as this vvideo shows. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out what benefit, if any, there is in creating a sweater this way. Of course, if the pattern you want is written this way and not easily flipped, I suppose one must just go along with it.

    Can anyone give me the wisdom I’m missing for why I should embrace bottom-up construction? Seriously, thanks.

    • I love bottom up because you can work the sleeves and body separately. It makes the project more portable and you knot the sleeves (where you spend half the time turning the work) without the weight of the rest of the sweater to turn as well. I also particularly love bottom up for colourwork yikes because you do all the dull knitting first. They you have the joy of the colourwork yoke to look forward to! But there’s no right or wrong with this. It’s all about what YOU like most. 🙂

      • Oh my word! Knit not knot. And yokes not yikes! ‍♀️

        • And that was meant to be a facepalm emoji… I might give up and go to bed now!

    • I love a bottom up, in the round design. It saves all the complexity for the end in terms of shaping or yoke design or colour work, I do not have to worry too much about row gauge at the beginning, and I can knit it in pieces. Top or bottom is a matter of preference, I always prefer bottom up in terms of process and fit.