Dear Kay,
When all else fails, ask yourself, “What would Alice Starmore do?”
She’s all about cross-stitching to bind up a raw edge. It’s a traditional part of her patterns where steeking is involved. I did this on the Donegal sweater a while back, and it really worked. So that’s what I did with the deflabbed seams of my old sweater.
Here’s how it went.
That’s more than two inches of yarnflab below the top brown stitches, and an inch at the left. My plan was to cut it all back to a half inch wide, then do the Alice Starmore cross stitch over the edges, aka serging it old school style.
I left a half inch beyond the backstitching, even thought at this gauge it was only a couple of stitches wide. I figured I’d just bind the heck out of the edges and all would be OK. Or not.
These Fiskars scissors are terrifically sharp. Highly recommended.
I whacked away. Ms. Starmore instructs to whipstitch all the way across the seam in one direction, then come back to double it. Here’s the before (on the right) and the after (on the left), with half of the cross stitching done.
Here’s one side finished. Cheerful chaos was the result. When this is done using Shetland wool, not cotton floss, the seam quickly felts upon wearing and turns into a very solid thing. I went with a dense cross stitch here because the floss is never going to bond with the fabric underneath it. MOAR STITCHING. I’m not so sure this will hold up as sturdily, but it feels pretty stout at the moment.
With my cardigan now leaner and sassier, I’m back to cutting lengths of embroidery floss and getting ready to pile on more running stitch.
I have two of these available, should anybody be needing some leftover yarnflab.
Love,
Ann
That’s pretty dang awesome. You steeked away the extra material and made yourself a fitted sweater. Woot! Props!! or whatever the kids say these days.
I love the word “yarnflab.”
Wow! You are brave and resourceful!
BTW I agree about the Fiskars. Use them at home for gardening and flower arranging and at work (elementary school) for cutting multiple layers of construction paper. They are fantastic.
Nicely done!
I’m so glad to know this technique. I have a store bought sweater I’d like to work some magic on. I did take my serger to a fine gauge sweater with great luck. It was super bargain so figured it was worth a try. Bulkier sweaters I’ve been stymied. Thanks!!!
Brave. Very brave. I am unable to do this to handknits–the scissors thing.
You could applique those bits on the front of your sweater and embellish the heck out of it!
Tennessee Gardigan!
Or, Tennessee Shayne-in.
Yep that’s it! I’m sure Natalie wouldn’t mind the comparison. Tennessee Shayne-in it is!
Can’t wait to see what happens next!
I was holding my breath just looking at the pictures…
May your boldness be rewarded. Looking forward to the next installment.
You are a brave and creative woman! Scissors near hand-knits makes me break into a sweat.
This is so great. It gives me confidence about hacking away at my husband’s enormous pullover.
I am enjoying this so very, very much!
Kudos! Thanks for the series of posts on the sweater – now I have the confidence to take on a few sweaters of my own that are languishing because of “yarnflab.”
Love the orange against the gray.
So do I. Caught my eye right away!
Fearless! Thanks for going out on a limb…at least one of my sweaters will get lipo.
PLEASE PLEASE photo of finished product from right side, preferably on lovely model Ann.
Thank you.
Ann, thanks so much for this. I have an Annie Modesit Butter and Jam cardi that I absolutely love, but it is way too big since I dropped 40 pounds. Before your project posted, I was thinking of taking it apart and starting again. Rethink is happening! http://www.ravelry.com/projects/marvasister1/butter-and-jam-cardigan
This is the most badass thing I’ve seen in a long while. Chewing gum, baling wire and a needle and thread.
You are one brave, fearless knitter…EZ would be so proud! I’m just wondering our loud because I have the same dilemma with a sweater that’s w-a-y too big…what do you think of actually using a serger? It stitches and eliminates the “yarnflab” (love that term!), all in one step! Much easier than frogging and starting from scratch, don’t you think? Can’t wait to see what happens next!
I’d go with the serger. I mean, if you’re (probably) never going to wear the sweater because it’s too big what have you got to lose? I’m about to dye a lace scarf, which was knit in a natural colour, as it doesn’t seem to work for me. I’ve never dyed anything–on purpose!–in my life but since I never wear the scarf I figure it can’t be any worse than it is now.
I have to admit that I was a total skeptic when you started (re-started?) this project. But I’m suitably impressed. I like the floss stitches and getting rid of the yarn flab was a stroke of genius!
For what it’s worth, I checked out the sweater on Ravelry and I think the model’s slouching position hides a few evils.
Oh my, I am happy. Kitchenering (aka “kitchen wiring” according to spellcheck) fills me with dread but I can whipstitch old-school style with the best of them…my idea of TV needlework. And I have Alice Starmore’s permission. Now as long as I stay away from knitting socks (a safe bet where I’m concerned) my knittng career is simplified! And I raise your two inches of yarn flab to my four inches — and it still came out great! (It might be significant that Klaralund is just 4 straight rectangles. Or it might not.) Thanks, Ann!
The yarnflab looks the the beginnings of a paisley!
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