Letters
Enflapment, Or, Fixing That Thing
Dear Kay,
You know that thing? That thing you don’t want to face into? I’m here today to report on a nagging thing that has been eating at me for WEEKS.
As you may know, I have been motoring away on this Kiki Mariko Fair Isle sweater for a little while–using the official time scale of 1 week of Fair Isle = 1 day of normal knitting, this project has been the equivalent of a chumpy cowl. So fast. Not a bit of thought required. Doesn’t even seem like Fair Isle.
HOWEVER.
Soon after I started, I knew that the bottommost edge of this sweater was a FAIL. I worked about eight rows of corrugated ribbing, then began the long march of stockinette Fair Isle.
See? It flips, it flaps, it SUCKS. Corrugated ribbing is the wimpiest of edgings, I’m here to tell you. No starch to it, no backbone! It takes at least twice what I did to keep the edge from flipping.
I realized that no amount of blocking was going to get this thing to behave. You’re fighting nature, gravity, the tendencies of some anonymous sheep’s wool, and your own poor design skills. So. Before blocking it, I embarked on an enflapment procedure with the goal of counteracting the flipping of the edge.
This color is my favorite of all, Eau de Nil.
Of course, the enflapment flap brought its own mighty urges with it.
The flap coiled into the tightest possible tube of stockinette.
Before stitching down the enflapment, I blocked my finished sweater and patted it many times as it dried. Kermit at one point gave it a long heat treatment before I chased him off.
The good news is, when you combine the power of a flip and the roll of a flap, the net result is:
A flat hem.
Love,
Ann
PS FREE BONUS: You can see the before-and-after magic of blocking Shetland wool if you look at the photo with the curly tube of stockinette, then contrast it with the finished hem two photos below it. The fabric is much softer, and the stitches even out in a very amazing way.
I love it so!
What a clever way to fix that problem!
Spectacular!
It is so beautiful! Can’t wait to see you model it!
I’m so glad you didn’t cut it off! Looks great.
Nice solution! I just love that sweater 🙂
Wow, you’re smart! What a great sweater. Congratulations!
That is complete and total awesome sauce!
I released a sigh of pleasure when I saw that final hem. How delicious it is.
Now, how can I work this magic on my top down sweater that has a gorgeous body but has a sort of flopsy seed stitch beginning?
I fear I may have to cut it off and pick up the stitches and knit upward. But… knit what upward? In the meantime, I was chugging through that sweater and now… I’m working on Other Things. I still want the sweater, but I want the sweater I wanted it to be, not the sweater that’s starting to take shape.
Must face music. And wool. And fix it.
BRILLIANT!
BRILLIANT!
Your fix is so clever! The sweater is gorgeous.
Beautiful, and what a fabulous solution!
love these photos Ann! it’s making me want to knit another rug! a BIG one.
Now it’s DONE. IT’S DONE! IT’S DONE !
and you can wear it as I know the cooler temps have staring coming your way, too.
Wow! It looks great and that’s a very clever fix for the hem. Nice to finish such an epic project.
It looks like a Missoni sweater on my small iPhone screen! I love everything about this sweater. Model for us, please!
I haven’t commented in a long time, but I have to say, that edge is truly a thing of beauty. I love a neat finish! (The sweater’s lovely, too…)
Genius, beautiful solution!
Genius, beautiful solution!
Whew! For a moment I feared supra-pattern steeking would ensure.
Thatvlooks great! A marcelous solution,
I am MESMERIZED by that sweater. Well done and a great fix to your flappy hem.
…marvelous… Yeah.
First time I did one of those (turned hem? sewn hem?) I fell in love with the thing. They’re just so pretty and well behaved!
Simply stunning. I love it.
OMG! First off, beautiful sweater. But more importantly, beautiful fix! I’m currently working on two baby sweater (twins) and I fear I’m going to have the same problem. And like an Angel From Heaven, you’ve solved the problem and with plenty of time for me to finish both sweaters. Genius.
Brilliant, I am going to use this on Infinity which I really want to make but hate hate the flipping edgings!
Love, love, love hems!! This is a beautiful end to a beautiful sweater.
Is Kermit available on a renting basis? Just wondering. Your Mariko sweater is gor-geous. Every photo is to die for.
One easy, semi-fix I have found to mitigate the flapping of corrugated ribbing is to use the same size needle as for the body. It seems to help a tiny bit, not sure why.
Superfantastic! I hope you have a jean skirt to wear with that. And some boots for walkin’.
I LOVE IT! And I love the hem. Hems are great. E. Z. taught me about hems in her books.
Nicely done. I have a fair isle sweater with flipping corrugated ribbing. Unfortunately I don’t think I can use the facing trick because it’s on the button bands. I can’t imagine trying to do a 2nd set of buttonholes that line up with the 1st set…..
OH! *sigh* it’s just SO beautiful!
Bee yoo ti ful!!!!
Well done! One of these days I will attempt one of your great feats of fair isle, but not until after both of my kids get out of preschool.
Where’s the “like” button? Lovely, lovely!
Extraordinarily beautiful – and a brilliant solution that makes the sweater even more beautiful…if that’s even possible! And many thanks, Ann…forever our teacher – another 5 star lesson that we’ll all have in our bag of tricks!
Please model – Project Runway would be jealous of your creation!
Moar photos of this sweater, please! (Seriously… so gorgeous.)
Wow. Me want. Just beautiful. And looove how you turned the bug into a feature. Me, I would then add that to all the other edges, it is so great!
Wow. Me want. Just beautiful. And looove how you turned the bug into a feature. Me, I would then add that to all the other edges, it is so great!
What, no hidden messages knitted into the hem? Not even the date. You know the great grandchild who inherits it will wonder when it was knitted.
I love it! Can’t wait for the modeling pictures!
BEAUTIFUL! I do love me a corrugated rib. I am so happy you persevered.
Outstanding!!! Gorgeous work!
Put that in my queue…..
Absolutely gorgeous. I’ve been tuning in here every couple days just to see if you’ve posted any new pictures of Kiki. I’m tempted to try one myself, would you mind? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all….
Thanks for sharing your beautiful sweater and ingenious solution to the misbehaving hem.
Fabulous. To this day my mariko rug is one of my favorite knits and I am planning another one. Because my design skills are limited, is there any chance of this becoming a pattern? Pretty please?
Love the hem solution. Tres elegant!
Beautiful sweater! Genius fix!
Did you wack your head and say, “darn it” at that suggestion about knitting the date into the hem? Great idea! It is a stunning sweater and you just need a moor or a North Sea beach to walk on for the modelled shots!
Brava, Ann! I knew you’d come through with a great solution. Now I agree with Mary deB about locations for your photoshoot.
Like Kermit, my cats believe firmly in the heat treatment for hand knits and for rtw too. Their preferred fiber, however, is mohair.
Thank you! I have a sweater (ready for the yoke) with a corrugated ribbed hem. Now I know how to fix it. Luckily, I decided not to use it on the sleeves.
This is brilliant! I’m printing this post right now so I will remember it. Thanks!
This is brilliant! I’m printing this post right now so I will remember it. Thanks!
This is brilliant! I’m printing this post right now so I will remember it. Thanks!
OK I already commented but I also have to add that “the enflapment flat brought its own mighty urges with it” is a gripping phrase! I hope you’re writing another book.
OK I already commented but I also have to add that “the enflapment flap brought its own mighty urges with it” is a gripping phrase! I hope you’re writing another book.
I love this sweater, the colors, pattern and all – hope you have directions in the next book or somewhere, beautiful. Always I enjoy your sharing the struggle such as flipping flap and the fix with humor!
What a great fix (and tutorial for some of us). Another brilliant effort!
Ooooh la la! I hope you will enter this in the 2014 TN State Fair! please say you will…
Absolutely brilliant! I love the sweater and your final flap fix is amazing.
It is LOVELY! And I’m sure that that is partly due to Kermit’s heat treatment! 😉
Gotta go with my first though: Holy sh*t, that’s a beautiful sweater.
I have to go with my first thought: holy sh*t, that’s a beautiful sweater.
Wow, wow — so pretty! And what a great fix! That’s gonna look great on you.
Very tidy solution. I keep telling myself that I have to make something with the Kiki Mariko pattern. It’s just so lovely.
One of the reasons I don’t use corrugated ribbing much is the flip factor (the other being complete lack of stretch). I experimented with the rib many years ago and decided that if you use a larger proportion of purls to knits, the bad on’t curl as much. or example, use a K2 P3 rib instead of K2 P2. Maybe worth a few minutes of swatching to find out if you like it for next time.
Very tidy solution. I keep telling myself that I have to make something with the Kiki Mariko pattern. It’s just so lovely.
One of the reasons I don’t use corrugated ribbing much is the flip factor (the other being complete lack of stretch). I experimented with the rib many years ago and decided that if you use a larger proportion of purls to knits, the bad on’t curl as much. or example, use a K2 P3 rib instead of K2 P2. Maybe worth a few minutes of swatching to find out if you like it for next time.
Very tidy solution. I keep telling myself that I have to make something with the Kiki Mariko pattern. It’s just so lovely.
One of the reasons I don’t use corrugated ribbing much is the flip factor (the other being complete lack of stretch). I experimented with the rib many years ago and decided that if you use a larger proportion of purls to knits, the bad on’t curl as much. or example, use a K2 P3 rib instead of K2 P2. Maybe worth a few minutes of swatching to find out if you like it for next time.
Very tidy solution. I keep telling myself that I have to make something with the Kiki Mariko pattern. It’s just so lovely.
One of the reasons I don’t use corrugated ribbing much is the flip factor (the other being complete lack of stretch). I experimented with the rib many years ago and decided that if you use a larger proportion of purls to knits, the bad on’t curl as much. or example, use a K2 P3 rib instead of K2 P2. Maybe worth a few minutes of swatching to find out if you like it for next time.
Very tidy solution. I keep telling myself that I have to make something with the Kiki Mariko pattern. It’s just so lovely.
One of the reasons I don’t use corrugated ribbing much is the flip factor (the other being complete lack of stretch). I experimented with the rib many years ago and decided that if you use a larger proportion of purls to knits, the bad on’t curl as much. or example, use a K2 P3 rib instead of K2 P2. Maybe worth a few minutes of swatching to find out if you like it for next time.
OMG, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to post this a million times, but it seemed like nothing happened when I hit the post button.
You are SO smart, what a great solution, and that is such a gorgeous sweater! Wear it in good health!
What can I say? The sweater is fabulous.
I just found the images of your jumper on the web. I have to say a massive ‘Ooooooooh’ to the colour work and combinations. Completely love it!
I just found the images of your jumper on the web. I have to say a massive ‘Ooooooooh’ to the colour work and combinations. Completely love it!
I just found the images of your jumper on the web. I have to say a massive ‘Ooooooooh’ to the colour work and combinations. Completely love it!
Oh, my, that’s a beauty. I love a contrasting hem like that, and the rest of it’s a marvel, too. Nice!
I agree with Laura. To paraphrase her sentiment: Holy Moly Magnolia that’s a beautiful sweater!!
LoveDiane
You are sure to find the exact handbag that will fit your personality and style.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this! I’ve been pretending the corrugated rib edge of my partly knitted fair isle project in beautiful Shetland wool will settle down in blocking, but feeling sick when I look at it because I know it won’t. Now I know I can fix it, I’ll stop thinking “I should frog this and start again” and then wanting to cry. Hooray!
Wonderful! I just finished the body of a sweater with 1×1 rib and it’s flipping up like crazy. Not interested in fighting it so I’ll have to give this a shot!
I want to thank you so much. I have knitted a Norwegian yoke cardigan and have the issue with the flip up of the 1×1 rib. I didn’t know how to fix it. This is PERFECT!!!!
I hope this doesn’t sound like a naff question, but I’d like to know if you used the same needle size to do the stocking stitch flap as for the rib band, or whether you used the needle size as for the body?
Thanks!
Thank you so much! I had a flippy bottom (!!) on a Granito sweater that was not fixed by redoing the rib on smaller needles. Reading your alternative solution emboldened me just to pick up at the bottom (on the same smaller needles) and add about 1.5 in of stockinette before binding off again. And ta-da! The little stockinette rollup tamed the flip AND looks cute as heck imho as a structural feature at the bottom of the rib. So I didn’t even turn it under, and now I love my sweater as much as I’d hoped. ❤️
Thank you so much for posting this, I’ve started (and restarted) my first jumper project with this issue, happy there’s a solution!!!