Short rows for tummies

I’ve always had trouble finding shirts long enough for my torso (I am 6′ tall). The other day, though, I was trying on one of my fitted shirts, and noticed that when I raise my arms, I show some skin around the waist– more than I would expect from just being tall. I turned to the side and discovered the culprit: my tummy. 

So, since I am knitting a new vest with allowances to cover my “new” feature, I thought I would share my test calculations and a chart for the rest of the world who may have more to cover than the pattern allows for. (I’ll be posting later this week similarly about short rows for the bust area.)

WHAT YOU NEED:  a) Your desired knitting pattern. b) For “measuring,” some item of clothing for your upper body, preferably a semi-tight shirt, and a good eye.

Put on the shirt. Make sure it is the correct length in the back. Stand in front of a mirror that shows you at least down to the waist. Stretch with your hands over your head and then put one hand down and HOLD your shirt just exactly at the place it rides up to.

Now take a good critical eye at it, turn to the side if you like, look at how much longer the shirt is in the back than in the front, and say “This shirt would be perfectly flattering if it were ___ inches longer.”

IF YOU LIKE MATH METHOD: Multiply the number of inches in your statement above by the ROW gauge of your knitting. The answer is the number of rows you should add. If the number is odd, add one to get the number of markers you should place; if even, don’t add one. Divide the number of stitches in the FRONT of your garment by the number of markers to get the number of stitches between markers. Fudge the numbers until you get a whole number of stitches in each division (one or two either way won’t matter). Place markers in front of sweater and then knit to the last marker, wrap-and-turn (removing the marker), knit to the first marker, wrap-and-turn (removing the marker), and repeat until all the markers are gone, then continue knitting around.

MATH! MAKE IT STOP! METHOD

Use the following table for a rough estimate of number of rows to add:

Inches to add	1	2	3	4	5
gauge: 4 rows/inch	4	9	14	14	19
5 rows/inch	4	9	14	19	24
6 rows/inch	4	9	19	24	24
7 rows/inch	9	14	19	29	34
8 rows/inch	9	14	24	29	39

The next thing you’ll need is the number of stitches in the FRONT of your sweater. If you’re knitting in the round, divide the total number of stitches by 2. (For instance, if your pattern says “cast on 200 stitches and join in the round” then the front of your sweater is 100 stitches.)

I’m only writing out the numbers for multiples of 10 stitches, so if you have a number like 104, or 108, simply work with the middle 100 stitches and skip 2 (or 4) on each side.  You can move the markers to accommodate these stitches later, too. (I’ll note this when we get to it.)

How to place the markers:

First, KNIT THE BOTTOM of your sweater– the hem, or ribbing, or however your sweater starts. The short rows go just above that bit.

Start by putting a different color marker in the MIDDLE of the front, with half the stitches on each side. (If it’s an odd number, there will be one left over, and that’s okay.) If you are doing an even number of short rows, you need exactly as many markers as you’re doing short rows. If you are doing an odd number of short rows, you’ll need one fewer marker.

Consult the chart below to know how many stitches to leave between markers. Work outwards from the middle stitch and place markers at the interval given. If there is a * next to the number, that means that once you have placed all your markers, there will be some stitches left over at the end. You can either move your markers out a stitch or two to “even it out” or just leave it, it won’t hurt anything to have a few extra stitches at the side seams. (This is also where you can move the markers for those leftover stitches if you like.)

Number of stitches	To add 4 rows	9 rows	14 rows	19 rows	24 rows	29 rows	34 rows	39 rows
90	18	9	6	4*	3*	3	2*	2*
100	20	10	6*	5	4	3*	2*	2*
110	22	11	7*	5*	4*	3*	3*	2*
120	24	12	8	6	4*	4	3*	3
130	26	13	8*	6*	5*	4*	3*	3*
140	28	14	9*	7	5*	4*	4	3*
150	30	15	10	7*	6	5	4*	3*

Easy example of placing markers (one that comes out even):

Easy example of how to place markers:
I am working a sweater with 180 total stitches. I need to add 9 rows of short rows.
I will need 8 markers plus one different color for the middle marker.
There are 90 stitches in the front of the sweater, so I place the middle marker (MM) with 45 stitches on each side.

I consult the chart to see that I need to place markers every 9 stitches, so I start counting out from the middle marker and placing markers every 9 stitches. There’s no star, so when I’m finished, there will be 9 stitches remaining on each side.

Another example (that doesn’t come out even):

I am working a sweater with 200 total stitches and need 14 rows of short rows.
I will need 14 markers plus one different color for the middle marker.
There are 100 stitches in the front of the sweater, so I place the MM with 50 stitches on each side.
The chart says to place markers every 6 stitches, so I start doing that– after I have placed all 14 markers, I have 11 stitches remaining. If I think it looks odd, I can move the last two pairs of markers out 1 or 2 stitches each (so instead of 6, 6, 11 at the end I’d have 7, 7, 9). It’s all a matter of personal taste and judgement and what looks nice.

OK, the markers are placed, NOW WHAT:

Take out the middle marker.

Knit your sweater in pattern (meaning, according to the directions) until you reach the very last marker.

When you get to the stitch before the marker, wrap and turn, and remove the marker.

Continue knitting in pattern back along the reverse side until you come to the very first marker, then wrap and turn and remove that marker.

Keep knitting back and forth, knitting to the first/last remaining marker, and removing each marker as you wrap and turn at that marker. When no markers remain, your short rows are complete, and you can continue knitting the remainder of your sweater.

At least, up to just below the bust line, if you’re doing short rows there…

 

Starting socks on two circs. (And finished a skirt.)

 

It's hard to show these off with one hand.

And yes, those are apparently two different dye lots of the same yarn. If I get frustrated, I’ll swap around ankle-height and make them sort of match (or buy a third ball of yarn and do stripes).

The colors are gorgeous, at least.

I tried the single circ method (12″ circs, because I have big feet and those work), and the DPN method which was not as much fun, and magic loop just makes me feel loopy. Two circs, with the socks divided half on each (front of sock A and front of sock B on one circ, back of socks on other circ) is much nicer.

But just in case you thought I was perfect? That was supposed to be an iron-flat overcast seam in my skirt. Obviously, it’s not.

I love the gray hair in front. I love that it sparkles in pictures and shows actual texture in my hair. This is the first black-and-white I’ve ever taken that didn’t just show a huge dark mass for my hair. I think it looks quirky in that one little spot, and I don’t think I’ll ever dye my hair again.

 

Announcement of the obvious.

Sorry I haven’t been around much, y’all; it’s been a rough few months. Last year I lost my grandfather and uncle, and because of some changed circumstances I’d been spending the last few months looking for a house– preferably one I could put some work into, and have my grandmother come and stay with me a bit, since she was lonely and all alone.

My grandmother, by the way, is the woman who taught me to enjoy sewing when I was barely toddling, by giving me a big needle and a button and a piece of cloth and letting me play with it all. She could make a dress with no pattern, biscuits with no recipe, and do almost anything around the house that you ever could imagine.  

She passed away at the end of April, at the age of 90. 

I’ll be back to knitting sometime soon, I promise, and there will be house pictures of my new crafting room, and stories, and fun. I promise!

 

The next bit of spinning.

I’m not sure I’m making progress, but here’s the next 17 yards:

the second batch of handspun

 

New tag: spinning

Guess what I made yesterday?

1 5/16″ dowel rod + 1 toy wheel (3/8″ hole) + 1 cup hook + 2 hair elastics =

1 spindle.

1 spindle + some hand-dyed wool (thank you Naked Sheep dye lady) = this:

20 yards of my very first handspun.

 

Oh, and here’s the dramatic shot:

dramatic lighting! (sunrise pics)

Two-ply handspun. Not the most even, but I think I was getting better toward the end; of course, I flipped the ply so there’s equal amounts of amateurishness at both ends of the yarn.

I’ll post more when I figure out what to do with it.

 

Noggin

I always swore I’d never get into the aww-dorableness of baby clothes. Unfortunately, I forgot to have all my friends swear never to have children, so I’ve now found myself a little stuck. I’ve managed to salvage my dignity by refusing to make anything in pink or blue, so here’s an adjustable-size baby hat in gold and tan. I decided to use just an i-cord tassel to avoid having a possibly detachable pompom (which might be a choking hazard).

Baby hat with i-cord tassel.

Needles: Size 5, both 16″ circ and DPN

Gauge: 10.5 stitches & 14 rows = 2″ in stockinette stitch

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn’s Jeannee, 51% cotton 49% acrylic, worsted weight, or any other machine washable yarn. Colors shown are 0031 tan and…um, sorry, lost the label on the lighter color.

The hat shown weighs 38 grams and the skein of yarn weighs 50 for 110 yards, so that’s about 90 yards for the size shown total yardage.

Size: The size shown is a 14″ hat and it’s shown on a 15″ butter tub, since I couldn’t find any babies around the house.

Sizing for your baby (or butter tub): It’s recommended to make a hat approximately 1 1/2″ smaller than what it’s intended to fit.  However, a neat feature of babies is that they continue to grow, so if the hat is too big, it will fit a little later on. I strongly suggest not going any smaller than 13″ for the hat (to fit 14.5″ head) because babies do not shrink, even in hot water.  This is especially important if baby’s parents have big heads.

Anyways, to begin.

Cast on in the tan color:

# of stitches	Finished size	To fit up to head size	Age
66	12 7/8″	14 3/8″	small newborn
72	14″	15 1/2″	large newborn
78	15 1/8″	16 7/8″	newborn-3 mo
84	16 1/4″	17 3/4″	3-6 mo
90	17 3/8″	18 7/8″	6-12 mo

Cast on, join in the round, and then work 6 rows of K3 P3 ribbing.

Work one round knit.

Switch to main (lighter) color. If you want the optional stripe, don’t cut the darker yarn. Work 2 rounds knit.

Optional stripe: Work 2 rounds knit in darker color. Switch back to lighter yarn. (YOu can cut the end of the darker color now to weave in.)

Continue in stockinette stitch until hat measures (3.5″, 4″, 4.5″, 5″, 5.5″). Include the ribbing in this measurement.

Decreases:

Place 6 markers evenly spaced. (This will be every 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 stitches.)

Round 1: After each marker, K2tog. Knit rest of stitches.

Round 2 & 3: Knit every stitch.

Repeat rounds 1-3 until 6 stitches remain. Work i-cord for 3″ and bind off. Weave in ends. Tie i-cord in knot.

Hat, laid flat.

Hat front (brim turned up)

 

More hats!

A plain hat I made in December.

Karaoke hat

Here’s a hat made with Karaoke yarn, the Loopy pattern. Karaoke is only 100 yards so as you can see it’s a bit short and doesn’t have enough brim to turn up. The next hat I’m making with this yarn I’m using a little extra Cascade to make a plain black ribbed brim.

And while I’m not putting a bun in the oven or whatever the euphemism is these days, I am making this:

Baby blanket

Yarn: Baby Bee Sweet Delight, colorway “Ladybug” used double

Needles: Size 10 circ

CO 130

Work 5 rows garter stitch

Work 5 stitches at each end in garter stitch (K every row). On the middle 120 stitches, work a 5-stitch wide basketweave pattern, switching knits and purls every 7 rows.

I’ll post more pics when I’m done.

 

Loopy

There’s nothing yuckier than a wet, snowy, muddy hat, unless it’s a wet, snowy, muddy hat being hung up by the brim to dry, and stretching out to a saggy mess.

Not that I’d really know, as we haven’t had any snow this year, and precious little rain. (No, I’m not bitter.) But for those of you in more fortunate climes, here is your solution!

I'm not bitter from the lack of snow.

Looks perfectly normal from the front, right?

From the top.

Here, too. It’s a plain top-down hat with six increase points… and a trick:

And a loop for hanging!

I’ll add more in-progress pics in a second post (and for a second hat), but here’s the pattern:

LOOPY

Yarn:  Cascade 220 (I used Quatro in pinks)

Needles: Size 4, DPN and 16″ circ

Gauge: 14 rows & 11 stitches = 2″

Making the hanging loop:

Provisionally cast on 6 stitches. I use the crochet method: crochet a few stitches more than needed (say, 10) and then pick up stitches through the loops on the back of the crochet chain. If you aren’t sure which is the “back” of the chain, leave your last “working” loop free instead of binding off, and then turn the chain so it points down, like this:

The wrong and right ways to turn the crochet chain

So, poke your needle through and pick up 6 stitches, and then knit about 3″ of i-cord, like so:

knit until you have enough for a loop.

Then take out the provisional yarn, poking in a second DPN as you do so:

remove the provisional yarn; slip to DPN

The last step is to pick up both DPNs, make sure you’re using the working end of the yarn (not the long tail for weaving in) and knit a full round of all 12 stitches, while moving the stitches to 3 DPNs (4 on each).  You should end up with this:

The loop and the first round of the hat.

That was round 1 of the hat crown, by the way.

Hat crown (continued):

Round 2:

*K1, YO, K1* repeat 6 times. Total 18 stitches.

Round 3:

*K1, knit through the back loop on the YO, YO, K1* repeat 6 times = 24 stitches.

Rounds 4-19: Continue knitting through the back loop on each YO you come to, and then YO immediately after that, for a total of 6 increases each round. At the end of round 19, you should have 108 stitches. The crown of the hat is now complete.

If you need a different number of stitches for a different size head or different gauge, then just stop early or continue as needed, it won’t matter for this pattern at all.

Hat body:

Knit every stitch for desired length. I chose 6″ because that goes down over the ears.

Turn-up ribbed brim:

After your hat is the desired length, do K3 P3 ribbing every round for 15 rounds (about 2″) or as desired.

Bind off in pattern (that is, as you bind off, knit or purl each stitch as appropriate).

Block as desired and wear!

 

Probably an excuse to go shopping.

Needle size	short DPNs	long DPNs	12″ circ	16″ circ
2	5	4	1	-
3	-	5	-	-
4	5	5	-	1
5	5	5	1	1
6	-	-	-	-
7	5	-	1	1
8	5	5	-	-

Today I bought the size 3 and 4 long DPNs. Short ones are fine for socks and finishing off, but if you don’t have a 12″ circ, you can’t get very far on a hat with just the short DPNs.

Ideal hat combinations:

Shorts + 12″ + 16″

Shorts + Longs + 16″

At $16 for the 12″ needles and $5 for the DPNs, it looks like I’ll only get the short circs in sizes I really, really want.

I started knitting on size 10’s and have been working my way downward. I’m not sure why I took the big leap down from 7’s, but I haven’t bought a set of 6’s yet…

 

Dead Heart + Promethean Pocket = fun!

Pocket in use.

 

Rare--me without glasses. Note nose dent.

 

Glass head, 1" railing, 8' drop. Eeek!

 

Stranding-- INSIDE of hat

Okay, it really didn’t look that good before it was blocked. Want to see it flat, inside out?

 

stranding, laid flat (inside out)

That’s about all I have to say about that.