Back in September, I dug out Ellie’s little cardigan from last year. It fit everywhere but the sleeves and hem. So I fixed them.
Chunky cuffs on the pier in October. Dish Rag Tag causes delayed posts.
I cut off the bottom band one row beneath where the body of the sweater started. Then I picked up all the live stitches along the body with a circular needle, unraveling the remaining band row as I went.
I picked up right across the side seams.
Now here’s the kind of hacky part. I couldn’t find my leftover yarn for that sweater. Anywhere. Happily, my own Doppelganger Cardigan was made in the same yarn and shade – but with worsted not sport. Not a problem. On the first row of the new band, I just decreased every three stitches to keep it all nice and even. Two inches of garter stitch made a new, longer band. Then I bound off and closed up any holes in the side seams.
I lengthened the cuffs the same way – except with double pointed needles instead of a circular.
I like to read while knitting.
The tricky bit with the cuffs is that a standard bind off is not at all stretchy. Not a problem for the band of a cardigan, but a biggish problem if you’d like to pull a cuff over a growing child’s hand. I needed the thing finished for that October beach trip, so I just used the standard bind off. But I am going back to try this stretchier finish instead.
And that is how Lazy Emily gets two years out of one project. There’s a lot of work in a sweater, you know.
The cuff can be unrolled for more length!
This is such a good idea for stretching the knit wear for growing kids. I will keep this in mind!
By the way, I tried out a similar bind off on my just finished socks and it is very much stretchier. For the version I used, I had to knit 2 stitches, then knit them together through the back loop, then knit the next stitch and then the 2 stitches through the back loop.
That is brilliant! I’ve never before knit a sweater. I’m entirely too hot natured myself to wear them, and I have no little ones to knit for, but some day, I know this bit of usefull information is going to be very welcome knowledge to have tucked away in my brain. Plus, I’m sure it would work equally well for lengthening things other than sweaters. 🙂
Smart. Crazy, Alabama smart.
Genius!!
I would love to know what pattern you used that sweater is too cute!!
I beg your pardon! There is nothing wrong with lazy knitting.
🙂
Since that last comment looks a lot huffier than I meant it to be.
It’s a lovely sweater, glad you could fix it to wear longer 🙂
Creativity never ceases to be amazing! Excellent work.
Love it! Fabulous way to extend the wear of it!
You’re a very clever mom/knitter! I love the sewn bind off, which I discovered a few months ago when my baby vest wouldn’t stretch the way it needed to do.
I recently did a sewn bind off on a neckwarmer which is also a stretchy bind off. Your way is much easier. Sweaters are a lot of work to make. Good for you that Miss Ellie gets more wear out of it. It is so cute.