Friday, October 16, 2009

Sue! Are You There? Pearl? Someone Who Crochets?

Sue, Pearl or somebody,

I am trying to make a sweater as fast as I can for this campaign. I just wished I had made some notes the first time I made this one. I am working on the sleeves right now and I wanted to ask what's the best way to add the increases as I'm working up from the wrist to shoulder.
Instructions:
work only with CA (blue for me) and at the same time inc 1 st each side every other row 3 times...
This pattern is alternating sc then dc all the way across the row.
What's the best way to add these extra stitches at the end of the rows and maintain the pattern?
Thanks!
Shirley

9 comments:

cti said...

The key to making increases is to maintain the pattern. Let us say the first row goes (sc,dc) across to the end, and then probably one more sc. I assume that the second row would normally be (dc,sc) with another dc at the end. To increase on that second row, do your turning chain, then instead of working one dc in the first stitch, work (sc,dc) in that stitch. Then keep going across the row as you would normally with (sc, dc) until you get to the last stitch. This would normally be a dc, so instead work (dc,sc) in that last stitch. You will have made an increase on each side. You will notice that you have now changed what type of stitch the row beings and ends with, but don't let that phase you. Do your turning chain and work the next row as you would expect to do. Repeat the increasing process on the next row, etc.

is that any help? hope I am being clear!

GenKnit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shirley said...

Thanks for the help!
I think it's beginning to make sense.
Shirley

GenKnit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shirley said...

Well, I may have typed too soon about it making sense. My first attempt at a sleeve would only fit a dwarf. (If that's not currently PC sorry; I don't get out much.)

Texture Row: Ch 2, sk first st, * sc in next st, dc in next st; rep from * to last st, hdc in top of turning ch-2; turn.
Sleeve: after i make the wrist and stripes to size it up:
Work only with CA (blue) and at the same time inc 1 st each side every other row (3) times, then every 4 four rows (9) times, working new sts into established pattern - (54) sts.
I can keep the pattern going ok but I'm getting to the 54 stitches too soon. So I need to rip it out and start over.I need it to widen more gradually I think. What is messing me up is skipping the first stitch in the pattern maybe. Or it could be more than one problem. Anyway, I have the back and fronts ready if I every figure out the sleeves!
thanks!
Shirley

GenKnit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
cti said...

so can I assume that you are starting with 30 stitches on the first row? (the directions have 24 increase stitches all together).

It is convenient that the rows begin and end with a hdc (the ch 2 turning chain acts as a hdc at the beginning of the row -- you never crochet into the hdc). So to spell it out, your first row should looke like this: (c = c2, s=sc,h=hdc, D=dc)

csDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDh

when you turn and start back the other way, you will be making your c2, skipping the hdc, and the doing a sc in the dc on the row below, dc into an sc, and so on across. Now when you get to your first increase row it should look like this, where the stitches in the () are all going into the same stitch in the row below:

c(Ds)DsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDs(Ds)h

now you have 32 stitches across, counting the turning chain as a stitch. You work the next row normally, with a sc into each dc below and a dc into each sc below. So the next row looks like this:

cDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsh

After that row, you increase again, so that increase row looks like this:

c(sD)sDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsD(sD)h

now you have 34 stitches, and you are on the 4th row. You will repeat the sequence one more time, working even and then increasing, like this:

csDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDh

c(Ds)DsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDsDs(Ds)h

you now have 36 stitches and you are on the 6th row, you have done the increase every other row 3 times part.

Now you will go through that routine every 4th row for 9 times, working even for 3 rows and increasing on a row, which take another 36 rows before you achieve 54 stitches. So from the point where we started counting it should be 42 rows.

Does that make sense?

Shirley said...

YES!!!!
That makes sense!!!
Thanks!
Picking myself up, dusting myself off, and starting over again on that sleeve!
Thank you all for you help and input and thanks cti for making a chart that puts the pattern into my brain in a way that makes sense!
Shirley

GenKnit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.

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