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Jan 2012 (Iss 168), on sale 08/12/11
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Can somebody tell me how to draw a pattern on the Knit Leader? I have a Knit Leader and would like to transfer patterns from MKM, which are drawn for DK and I would like to knit in 4-ply. How do I draw these patterns so that they fit when knitted in 4-ply? I also don’t understand how to draw the curve of the armhole on the back, front and sleeves as I don’t know how to calculate how much of an arc I should draw to ensure the decreasing is correct. Thank you to anybody who can help. I’ve had this Knit Leader for nearly 6 months now and still have not been able to use it.
Kind regards
Mary
Your Responses
Hello Mary
When substituting yarns it is very important to knit a Tension Swatch in your chosen yarn and in the stitch pattern that you will use for your garment. The measurements you take from this tension swatch will determine the finished size of the garment.
Once knitted, roll it up and give it a pull lengthways. Leave it overnight to settle or wash it and allow it to dry. While the tension swatch is 'resting' you can draw the pattern on to the Knit Leader sheet.
The sheets are marked out in centimetre squares, so draw the shapes onto them using the measurements given in MKM, for the size you require.
As a rough guide for the armhole shaping, if you need to decrease the width of the garment by 7cm each side, draw the curve about 7cm deep. The front and back are usually the same.
The depth of the sleeve head is always given in the patterns and the measurement of the cast off stitches at the top is sometimes given. If there is no measurement given for the stitches to cast off, 7 or 8 cm is a reasonable figure. (Halve this figure if you are only drawing one side of the pattern piece.)
Draw this as a straight line on to the Knit Leader sheet, then draw an 'S' shaped curve from the point at which the decreasing starts to the end of this line. I find it helps to make the start of this curve match the shape of the armhole decreasing. Also don't make the sleeve too narrow too quickly.
Once the tension swatch is ready, measure it carefully in cm across the 40 stitches. Find the appropriate scale from the chart on the Knit Leader plastic tube.
Measure the 60 rows in cm and set the dial on the Knit Leader. You should now be able to knit the garment to the correct size.
Hope this helps with your query.
Kind regards
Sue
Posted by Sue P on 07/31 at 02:23 PM
Hi Sue
I hope you got my e-mail thanking you for your time in coming back to me and explaining how to use the Knit Leader. I shall try all you suggest. Hopefully, I'll realise how easy this piece of equipment is to use and, better still, make garments which fit.
Best regards.
Mary
Posted by scary007 on 08/03 at 04:34 PM