I’ve had this post waiting for a few last pics for some time now…
Back at the beginning of the year, I decided Purple needed to become a cardigan:
This involved cutting it down the front. I sewed a zig-zag on the machine, either side of the stitches I wanted to cut, then took a deep breath and snipped:
It languished in the bottom of my knitwear adjustment basket until its turn came. I simply picked up stitches along the raw edge behind the zig-zag and got knitting.
I have no idea why I chose a 2×2 rib. It wasn’t until I got to the second band that I thought about it. But it works. I crocheted over the raw, zig-zagged edge on the inside as an extra precaution against unravelling.
The only detail that gives the refashion away is that the neckband is usually knit onto the edge of the button bands. This is the other way around. Let’s call it a ‘design feature’, eh?
I’ve worn this quite a bit since the refashion, which I’d say makes it a winner.
The next refashion was easier – simply to add another band of ribbing to the Gift Yarn Jacket as it just didn’t look finished enough to me:
So this:
Became this:
And this:
Looks like this:
Which took some months, but was done in time for winter at least. I prefer the second way of wearing it, though I haven’t yet worn it since doing the refashion.
Oh yeah, that works!!! On the subject of cutting a knitted item, I’ve heard if you just find the middle row, say from the middle of the v-neck on your sweater, and start cutting between the stitches. It won’t ravel! It’s scary! And I’ve NEVER done it, but have seen it done in person and there are videos on YouTube showing how to do it. Your work turned out well. I never give up on a sweater and I have several in the ‘re-work’ pile in my sewing room. I’m more inclined to Frog them. Good yarn is hard to come by – said a woman who has two closets FULL of yarn. (BTW I’m blogging again, a 6 month hiatus was long enough)
Whether a garment ravels or not depends on the fibre. Grippy fibres like wool are fine, non-grippy ones like cotton not so much.
I started to see the potential in cutting and sewing knitted garments while attending the Machine Knitters of Victoria meetings. They were always willing to chop into the fabric to achieve a better fit. I guess if you haven’t hand knit each stitch you’re not as precious about cutting.
That makes sense. I know my knitting students are always afraid to rip something out after they have put so much time into it. But hey, if you are not going to wear or use an item why not rip it out or cut it to make it work. Cutting seems like such a quick and easy fix.