Adding Length to a Knitted Sweater

[@ooohlaa13]

wow this is going right into my favorites, so helpful and well demonstrated. i think its a good idea to use a much smaller needle than the one used to knit the sweater, to pick up the stitches, at least for me that usually helps. So clever to use the big needle as an end stopper. You are a great engineer! I canot imagine matching the tension with add ons and kitchener and pulling thru all that yarn which must show some wear and tear at the end?? Wonderful demo, thanx so much, just what I needed!

[@knittingthestash]

Thanks, Barbara! So nice to find this comment :) The yarn was actually OK and not worse for wear, which I was relieved to find! I hope your sweater fixes go well!

[@jeannesauvage117]

Thank you! This is a wonderful and clear video!!

[@yoyou3848]

This woman is so good I had to sub

[@maryalgar8779]

Beautiful sweater - well worth it to lengthen it and patch holes. Great demonstration; well explained.

[@knittingthestash]

Thanks, Mary!

[@jenm4721]

First I love the banjo music! Second this was so helpful to reattach a sleeve that I removed to reknit because of a bunch of holes that had unraveled.

[@knittingthestash]

Hi Jen--that's wonderful to hear! Glad the sleeve is now back in the right place :)

[@VeganMonkey122375]

SO grateful for this video thanks!!

[@knittingthestash]

excellent! Thanks for your kind note!

[@nowthenad3286]

Great video. Very skilled.

[@knittingthestash]

Thanks!

[@metaspencer]

The sweater looks great -- I can't believe you cut into that sweater. Very nice results

[@knittingthestash]

Thanks, Spencer :)

[@nancyhamer1141]

I have got as far as picking up the stitches on two circular needles and am ready to knit to lengthen my sweater, which was knitted top down. Does it matter if I knit from the bottom up or from the top down? Not looking forward to the kitchener stitch but it just might not be as difficult as it looks! Thanks for the education!

[@zoedoodle]

Thank you for this Melissa! I have a long, long cowl I made of a very special wool/silk blend, of hand dyed fingering yarn. I put a lot of work into the lace with beading pattern and was horrified to realize part way through, that I had double twisted the cowl. It was not supposed to be an infinity cowl. 😟 I've worn it a few times but the drapey fabric that would look great as a narrow band, wrapped 3 times around my neck, is really hard to make look well with all that twisting going on. I've been thinking of hacking it apart and restitching so when your video popped up in my feed, it was such a blessing. I'm going to give it a try. I think it will work because even though I don't have any of the yarn left, it won't hurt the cowl to be one lace pattern shorter. I'm so excited that I may be able to rescue this unhappy accident.

[@knittingthestash]

This is SO cool to hear, Linda! So, since I'm a little tardy in my response . . . I can ask "how did it go?" I'm dying to know if the trick worked on your cowl :)

[@zoedoodle]

@@knittingthestash I haven't taken the plunge yet. I will do it when fall weather rolls around and this cowl/scarf will be needed to make a wonderful accessory for some of my holiday wear. Thanks for your reply. Love watching your vlog casts. You and Spencer are so sweet together!

[@KaraRudnick]

When I Kitchener, I leave it loose to make sure I am creating it correctly and then after about an inch or two, I will snug the stitches up and adjust my tension. Not while I am creating the Kitchener. Thank you for this demo!

[@debraajohnsondaj]

good job!!! this was neat to watch and good information to know! thank you!

[@knittingthestash]

Thanks so much, Debra!

[@wickedwoman702]

I can't knit and this wasn't exactly what I was looking for but I just had to finish watching :)

[@busybee_knits4995]

I love your podcast it's awesome! Great work on your sweater that's wonderful : )

[@knittingthestash]

Thanks much! I love putting the instructional videos together :)

[@Barbbfly]

great !!! what do u do with ribbing ? my sweater is bottom up with 2 x 6 rib. i am having to cut off the yoke part and my yarn is a little fuzzy so having hard time frogging ?

[@knittingthestash]

Hi Barbara, I just remove the ribbing, keep the stitches live and then graft it back on when I'm done! Fuzzy yarn is definitely hard . . . patience, I guess :)

[@Barbbfly]

@@knittingthestash TY my dear but the whole sweater is ribbing and i dont know where to pick up the purl st ? oh I guess if i am frogging I can see the live st. TY . i was thinking of putting the needle in b4 i cut

[@rachelar6]

Thanks for the help. Just finished a project and the wrap is too small needing to add in the middle of the pattern. Definitely didn't want to redo everything to get to the center 😅 lol

[@rachelar6]

Can you do this (or how do you lol) with purls? My stockentte edge is a "Ki, pi, x3" 🤔

[@patriciatufts4969]

Amazing.

[@bethanygoss-robbins9122]

Perfect! This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

[@knittingthestash]

Thanks! So glad the video is helpful!

[@coltenhood9696]

I have a sweater that’s rather expensive that’s too short. I’ve never knitted in my life. By any chance would you be willing to alter it for me? It needs to be a 3-4 inches longer at the bottom hem.

[@knittingthestash]

Thanks for your message, Colten, but I don't take on commissions.

[@monicalarose7980]

Would a three needle bindoff work as well, or would that be more visible? Seems like that might go faster than kitchener.

[@knittingthestash]

It could work, depending on the sweater, but it will leave a visible seam on the inside and a line on the outside :) But maybe your sweater is more structural and a deconstructed/reconstructed look would blend right in!

[@monicalarose7980]

@@knittingthestash It's a sweater with k2p2 ribbing at the bottom so I want to cut just above the ribbing and add several more inches of ribbing.

[@knittingthestash]

@@monicalarose7980 it could work, if you don't mind a seam! And it might be less visible in 2x2 ribbing--which would be tedious for Kitchener, indeed!

[@paulamendes5907]

Wonderful. Thank you. Please continue. On the way to sustainability

[@knittingthestash]

Thanks, Paula!

[@MusicalDancer571]

Will this work if you used Helical knitting in the body?

[@knittingthestash]

Great question. It should, but you'll likely need to snip a leg from both of the strands you've used and secure the two ends as well.

[@GrandmaP85]

Great podcast. Did you use duplicate stitch to fix the holes?

[@knittingthestash]

Hi Sheila--I just kitchenered the holes shut. Maybe another video about patching holes is in order :)

[@pathowes32]

Hi Melissa, I loved this video. I am knitting a bottom up ribbed sweater for my grand niece. The sweater was knit in pieces which I have sewn together🙁. How easy would it be to do the surgery on this sweater? I noticed your sweater was knit in the round. I would cut a few rows above the ribbing and add length to the sweater and attach the ribbing. I don’t know if the side seams would make this more complicated. Also any way to just knit on more ribbing? Thanks for your help. Pat

[@knittingthestash]

Hi Pat, I would suggest un-sewing the bottom of the sweater (to release the pieces), then you could cut above the ribbing, add your length, and then reattach and re-sew! A few more steps, but it should work! Good luck with the project! ~Melissa

[@kathyf9413]

What about a garment already knitted and seamed, can I use this tec. to shorten it?

[@knittingthestash]

Hi Kathy, It all depends on the construction. If the sweater is already seamed, where are the seams and can you unpick them or will you need to cut through them?

[@kathyf9413]

@@knittingthestash The name of the garment is "Embrace" by, Sara Hatton. My Raverly name, KMary it it there to view. The seams r on the sides so, I will have to take it apart. I used a mattress st to seam up. Thanks.

[@robinwiessner8490]

So, I snipped one leg of the first stitch, and slowly teased the two pieces of my practice piece apart. I now have a very short end piece of yarn from that snipped first stitch. Too short to weave in. How do I anchor it?

[@knittingthestash]

I tend to tink back a few stitches until I have enough of an end OR spit splice onto the bit you have in hand.

[@robinwiessner8490]

knittingthestash Sorry to be so obtuse........if you tink back 4-5 sts in order to have a length to weave, then that point would become your marked “first” st, and you would have to adjust the other piece back the same amount of sts, in order to get the two pieces to line up when you start the graft. Correct? I am using a super wash, so spit splicing is not practical for this piece. Thank you sooooooo much for time and expertise. I made a beautiful Fair Isle sweater for my husband, and the sleeves were knit cuff up, and just a titch too short. I want the sweater perfect!

[@knittingthestash]

Hi Robin! No worries at all--it's a great question! Yes, you'll need to account for the number of stitches you tink back so that when you rejoin everything, it will all be in the right place. You could use a safety pin style stitch marker to help you keep track. I suppose if one totally planned ahead (and i didn't in this video!), one would snip a bit forward of the side seam and be able to tink *back to it* . . . Your sweater sounds lovely and I hope it all works! Let me know if I can help any more!

[@maggiebutler668]

hi there - question! when you're going in to pick up the live stitches you go in and out of them in different directions. should this be done on all K1P1 bodies? thanks

[@knittingthestash]

Maggie--when I pick up, I try to get the stitches the correct way on the needles on the first pass, but inevitably, I miss a few. What you see here is likely me just trying to make sure I grab the stitches. If they are reversed (i.e. wrong leg forward--which has nothing to do with K or P), I switch them around when I work the first round. I hope that makes sense :)

[@drummerlovesbookworm9738]

You’re so confident....

[@knittingthestash]

Ha! Thanks, Jenny!

[@noraisahsalim2754]

How to alter knitted shoulders & the length of the sleeves? Thanks 😊

[@knittingthestash]

Oh, good idea. I'll have to think on this one, but it could make its way into another technique video :)

[@blacksunshine5758]

Very tedious project but it turned out nicely! I can tell you- when/ if I ever knit a sweater- I would probably live with whatever flaw I make cause I couldn't cut it.

[@knittingthestash]

Ha! I know what you mean! My handknits always have some little flaw in them--it reminds me of their uniqueness :)

[@wandab3843]

Oh my! This is sweater surgery.

[@knittingthestash]

yes! but simplified :)

[@Barbbfly]

interesting but why wouldnt you pick up the st with needle b4 u cut ? all the way around ?

[@Barbbfly]

IF i wanted to make an entirely new bottom / different ribbing etc. would i have to knit it separately and kitchener it back on OR could i knit it top down right from the sweater itself ?. thx in advance for any time and answers !! thx for sharing vid

[@knittingthestash]

Hi Barbara, I picked up the stitches as a lifeline--so that they wouldn't unravel any further than I wanted. You could knit down if you wanted . . . but the stitches would be going in a different direction (the "v"s would face the other direction. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching!

[@jannaaltinsoy5748]

Do you have a video on adding width to a sweater please? The length is fine, but I'd like to add width, maybe a strip on either side, as it's not seamed up yet. I'd need to make it tapered, as the sleeves are also fine. I'm fairly new to knitting, I'd love if someone could help me figure it out. 😔 🙏🤞

[@knittingthestash]

Hi Janna! If it's not seamed up yet, you can still pick up stitches and add some width. I don't have a video . . . but it's an excellent candidate for a tutorial. The things to consider would be keeping the proportions right, making sure your armhole depth still works, and perhaps adding some flair to cover the extra seams/pick up edges--if they are very obvious. By tapered, do you mean that the sweater is an A-line shape?

[@jannaaltinsoy5748]

It's a standards men's shawl neck jumper, it will fit him, but it will definitely be fitted, and my husband prefers a less fitted style. That's the trouble, adding width, i can do, but I don't know whether to taper it in before it reaches the armpit, so that the sleeves can stay as is, or whether to take the addition all the way up, then taper a triangle into the sleeve, like an armpit gusset. I would not know at all how to alter the sleeve to compensate for the added stitches otherwise, if I've added 20 stitches to the width with the additional, do I increase the top of the sleeve to add 20 to that? Would that look silly? I'm preferring the first ideas, where the sleeves stay as they are.

[@knittingthestash]

@@jannaaltinsoy5748 Hi Janna, So do you think the sleeves are the right circumference at the shoulder? I'm asking in part because I wonder about the armpit shaping up to the shoulder and whether that will need to be adjusted as well?

[@jannaaltinsoy5748]

Yes, just a hubby with a beer belly, needs some extra at the sides 😉 the fitted look is less easy to rock when you look 8 months pregnant 😅 otherwise he's a 32" waist, very slim man.

[@knittingthestash]

@@jannaaltinsoy5748 :) Well, then I would go with the tapered idea! Should be relatively easy since things aren't seamed up yet! You could knit a strip and mattress stitch is on both sides, if you're wanting to keep the stitches' vertical orientation. OR, you could pick up stitches on one side, knit the strip horizontally, decreasing under the armpit, and then graft it to the other side. Let me know how you get on!

[@traceyhannwongchong]

Fabulous! Thanks Melissa! Clear and concise. I don't feel scared about cutting into my jumper at all!!!! Oh and I really love the design of your sweater. Is it available anywhere??

[@ramalakshmivenkataraman603]

Not clear the designs bec of less light...

[@ramalakshmivenkataraman603]

Chosen colour is not clear to see in vedio...sorry

[@lindachandler2293]

I pick up live stitches with a much smaller needle and then when I'm sure I have them all, I slip them on the correct size.

[@knittingthestash]

That's a great tip! Thanks!

[@MsGokce]

too dark😔