Couture

Additional Technique
Instructions for the
Intensity Jacket, from
the October 2014 issue 193
of KNITstyle magazine
Couture
Details
by Laura Bryant
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Once in awhile
a design comes
along that begs
to have unusual
techniques, and
our reversible
jacket is one
such design.
W
hen KNITstle editor, Cari Clement, suggested
a theme of Outside In, I immediately
thought of a stitch I had developed earlier
in the year. When worked in one color, it mimics ruching done on woven fabrics by sewing rows of stitches
that are then pulled to gather the fabric. In knitting,
this is done very simply by slipping separated
stitches in columns for many rows. When the stitches
are knitted, it pulls up the rows of knitting between
the slipped stitches. To keep the slipped stitches neat
and tidy, the stitches are twisted as they are worked,
providing a raised ridge along the purl side. The knit
side reads simply as magically ruffled fabric, with the
slipped columns not apparent.
Preparation requires making the needed number of
bobbins in approximate 5 yard lengths. Once the border is worked, the bobbins are added to a single stitch
by working 2 stitches. Now they are carried along the
purl side until needed; just allow them to dangle.
1
When it is time to work the slipped stitches, first slip
them to the RH needle.
2
Now, move the bobbin yarn to the back of the work,
underneath the main yarn to lock the stitches.
3
While the stitch is a great detail, it’s a bit overwhelming for an entire garment. I decided to use it on
one front and the sleeve cuffs only. A further refinement came when I contemplated Cari’s chosen color
palette: two related purple/magenta colors with an
accent of jade green. I decided to make the structure
stitches an accent color by carrying bobbins up the
surface. It requires a little manipulation in the beginning, but once established is amazingly easy to work.
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Knit the second stitch through the back loop
4
On we go to the lapel shaping which is created by
increasing along the fold line, adding new lines of
slipped stitches as the repeat count is reached.
Again, we will be creating a line of two stitches from
one stitch.
Lift a stitch from the row below onto the RH needle
for each of the two stitches existing: now there are
four stitches. Move a main color stitch between them,
and you have created a new line.
7
And knit the second stitch: stitches crossed.
5
8
Bring the yarn back to the front of the work
6
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Reversibility requires that seams be hidden as well,
so I chose to single crochet the seams with a matching
color, creating a ridge on one side but keeping the
other side nearly invisible. To emphasize the ridge, the
accent color was used in reverse single crochet on all
crochet rows, creating a corded look reminiscent of
piping. An unusual pick-up is employed to avoid creating a pick-up ridge along one side: simply lift half of a
stitch onto the needle, and then work I-cord onto
those stitches. I-cord reads exactly the same on either
side, and so provides the perfect frame.
Since the fabric is fully reversible, yarn tails must be
hidden in such a way that they don’t show. Our cable
twists provide the perfect camouflage, but the soft
yarn tends to poke its little ends out, so we have to
take another step. Fray-chek, a product readily available at fabric stores, is liquid nylon. Bury the ends
along the line for 1 ½-2”, then turn and go back the way
you came. Now, before cutting the end off, insert the
tip of the Fray-chek bottle deep inside the cable or
seam and put a single drop onto both the end and the
stitch it lays against. Once dry, it is a tiny little anchor;
slightly stiff but not noticeable. Trim tails completely.
The last detail is to work 2 rows of crochet slip
stitches along the left front and neck edge, to stabilize
and flatten the edge. With B and purl side facing, join
yarn in corner formed by I-cord. Work along the edge,
checking to make sure that you are neither pulling the
edge in too much nor making it waver: approximately
every other row. Cut yarn and attach immediately next
to first row; work second row in same direction.
Enjoy!
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