Thursday 6 November 2014

Ripping Ribbing on Belcarra Cardigan


Look how far I have come with the ribbing on the Belcarra Cardigan!

It's really ripping!

And when I say ripping, I don't mean splendid: I mean actually ripping it out!





I got this far and realised that the skein would run out along the front panel somewhere:



I usually make very neat joins and weave in ends so they are almost invisible but I didn't want the possibility of even the slightest irregularity showing on the front of the garment.

To save trouble later I decided to rip back to the centre back of the neckline …



… and continue on again from there.

This is another example of me 'overthinking' the process. I was concerned that I would have to somehow weave the ends into the ribbing and that it would be hard to hide them because the nature of working into one loop only means that the top of the each ribbing stitch is exposed.  

This is different to a regular fabric of solid stitches working into both loops where one can run the loose ends across the tops of each stitch and totally enclose the ends above both loops.

So, after ripping back and joining in the new yarn, I realised that I didn't need to weave any ends into the ribbing after all. I chose to join the new yarn where the ribbing joins the body and I was able to hide the yarn ends in the body fabric.

After that, I didn't know whether to feel silly for ripping back or to feel satisfied that the centre back is a more logical place to make the join anyway with no chance of problems along the front.  


You may notice from the photographs that I still haven't finished seaming the second sleeve. The first one was such a challenge–my brain was hurting at the end of it–that I couldn't bear to think about seaming the other sleeve for a while.





Meanwhile, the ribbing itself is very straightforward–working even–so it shouldn't take long to get through it.


Related Posts

"Seams Easy", 23 October 2014: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/belcarra-cardigan-seams-easy.html




8 comments:

  1. Almost done! Looks great!

    Good luck with stopping the overthinking! I reckon that happens the longer one works on a project...

    Take care
    Anne

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    1. Yes I think you are right - plus I have had a busy time with fewer chances to crochet anything which is delaying progress. While I am doing other things, the crochet thoughts are still turning around in my mind! I will work hard to not think and just crochet with this project. : -)

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  2. Well done on the ribbing. I have ripped out because I thought I should do something differently and then discovered I didn't need to. It won't be long now until you have it all finished.

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    1. Thank you for sharing your experience. It is reassuring to know that I am not the only one to have done this! No, it won't be long - it is growing quite quickly with each crochet session. : -)

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  3. Hi Jodie! Glad to see your progress on the cardigan! If it had been me, I would have just joined about the time the yarn was running out, at the beginning/end of a row. You can usually hide the ends by weaving them in and out somewhere. Every project is a learning process, and everybody does things at their own pace/own way.

    Yesterday I started casting on hundreds of stitches for a new knitting project and after having done a few long rows, decided to frog it and start anew. Unfortunately Alpaca Boucle (Drops) did not like the process!!! (The yarn loops got caught and meshed together) Grrrr!!! I was not very happy!! I calculated and recalculated and cast on again - very carefully!! ;)
    Happy crocheting!
    Ingrid xx
    http://myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be

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    1. Oh dear! I am sorry to hear of your yarn accident with the alpaca boucle. I wonder if any of the mohair tips apply to boucle? Please share what you have learned when you are done with the boucle! How much yarn was wasted? Good luck with the second try.Take care keeping track of hundreds of stitches...remember the stitch markers! hehehe ;-)

      As for joining new skeins, I usually join wherever they run out but since I have ample purple yarn, I figured any left over yarn on the half-used skeins might be enough for making a belt to go with the cardigan.

      Good luck with your alpaca! :-)

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  4. If it makes you happier with the finished result, I think that the ripping is worth it! I don't suppose that it was needed, but you needed it and that is all that matters!! xx

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    1. You make a lot of sense, Amy. Thank you. I don't feel like I am going crazy now! I agree that it wasn't absolutely necessary to rip back but, in hindsight, I think the resulting peace of mind is worth it. :-)

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