Three Needle Bind-Off

My preferred shoulder seam is a Three Needle Bind-Off.  With square shouldered patterns it is very simple.

With shaped shoulders, the pattern is usually written with lots of binding off.  I want to finish my shoulders with live stitches so that I can Three Needle BO.  This can be accomplished with Short Rows.  I have used short rows occasionally, but with very specific instructions.  (Short Rows next time -- it's a lengthy subject!)

Three Needle Bind-Off:

1. Garment parts should be held so that right sides are together. (The Knitty explanation makes this seem much more complicated than it needs to be.)  Occasionally, for a design feature, instructions will suggest wrong sides together. If you want your seam to the wrong side of the fabric, right sides need to be together. 
2. K2tog, with 1 stitch from the front needle and 1 st from the back needle.
   Repeat line 1.
   Pass the 1st st (on the right needle) over the 2nd st for the Bind-Off.
   Repeat lines 1-3.

I watched lots of Video to find one I liked to share with you.  I didn't find one that satisfied me, but I picked two that were close to what I wanted.

This video has no audio, but it was short, to the point, and correct.

Three Needle BO video:
There are some suggestions that I don't do. "Hold both yarns together." I have always just used one and when I am finishing, the other yarn gets sewn in like the other ends.  "..Needle same size or smaller."  I wouldn't use a smaller needle.  I have used a larger needle for binding off, but never smaller.  With most bind-off situations, care should be taken to avoid getting too tight. Finally she frets about a loose loop at the edge of the knitting.  I clean that up that bit if needed when I am sewing in my ends.

A Bead Knitted Bag

This was in my Knitting Daily e-mail today. I had to share because I think it is absolutely gorgeous. I have never tried beaded knitting, although I have friends that have. The pattern is in Knitting Traditions Winter 2011.

I may have to make an additional purchase.

Success with Purl Side Decreases

Here are my 'decrease every row' results:

This is the sleeve opening.

On the left side you can see the left sloping decreases accomplished with an SSK on the knit side and a SSP tog tbl on the purl side.

On the right side, the right sloping decrease is a product of K2tog on the knit side and S(pwise)P PSSO.

These are the same decreases I decided to use last week, but after working with them, I gave them new abbreviations.

Using these sets of decreases worked well for me!

Use SSP2tog tbl and SPP

If you need something that looks like an SSK, use SSPtog tbl.

Slip 1 kwise twice,

return to the left needle,

purl tog tbl (insert right needle into back loop of the second stitch on the left needle from left to right, and then through first stitch on the left needle; purl).

It is complicated, but usually you aren't decreasing across an entire row on the purl side, so I chose it for it's look on the right side of the work.

Need something to look like K2tog? SPP!

Slip 1 purlwise,

Purl the next stitch,

Pass the slipped stitch over.

I got these mixed up 20 times just writing these two posts, but I think the finished line of decreases is worth it.

Shaping Decreases

This is my quick reference for decreasing. I've read tips about keeping which decrease to use where straight, but they just don't stick in my mind.

Tonight my sweater pattern calls for decreases on EVERY row rather than every other. This means I need decreases for the purl side that will line up and match the ones on the knit side.

My two favorite references for things like this (Montse Stanley's Knitter's Handbook and Vicki Square's The Knitter's Companion) gave conflicting advice. So like any 21st Century knitter, I turned to the internet to cast the deciding vote. Of course I got some more conflicting advice. (A Knitter's Blog and The Knitting Fiend among others.)

On Right Side Right Slant (k2tog)

P2tog: Purl 2 together.

SPP: Slip 1 purlwise, purl the next stitch, PSSO.

On Right Side Left Slant (ssk):

P2tog tbl: insert right needle into back loop of the second stitch on the left needle from left to right, and then through first stitch on the left needle; purl.
*: Slip 1 pwise twice, return to the left needle, p2tog tbl. (no name was assigned to this)
P2tog tbl*: slip 1 kwise twice, return to the left, purl tog through the back loops as above. (Also saw this abbreviated as SSP.)

Many writers discuss the difficulty -- I don't care if it is tight or slow, I want the decrease that best matches the K2tog and SSK! Is that really asking too much?

I guess I will have to do some swatches to see what I like. Results tomorrow!