Anything that was felted can be reused. Sew mittens, hats, slippers out of felted sweaters. The cape neck can be made into a nice cowl with a few buttons.
The jumper that you felted - depending on how much it's shrunk by, you could always steek it down the centre and add a button band to turn it into a cardigan perhaps? You could use some coloured ribbon for contrast even if you don't have any of the wool at hand.
For the sweater that you want something to differentiate the front and back… Maybe take a contrasting color and embroider a “tag” in the back of the neck? Just skimming the yarn so it doesn’t show through, but enough to give you a visual reminder looking at the inside. If it’s just a small bit of embroidery then you wouldn’t feel it as a tag.
To mark the back of my sweater I add a couple of stitches in a contrast thread or yarn so you can’t see it from the outside. You are so skilled. All the items you made are lovely. I have yet to try cutting knitting for a cardigan. It sounds so scary and I knit so slow that if I did it wrong and had to start again I’d be devastated
I have a solution! I have incredibly sensitive skin and itchy tags often set off my dermatographia so I thread rip them out of nearly everything. I have a few items that I had to double check which the front was too and I found the easiest thing was to put a “thread tag” in. Basically a few stitches of plain ol thread (or embroidery if you are so inclined) in a bright contrasting colour on the neck just like a regular tag. You can’t see it from the outside and it doesn’t bother me anymore than the seam now.
I too knit the Flax jumper (light version) and did some lovely colour block work, wore it once and then felted it in the Laundry 😭 so I ‘felt’ for you when you showed your laundry accidents too. Love looking at all your knits, thank you for sharing and looking forward to your new knit project.
They are all so, so cozy and lovely. I particularly love the 1940s sweater with the shoulder pads. I can see why you get compliments and questions about it. ❤️🧶
as someone who can't do parallel knitting, I would be interested in a video of you explaining how you can switch from one project to another, and how you keep track of all of them. I love all of these sweaters and the colours you chose for them!
I sew labels onto my jumpers that say "THIS IS THE BACK" - I don't mind labels and they were too good to pass up 🤣 Also that is a great tip about lengthening a knit.
the vintage sweaters are my absolute favourites! I knit crew neck vests to sell and I mark the back with a few duplicate stitches on the wrong side just in the place where a tag would be. They make for an easy visual cue.
To mark the front from the back, I usually tie a piece of contrast yarn on the back, then it can't be felt, but lets you quickly know which side is which.
for the marking of the front/back of the sweater: just "weave in an end" of the red where a tag would sit. wont itch any more than the rest of the sweater and will be an easy visual cue:)
Mark the inside of the back collar by crocheting a small line of a contrasting color to the inside of the collar seam. That is how I mark all of my husband's sweaters, so he can find the back of his sweaters without turning on the lights in the morning and waking me up!
You give such inspiration to the home knitter. I need to get a few projects finished before knitting a sweater for myself. I don't think I'll make it before cold weather starts. lol. Your hand knitted sweaters are beautiful.
Petite Knits patterns are soooo stunning! I’m knitting the Sunday Tee right now and I’m so excited for the outcome! Your video makes me want to knit the sweater version, despite the laundry accident lol!
Can’t wait to see next week’s! I’m pretty certain I have the pattern for the 1940s sweater in my files, or one very, very similar. I have a particular love for 40s knitwear…my maternal grandmother was knitting her own sweaters in the 40s when she worked as a caregiver for my grandfather’s mother. One of her chores as a young girl was knitting an inch on a pair of socks before she could go play. She taught me to knit when I was 5. I know the sadness of accidental felting. I accidentally felted a sweater my grandmother knit for me because I didn’t know it was wool (really nice wool…it was so soft!). I cried when I pulled it out of the washing machine.
You could try adding some grosgrain ribbon to the back of the button holes and that might give it a bit more structure to hold on to the buttons and will prevent the holes from stretching a lot.
Wondering how you care for your hand-knit garments...maybe a future video on washing, drying, blocking, etc. Especially wonder how you keep them from stretching.
I also wonder why you consider the felted Cape "ruined". There's some lovely suggestions in the que already. If it's too itchy, you can line it, perhaps with a cozy cotton velvet, or heavy silk. If it's too shrunk, you can steke/steek (?) it, and piece more felted material in the width; perhaps a lovely complementary patch in the back? & "steek" the front as well? Plus, if it's too, you can extend it. (With that or a similar (felted) patch. It's too beautiful not to do something with. Please consider my, or other people's suggestions, or your own solution, rather than disposing of it. Or, gift it to someone who can wear it.
If it has shrunk, I would think that the neck opening has become too tight to get the head through / sit comfortably around the neck. Maybe there's a kid who it still fits and who likes it, but otherwise I can see why it's no longer fit for its original purpose
So many lovely knits! That Kitchener stitch idea is incredibly intriguing - I have a sweater that could definitely do with an extra inch or two at the hem!
It would be super cute to fix the button holes in the green sweater by stitching in a ribbon or fabric facing and buttonhole stitching all the layers. I love that pop of contrast smooth printed fabric or grosgrain ribbon gives combined with handknits.
Knitting my first pair of in the round socks (previously made socks on a flatbed knitting machine) while watching this so it was very chill to watch this while doing so! I'm getting so inspired to make up nice tops like these, they're so lovely
I can't abide by tags in any of my shirts or jumpers, but I crochet a small line of stitches in the back neckline of any jumpers I'm knitting to provide that visual cue for "oh this is the back" and even my fairly sensitive neck doesn't notice it at all :)
I have been knitting the 4th sock on dpns my preferred sock knitting method, they will be part of son's Christmas gift, he gets cold feet! I have only ever knitted garments from the bottom up and know I always have to add length as patterns all seem to be far too short for my liking, and add the extra length in before any shaping is done. I did loose my knitting mo jo for a while, but having made my granddaughter a hooded cardigan and got it sent off to Germany for her picked up a stalled UFO, a cardigan for me which just needs the buttons added now. Love your colour work, not tried any since my sons were small, I just have not seen anything that has tempted me to start again, yet/
Your videos are so inspiring! I'm working on petiteknit's "No Frills sweater" for a friend right now. Her patterns are lovely. That brioche mohair one intrigues me, it's SO pretty, but I imagine it's also tons of work! And my gosh, I can't imagine dropping a stitch. I'm sure it'll be worth it though, I love the color too.
I usually use a little bit of contrasting yarn and whipstitch a couple of stitches where the back of the collar meets the body of the sweater to act as a tag. Thank you for sharing your projects on here! I've started looking into doing some historical knitting because of this channel, and seeing the lovely things you have made is cranking up my inspiration machinery :D
I usually take a different color yarn or thread and kind of sew a little tag in the back of my sweaters if you just catch the back of the stitch it’s not visible from the outside.
Your sweaters are all so lovely. Here’s an idea. Would you consider using Elizabeth Zimmermans book knitting a sweater without a pattern? I’ve been afraid of sweater making for so long because I want a perfect sweater. 🤣♥️
I loved seeing all of your work, it was very inspiring! I knitted on my first sock ever while watching :) It took me a long time to start it, I was scared... But it is really not that difficult! And my next project is definitely a sweater ☺
Hi I love love your green and white color work with leaves and the blue Lacey hem bottom up ragland sweater but I love the neckline of the darker blue of the sweater right after the Lacey lighter blue sweater I would like to combine parts of the sweater to knit a sweater how to find your sweaters I look up @ Itsy and other like you provided but can’t find the pattern . Please give me the name of the 3 sweaters patterns or the link so I can purchase them thanks
Everything looks so lovely. For the sweater you don’t want to tag why don’t you just darn in a bit of a different colour yarn to the back neck. Nothing big or bulky just a tiny pop of colour that only you know about… well and all of us.
I make tags out of the littlest bits of ribbon that I can; they go where a tag usually goes. I melt the ends, then put them in the seam, so I can't feel them. Also, I would watch a modern sweater video. Just saying...
I love the fit of your smock sweater ( grey, White and red line. It hanged flat on the back the other sweater raised on the center back I was wondering if a few of German shirt row @ the back neck will help?
At the risk of sounding silly because I am not an engineer lol, could you use your technique where you use elastic to “tighten” the neckline of a sweater to “tighten” the button holes of the vintage shoulder pad sweater?
This may be a dumb question but why can't you wear items that have been felted in the wash? And what specifically about washing them caused the felting?
Wool, especially sheep’s wool, is covered with scales on the surface of the fiber. Water+friction (especially with the addition of heat and/or surfactants) causes those scales to interlock and cling to each other tighter and tighter. We call this process felting or fulling, and it causes stitches to lose definition (which also loses stretch in knots), but them holding tighter and tighter to each other causes the fabric to shrink. Sometimes we want that, but when that’s the case then the fulling is done either prior to making a garment (such as with woven fabric), or are made extra-large to account for the shrinkage. But when it happens to a piece that was not intended to be fulled, then the garment becomes too small to wear. And the shrinkage can be DRAMATIC. I’ve lost a top to accidental fulling myself. It went from a tee for a plus-size person to one better sized for a 10yo child.
why is a felted piece consdered ruined? I quite like the look. Does it change construction wise or something? Im rather new to knitting so im just wondering
Felting makes it small, thicker, and less elastic. You can make most things felted if you like the look, but it has to be decided in advance so you can knit it extra large.
Anything that was felted can be reused. Sew mittens, hats, slippers out of felted sweaters. The cape neck can be made into a nice cowl with a few buttons.
Yes!
The jumper that you felted - depending on how much it's shrunk by, you could always steek it down the centre and add a button band to turn it into a cardigan perhaps? You could use some coloured ribbon for contrast even if you don't have any of the wool at hand.
Agree
I say make a hat from it.
For the sweater that you want something to differentiate the front and back… Maybe take a contrasting color and embroider a “tag” in the back of the neck? Just skimming the yarn so it doesn’t show through, but enough to give you a visual reminder looking at the inside. If it’s just a small bit of embroidery then you wouldn’t feel it as a tag.
yeah i sew, pull a little red(contrast) piece of yarn through the inside of the back.
I was going to suggest the same thing. I did that for a sweater I crocheted for my 6yo. 👍
To mark the back of my sweater I add a couple of stitches in a contrast thread or yarn so you can’t see it from the outside. You are so skilled. All the items you made are lovely. I have yet to try cutting knitting for a cardigan. It sounds so scary and I knit so slow that if I did it wrong and had to start again I’d be devastated
I have a solution! I have incredibly sensitive skin and itchy tags often set off my dermatographia so I thread rip them out of nearly everything. I have a few items that I had to double check which the front was too and I found the easiest thing was to put a “thread tag” in. Basically a few stitches of plain ol thread (or embroidery if you are so inclined) in a bright contrasting colour on the neck just like a regular tag. You can’t see it from the outside and it doesn’t bother me anymore than the seam now.
I too knit the Flax jumper (light version) and did some lovely colour block work, wore it once and then felted it in the Laundry 😭 so I ‘felt’ for you when you showed your laundry accidents too. Love looking at all your knits, thank you for sharing and looking forward to your new knit project.
They are all so, so cozy and lovely. I particularly love the 1940s sweater with the shoulder pads. I can see why you get compliments and questions about it. ❤️🧶
as someone who can't do parallel knitting, I would be interested in a video of you explaining how you can switch from one project to another, and how you keep track of all of them.
I love all of these sweaters and the colours you chose for them!
I sew labels onto my jumpers that say "THIS IS THE BACK" - I don't mind labels and they were too good to pass up 🤣 Also that is a great tip about lengthening a knit.
the vintage sweaters are my absolute favourites! I knit crew neck vests to sell and I mark the back with a few duplicate stitches on the wrong side just in the place where a tag would be. They make for an easy visual cue.
To mark the front from the back, I usually tie a piece of contrast yarn on the back, then it can't be felt, but lets you quickly know which side is which.
for the marking of the front/back of the sweater: just "weave in an end" of the red where a tag would sit. wont itch any more than the rest of the sweater and will be an easy visual cue:)
I love the dark grey red cream smocked sweater on you. I mean youve knitted great sweaters but that one is 😍
Beautiful sweaters, capes and cardigans. The colorwork you have done is amazing.
That felted cape is askig to be cut in half and have a stipe of knit fabric added on each shoulder.
Mark the inside of the back collar by crocheting a small line of a contrasting color to the inside of the collar seam.
That is how I mark all of my husband's sweaters, so he can find the back of his sweaters without turning on the lights in the morning and waking me up!
You give such inspiration to the home knitter. I need to get a few projects finished before knitting a sweater for myself. I don't think I'll make it before cold weather starts. lol. Your hand knitted sweaters are beautiful.
Petite Knits patterns are soooo stunning! I’m knitting the Sunday Tee right now and I’m so excited for the outcome! Your video makes me want to knit the sweater version, despite the laundry accident lol!
Can’t wait to see next week’s! I’m pretty certain I have the pattern for the 1940s sweater in my files, or one very, very similar. I have a particular love for 40s knitwear…my maternal grandmother was knitting her own sweaters in the 40s when she worked as a caregiver for my grandfather’s mother. One of her chores as a young girl was knitting an inch on a pair of socks before she could go play. She taught me to knit when I was 5.
I know the sadness of accidental felting. I accidentally felted a sweater my grandmother knit for me because I didn’t know it was wool (really nice wool…it was so soft!). I cried when I pulled it out of the washing machine.
I LOVE that green 1940’s sweater. Im still learning to knit so maybe one day I can make that pattern.
I never put stuff I knit/crochet into the washer. I had wash it all. I use yarn safe soap (you don't need to rinse it).
You r so productive and inspiring! Really looking forward to your airy pink sweater~ looks so lovely!
You could try adding some grosgrain ribbon to the back of the button holes and that might give it a bit more structure to hold on to the buttons and will prevent the holes from stretching a lot.
Wondering how you care for your hand-knit garments...maybe a future video on washing, drying, blocking, etc. Especially wonder how you keep them from stretching.
I also wonder why you consider the felted Cape "ruined". There's some lovely suggestions in the que already.
If it's too itchy, you can line it, perhaps with a cozy cotton velvet, or heavy silk.
If it's too shrunk, you can steke/steek (?) it, and piece more felted material in the width; perhaps a lovely complementary patch in the back? & "steek" the front as well?
Plus, if it's too, you can extend it. (With that or a similar (felted) patch.
It's too beautiful not to do something with.
Please consider my, or other people's suggestions, or your own solution, rather than disposing of it.
Or, gift it to someone who can wear it.
If it has shrunk, I would think that the neck opening has become too tight to get the head through / sit comfortably around the neck. Maybe there's a kid who it still fits and who likes it, but otherwise I can see why it's no longer fit for its original purpose
So many lovely knits! That Kitchener stitch idea is incredibly intriguing - I have a sweater that could definitely do with an extra inch or two at the hem!
You can put small x embroidery sign in the inner neckline to mark the back
It would be super cute to fix the button holes in the green sweater by stitching in a ribbon or fabric facing and buttonhole stitching all the layers.
I love that pop of contrast smooth printed fabric or grosgrain ribbon gives combined with handknits.
Knitting my first pair of in the round socks (previously made socks on a flatbed knitting machine) while watching this so it was very chill to watch this while doing so! I'm getting so inspired to make up nice tops like these, they're so lovely
Socks are a no return 🤭
Wow beautiful sweaters. Can't wait to knit one
I can't abide by tags in any of my shirts or jumpers, but I crochet a small line of stitches in the back neckline of any jumpers I'm knitting to provide that visual cue for "oh this is the back" and even my fairly sensitive neck doesn't notice it at all :)
These are all gorgeous! Your knitting is incredible! Lots more to add to my ravelry queue...
Hi! It was very nice to meet all your sweater projects… I love them all! 🌞
Some day I will get up the courage to actually knit or crochet myself a sweater. I've only ever been brave enough to do scarves and dish cloths.
I have been knitting the 4th sock on dpns my preferred sock knitting method, they will be part of son's Christmas gift, he gets cold feet! I have only ever knitted garments from the bottom up and know I always have to add length as patterns all seem to be far too short for my liking, and add the extra length in before any shaping is done. I did loose my knitting mo jo for a while, but having made my granddaughter a hooded cardigan and got it sent off to Germany for her picked up a stalled UFO, a cardigan for me which just needs the buttons added now. Love your colour work, not tried any since my sons were small, I just have not seen anything that has tempted me to start again, yet/
Your videos are so inspiring!
I'm working on petiteknit's "No Frills sweater" for a friend right now. Her patterns are lovely. That brioche mohair one intrigues me, it's SO pretty, but I imagine it's also tons of work! And my gosh, I can't imagine dropping a stitch. I'm sure it'll be worth it though, I love the color too.
I usually use a little bit of contrasting yarn and whipstitch a couple of stitches where the back of the collar meets the body of the sweater to act as a tag. Thank you for sharing your projects on here! I've started looking into doing some historical knitting because of this channel, and seeing the lovely things you have made is cranking up my inspiration machinery :D
I usually take a different color yarn or thread and kind of sew a little tag in the back of my sweaters if you just catch the back of the stitch it’s not visible from the outside.
Just the chill cozy kind of vibes I needed right now! So thankful when I saw your video pop up! 😊❤
I just found your channel, it's fantastic! Don't know why it took me so long.
I really enjoy all your videos. I've been subscribed for almost a year now.
Your sweaters are all so lovely. Here’s an idea. Would you consider using Elizabeth Zimmermans book knitting a sweater without a pattern? I’ve been afraid of sweater making for so long because I want a perfect sweater. 🤣♥️
You could use the felted cape as a coat for Nutella. Have you tried to block the grey sweater to its original size?
II usually used a permanent water proof permanent marker and Mark a B for my kids so it’s easy for them to identify.which is the back.
I loved seeing all of your work, it was very inspiring!
I knitted on my first sock ever while watching :) It took me a long time to start it, I was scared... But it is really not that difficult! And my next project is definitely a sweater ☺
Omg i never thought id be THIS early to watch one of my favourite crafty youtuber❤❤❤ btw i loove the sweaters, i could never 😇
Hi I love love your green and white color work with leaves and the blue Lacey hem bottom up ragland sweater but I love the neckline of the darker blue of the sweater right after the Lacey lighter blue sweater I would like to combine parts of the sweater to knit a sweater how to find your sweaters I look up @ Itsy and other like you provided but can’t find the pattern . Please give me the name of the 3 sweaters patterns or the link so I can purchase them thanks
Everything looks so lovely. For the sweater you don’t want to tag why don’t you just darn in a bit of a different colour yarn to the back neck. Nothing big or bulky just a tiny pop of colour that only you know about… well and all of us.
I make tags out of the littlest bits of ribbon that I can; they go where a tag usually goes. I melt the ends, then put them in the seam, so I can't feel them. Also, I would watch a modern sweater video. Just saying...
I really loved the 1940S smocked sweater but the link only took me to the ravelry for it was out of print😟
You can do embroidered tags
I love the fit of your smock sweater ( grey,
White and red line. It hanged flat on the back the other sweater raised on the center back I was wondering if a few of German shirt row @ the back neck will help?
At the risk of sounding silly because I am not an engineer lol, could you use your technique where you use elastic to “tighten” the neckline of a sweater to “tighten” the button holes of the vintage shoulder pad sweater?
Love the smocked sweater but I can’t seem to see the actual pattern on Ravelry. Is it available?
This may be a dumb question but why can't you wear items that have been felted in the wash? And what specifically about washing them caused the felting?
Heat &/or too much friction causes felting
Wool, especially sheep’s wool, is covered with scales on the surface of the fiber. Water+friction (especially with the addition of heat and/or surfactants) causes those scales to interlock and cling to each other tighter and tighter. We call this process felting or fulling, and it causes stitches to lose definition (which also loses stretch in knots), but them holding tighter and tighter to each other causes the fabric to shrink. Sometimes we want that, but when that’s the case then the fulling is done either prior to making a garment (such as with woven fabric), or are made extra-large to account for the shrinkage. But when it happens to a piece that was not intended to be fulled, then the garment becomes too small to wear. And the shrinkage can be DRAMATIC. I’ve lost a top to accidental fulling myself. It went from a tee for a plus-size person to one better sized for a 10yo child.
How itchy do you find the sweater made from palette?
Luv your knits how can I buy them.in London can u sell me some. Let me know thanks.
What was the name of the slip over?
why is a felted piece consdered ruined? I quite like the look. Does it change construction wise or something? Im rather new to knitting so im just wondering
Felting makes it small, thicker, and less elastic. You can make most things felted if you like the look, but it has to be decided in advance so you can knit it extra large.
👌👌👌
stitch some red yarn on the back and then you will know