 Quick-Rib
Neckline
Using Ravel Cord
This
is my favorite neckline to use for our family sweaters. It's quick,
very easy to do and I don't have to fiddle with attaching the ribbed
band after I take the work off the machine. I'm not particularly a fan
of the Commercial Neckline look. I want the home-made look to my family
sweaters and I feel this one is a very good neckline. I prefer to use
the double-stitch latching on these since it gives it a bit of a different
look rather than plain ribbing.
We have a child's quick-knit sweater in this issue and it uses this
ribbing on the bottom, sleeves and of course, the neckline. It's a standard
pattern I've used for years since I first began converting hand-knit
once I got my first knitting machine. I used to use this pattern for
all my kids hand-knit sweaters many-many moons ago. Guess I'm too much
of a fuddy-duddy, but when I find a pattern I like, I just keep on using
it to death.
Our sample is made with Mary Lou's Solo yarn on a Brother Standard Gauge
machine. It is knit at T:7.
Now let's knit this neckline!!
- For
our sample in the picture above, we cast on 80 stitches.
- Knit
30 rows or so and have the carriage at the RIGHT of your machine.
- Take
off the middle 14 stitches onto ravel cord. (see picture below)
- Pull
the stitches at the left of your machine into hold and don't forget
to flip on the hold feature! (I've been known to do that)
- *Knit
2 rows on the right set of 32 stitches.
- Ravel
off 1 stitch at the neckline edge.*
- Repeat
from * to * until you have 20 stitches remaining in work on your machine.
- Knit
8 rows (watch your weights and any stitches that may want to commit
suicide on the neck edge).
- Scrap
off your work (see picture below).
- Move
carriage over to the left side of your machine.
- Take
machine off hold.
- Repeat
again from * to * reversing shaping until you have only 20 stitches
on the machine in work.
- Scrap
that shoulder off as well.
- See
the how-to pics below.
- Pull
ravel cord and re-hang the stitches back onto your machine.
- Add
the side stitches (of those 8 rows before scrapping off).
- Take
a good look at the neckline edge. If you've used too much weight near
the portion where you begin adding additional stitches to the ravel
cords and you see a noticeable gap there, snag the purl bar from the
stitch next to it and hang that onto the needle. I did this in our sample
and also at the point where I knit the 8 rows before scrapping. Some
don't bother, but I like it better with that purl bar addition.
- In
the sample, I now have 52 stitches on my machine. Because of how I ended,
my carriage is now on the left of the machine.
- Pull
all the needles out to "E" position ("D" on Studio)
- Rethread
your machine with main yarn and also with the ravel cord. Change to
T:9
- Knit
1 row across to right, drop ravel cord from carriage. I use this as
my marker row for latching up the rib. If you don't need to, then don't
bother. My bifocals drive me nuts sometimes so I need that extra bit
of help.
- Knit
2 rows. Reduce tension 2 clicks
- Repeat
this until you are down to T:5.2.
- Beginning
at left edge, ravel down the 4th stitch to the ravel cord marker. Latch
up one, then latch up two at a time to the top. Skip 3 stitches, repeat
the ravel down and latching up sequence across the work. SEW work off
machine from right to left.
Now
for some how-to pics ...
 
 
This photo is how it looks from the purl side. I like the lacy effect
of the double-up latching. It looks especially nice on little girls knits
when you have some lace or textured stitches in the main body of the work.
In the two pictures below, I wanted
to show you how this type of neck band has plenty of stretch and easily
snaps back into place. All I did was pull it out and let it go. I didn't
pat-down nor steam the work at all. It went back all by itself. Great
for kiddie clothing!
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