Knittable zippers

Carrie's quest for a black zippered hoodie continues. Sadly, this project did not pan out [imagine the sound of "Taps" being played here]. But let's not talk about that right now! Instead, let's talk about the act of actually inserting a zipper into a handknit garment.

How many of you have done it? Believe it or not, no one here at Sheepish has ever tried it (and we've tried all sorts of crazy stuff). Quite frankly, it sounds fraught with danger. The thought of taking a garment we've spent endless hours creating, and then running it through a sewing machine, kind of makes us hyperventilate. But what are the other options? Hand-sewing? That seems like it would be inexact, not very secure, or just plain sloppy. Possibly all three.

Curious about the best way to tackle this task, Carrie did some internet research and found this video. AND IT BLEW OUR MINDS. Take a look:

Video by Interweave Craft

Isn't that cool? If this works, it could be a game-changer. We might become all-zippers-all-the-time knitters (well, probably not, because we can't resist pretty buttons).

What do you think? Would you try this? (And by the way, yes, we've already tracked down a source for that tiny latch hook thingy.)

Creating a self fringe

Love the look of a fringed scarf but hate the tedious business of cutting a million little lengths of fringe to attach? Consider a self fringe!

It's easy to create a self fringe. This is a fringe that hangs from the side of your piece rather than the ends. Consider this shawlette (Amalthea, knit in Pima Silk Hand Paint):

At the end of this project, there are 18 stitches left. To finish it, we knit the first five stitches and then bind off the rest of the row.

Now here's the fun part. We take those five remaining stitches and...drum roll...unravel them!

Ta-da! A little blocking would relax the fringe and straighten it out a bit, but we kind of like it with this "ramen noodley" look.

Pretty cool, huh?

Bind-offs that don't bind

Do you ever have a problem with your bind-off being too tight? It's a common issue, and can really be trouble if your bound-off edge needs to be flexible in order to fit right (such as a toe-up sock or top-down hat) or if you want your finished piece to drape evenly all the way around (such as a circular scarf).

One thing you can do to combat the tight bind-off is simply use a larger needle for your bind-off than you used for the rest of your project. That'll do in a pinch, but sometimes it leaves your edge looking a little floppy. Luckily, there are some alternate techniques that provide a beautiful bound off edge with plenty of give.

1. Elizabeth's Stretchy Sewn Bind-Off: This method was developed by the legendary Elizabeth Zimmermann. It's ideal for neckbands, cuffs, or anything else that needs to stretch and bounce back. It's kind of like the Kitchener stitch, except you're not stitching anything together. Here's a video that demonstrates this simple, effective process.

 

YouTube video by KannD86

2. Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off: This one is similar to a standard bind-off, except it adds a yarn wrap step for extra flexibility. The advantage of this technique is that, unlike the Sewn Bind-Off, you don't have to guess about how much yarn to leave for a sewing tail.

YouTube video by planetpurl

3. K2Tog Bind-Off: Here's a great bind-off option for items that need to drape, like cowls. It's also ideal for binding-off lace projects so their edges can be flexible enough for blocking.

YouTube video by AllFreeKnitting

There are other stretchy bind-offs out there, but these are the ones we've used and liked. Try them and see which one you prefer! Do you know of some other good ones? Tell us in the comments!