Sunday, February 06, 2005

Deco Cuff Pants Tutorial

It's not really a tutorial, just a list of tips that I discovered when doing the cuffs for Rowan's Pants (see the enticing pictures below).
  • Look for edging patterns that are "strong". Decorative cuffs are going to take a bit of abuse. Lots of eyelets or open stitches are a recipe for snagging. A pattern that starts and ends with a couple of stockinette or garter stitch are best. If your pattern doesn't call for it, add it and do a test swatch. Some patterns look just fine with the addition.
  • Your pattern should have a small repeat. Ideally you want to repeat that pattern at least 5-6 times around. The increase for a pattern with a large stitch repeat might also cause your cuff to flare more than you intend.
  • I originally intended to make Rowan's cuffs flare more at the bottom than what they did. My increase was 6 stitches - about 1.5" and it really didn't flare, but it still looks nice. To get a true flare, I would need to increase to at least two pattern repeats (approx.)
  • Use M1 increases that don't leave holes. Count the number of stitches you have on your needles. Divide the number of stitches on your needles by the pattern repeate (# of stitches). If this isn't an even number, round up and multiple your stitch repeat by the rounded number. Subtract the current number of stitches from your needed number of stitches and increase evenly around.