Joining for the body.

[jackandahat]

This is going to be one of those questions where I try, badly, to explain the problem. It's like knitting charades!

I'm knitting a top-down raglan pullover. I've made little ones before, but this is my first me-sized.

When I get to join the arms... well. Imagine that when you knit up to the arm hole you have side A (the stuff on the right needle, "before" the arm hole) and side B (the stuff on the left, "after"). Even if I just knit straight across, I end up with a gaping gap between the bit I've knitted and where I would knit the stitches for the arm. And that's even without casting on more stitches, which makes the gap even clearer. (Not the gap caused by the cast-on stitches, I know you pick them up - I mean just... a random gap.)

And I know it says to pick up some stitches but the "gap" is pretty unpickupable, part of it is where the increased stitches were and if I try to pick up I get one loop pulled away from the rest and it looks ugly.

Does this make sense to anyone? Is it something I've done wrong? Help?

*Throws self on your mercy* I've made teddy bear sweaters and met this problem before, but I solved it by just sewing it up. But that's not as neat as it could be, and there must be a better way, so.

ETA:


The orange is the thread my arms are on, so you can see the bottom of the arms. The needle is just the first row knitted across. You can see the gap between them.

Comments

[pinesandmaples]

Are you talking about having a ladder there? Because there are some solutions to that, but the easiest one is just blocking it out.

(Also, you're knitting a top-down raglan pullover.)

[jackandahat]

Is it not a sweater? It's a jumper where I am, but last time I called it that I confused 80% of the internet! *Is confused*

No, not a ladder - this is a lousy picture, but the orange is the thread I have the arms on, and you can see a big gap between the bottom of there and where the arms actually join. And the weird thing being that the gaps aren't even - one is longer than the other.

And when I attempt to pick them up, I just get messy holes - I don't usually have a problem picking up, it's just there's nothing stable to pick up, it's random stretched-out stitches.

[suncat]

It is a sweater, say, in U.S. parlance. But it's a pullover sweater -- you put it on by pulling it over your head, yes? We also use the term "sweater" for cardigans, that are open down the front. We say "pullover sweater" or "cardigan sweater".

Isn't language great?

[jackandahat]

...no wonder I get confused.

[james]

Try picking up a stitch one row below the edge, from the inside (so you're pulling the loop up from the inside of the underarm. You'll want to check that you're not making the outside edge look weird, but sometimes you luck out and can find a loop that works. Basically, try snagging different loops along the edge to see which ones work. It doesn't *have* to be the very edge because, yeah, those loops can pull a lot and have big gaps.

Also, sewing up gaps afterward with the long tail is a time-honoured technique. ;-) So don't worry if that's what you do.

(And a pullover is the same thing as a jumper is the same thing as a sweater - the important bit is 'top-down raglan' which describe the type of construction.)

[jackandahat]

Ah, so I haven't totally screwed something up, it's actually kind of normal? That's reassuring - I wasn't sure if it was something plenty of people did and just didn't mention, or if I'd done something ridiculous.

*Makes note* Thank you.

[aunty_marion]

Heh. You should see me swearing and sweating as I carefully darn over the holes at the corners of the heels of my socks...

[jackandahat]

That's the weird thing - I haven't had to do that in ages. It just... stopped. I don't know what I suddenly started doing right! But it's nice to know it is acceptable/normal and not me doing something randomly weird.

[seryn]

The raglan instructions I first read suggested leaving a longer tail on the yoke end of the arms because there is always an issue with the join at the underarm. The difference is probably exacerbated by smaller sweaters/jumpers having a lot fewer underarm stitches.

[jackandahat]

Well, it's good to know it's not just me! (Though I'm not sure I'd call me small... hmm.)

[anatsuno]

heh, I have that problem every time. I worked out quick enough that it was a structural issue and not my Own Fault (tm) but I have never yet come across a clear tutorial on the way I should pick up stitches at the underarm when comes the time to do the sleeves and plug that hole. Patterns seem content with saying 'pick up 3 underarm stitches' or some such imprecise nonsense, and I just /wish/ that once I'd find a clearly illustrated how-to for that precise bit of knitting. SIGH.

in short: you are not alone. All is normal, if a little fucked up and annoying. *g*

[jackandahat]

Thank you. I will not be defeated by a jumper! *Shakes fist*

[synecdochic]

Like everyone else says, that's totally what the tail of the yarn you add in for the arm knitting is for. *g*

I kinda-sorta get around it by picking up a few extra stitches along the edges and doing a few k2tog on the first round, but it's an imprecise art, and there's usually some Fixing Via Ends Weaving In going on.

[jackandahat]

In that case, I shall relax and knit on!