A.R.A.N. PROJECT

Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 06:47:12 -0400 (EDT)
To: knit@bolis.com
Subject: KNIT: Anyknitter's Revolving Aran Network...Post #19-Underarm
               Stitches

Good Morning all.

THE A.R.A.N. sweater has come to a decision point in my knitting, and I
have some ideas to pass along...

For those of you new to this A.R.A.N. project, please know that we started
it last spring with the hopes of being done by now. As with good knitting
projects where you still remain in charge (you own the knittting...it
doesn't own you), this one needed more time to age in the knitting basket
than I had planned for, so here we are on October 12, just getting to the
yoke. Better late than never. If you are intrigued with the idea of
knitting along with the 60 of us who are currently working on this
sweater...you can get all of the pattern written-to-date at Esther's site
(thank you, Esther)...the address is below my signature. 

CABLE NOTE

As I was knitting along, I stopped at some point on each sleeve...I think
it was after a round 12 of the KNITLIST CELTIC PLAIT had been completed.
When I got to the body a strange thing happened...I got lost.  After much
contemplation, I realized that knitting to the required body side-seam
length did not work out as tidily as I had hoped, and the cables did what
they wanted to do, which left me stopping on a row 4 of the KNITLIST
CELTIC PLAIT. After some indecision, I decided to go back and add four
rows to each sleeve, bringing the centered cable in line with the body, so
that I could at least keep track of THAT cable with some certainty in my
newly-to-be-formatted-yoke-of-body chart, and let the rest of the cables
proceed as they wanted to. Knitter's Fudge. 

PERCENTAGE SWEATERS

EZ's basic sweater plan calls for 8% of the "K" number of stitches to be
placed on holders at 4 places where underarm joins will take place. These
"live stitches" will be slipped off the working needles and just left
there to be finished later. My favorite holders are long lengths of
slippery yarn (mercerized cotton is great...superwash wool works well,
too). 

So...first get out your calculator and then some spare yarn and a darning
needle. Speaking of darning needles...have you used the Clover needles
with the bent tips? I think there are other brands out there, but mine are
the gold ones in the pink and white case (which is worth the price of the
needles as I NEVER lose them now). 

UNDERARM CALCULATIONS

My "K" number is 276 sts...which I counted TWICE...and they are all there. 
So...8% of 276 is...  .08 x 276= 22.08, which we immediately round to 22. 

22 stitches will be placed on holders at 4 places. 

The 4 places are as follows...

22 stitches at the beginning of the round of each sleeve (11 sts each side
of the marker). 

22 stitches at the beginning and halfway point of the body (11 sts each
side of the markers). 

EASY TECHNIQUE TO MARK THE BODY UNDERARM ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE
CIRCLE...simply spear the stitches with your yarn-on-darning-needle, pull
through the 22 sts, and leave there.  When you get around to knitting to
the yarn marked sts, simply drop them off the needle. 

Tomorrow...we assemble the yoke. To make it easier...make sure your
sleeves are placed on circular needles...any size or length as long as the
needle width is the same or smaller than your working needle. 

Claudia knitting at Countrywool overlooking Blue Hill in the Hudson Valley
of NY State in the USA
Countrywool@berk.com
get the complete Anyknitter's Revolving Aran Network (A.R.A.N.) pattern
at: Esther's Knitting Page   http://www.cs.oswego.edu/~ebozak/knit