Tips for Making a Neckline that Works for You

Knitwear designers do the best they can to make garments that work for everyone, but sometimes the neckline of a sweater just doesn’t work out when knit as the pattern states. It could be that your cast on or bind off is too loose or too tight, or maybe you just want to knit a different kind of ribbing or otherwise make it your own.

Tin Can Knits has some great tips for fixing necklines that don’t work for you. The blog post notes that when you’re knitting an ever-popular top-down sweater, all the weight of the sweater is being supported by the cast on, and sometimes you just need more structure than that. It’s a relatively easy fix, especially if you plan ahead for the possibility when you start knitting.

Check out their blog for all the tips and details to make your best sweater neckline!

[Photo: Tin Can Knits.] Looking for sweater patterns? Check these books out.

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Many times when I write these posts I will say something like “you can use any yarn you want” or “this would be a great stash-busting project.” That’s just how my mind works. And my stash, too, since I probably have sweater quantity of two or three yarns at most, but tons of singles and odd balls and leftovers.

Blankets are generally a really good way to use up those bits, but in this case, I think you’re going to want to plan it out a bit better.

Looking at photos of the Color Study Blanket from Purl Soho, it looks like it’s made with two yarns held together, and that block in the center is worked with one of each color from the adjoining sides to make a mixed up color.

But that’s not actually how it’s done. This is three separate colors (four, really, with the neutrals in the corners) chosen form a yarn with an expansive palette so they play off each other. The project calls for a worsted weight superwash wool, which is a great choice for a blanket that’s both warm and washable.

This pattern was originally designed by Laura Ferguson and was updated by Hiromi Glover. It is worked in one piece in garter stitch intarsia, which is a great way to learn the intarsia technique if you don’t already know it. It comes in crib or throw sizes.

Despite the introduction to this post, I am going to go ahead and say that, yes, of course you could do this blanket with scraps or odd balls or even just choose five colors that don’t blend together so easily. But I really do love the look of the color play, and I think it would be worth your time to find colors that play well together to get a similar effect.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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