KNITTED INSERTS FOR SWEATSHIRTS

snowflake 1. Floral snowflake design is suitable for either punchcard or electronic knitters, and requires yarn which knits to a gauge of 8 sts, 11 rows per inch. We originally used Nomis 3/15 Excellence. The closest currently available substitute is Yarn Country Cameo. Cast on 196 needles with WY and ravel cord. E-wrap cast on with White over all working needles to form a permanent edge. K 14 rows. Change to Fairisle. Knit 37 rows in pattern. Change back to Stockinette and knit 15 rows White. In order to allow some extra room while blocking and bonding interfacing, the top edge will be removed on WY, then rehang the White loops at the top edge and bind off for a finished edge. DO NOT REMOVE WY.

Suggested Colors: Background White, borders Rose, star Jade Green. This is equally effective in any other two colors desired, but one should closely match the sweatshirt color.

tree 2. Christmas tree design is suitable for either punchcard or electronic knitters, requires yarn which knits to a gauge of 8 sts, 11 rows per inch. We originally used Nomis 3/15 Excellence. The closest currently available substitute is Yarn Country Cameo. Cast on 196 needles with WY and ravel cord. E-wrap cast on with White over all working needles to form a permanent edge. Knit 12 rows. Change to Fairisle. Work 43 rows in pattern, change back to Stockinette and knit 11 rows White. In order to allow some extra room while blocking and bonding interfacing, the top edge will be removed on WY, then rehang the White loops at the top edge and bind off for a finished edge. DO NOT REMOVE WY.

Suggested Colors: Background white, package Red, Bows on top of packages Gold, trees Green. A slightly more complicated color scheme would be to knit the first two rows of the tree Red to simulate a tree stand, and knit the last three rows Gold to simulate a star. Embroider multicolored french knots on the trees, sew on pearl strings, etc. But these embellishments should be sewn on after bonding the interfacing for best results. Also, tiny brass charms are often available during the holiday crafting season. These may be attached with jump rings, or sewn on, as desired.

3. Block insert and bond interfacing. If you have blocking wires, insert them around all four edges of the panel. If you do not have blocking wires, carefully pin out panel upside down on a padded surface, placing pins in the WY sections top and bottom. Be sure to keep all edges straight. Block well, but do not stretch the insert out of shape. I also prefer to preshrink the interfacing to prevent bubbling later. I just soaked the interfacing in warm tap water, rolled in a towel to absorb moisture, then hung it up to air dry.

4. Be sure all edges of insert are straight and corners are square. Measure carefully, both width and length, for the body of the insert. (Do not measure the WY sections.) Cut interfacing the same size as the insert, and place it rough side down on the wrong side of the insert. Follow instructions included with the interfacing to bond it to the insert. Allow to cool completely before handling. Often the interfacing peels away from the long edges. this can be eliminated by sewing a narrow, long zigzag stitch just inside the edge of the interfacing. Remove WY from top and bottom of insert. Follow instructions for "Sweatshirt" to insert band into shirt.


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