These hints have been collected from the Ample-Knitters list and make use of the collective wisdom of the list members. Jill Vosburg's versatile Diamond Patch Sweater has twice been a group “knitalong” project on Ample-Knitters, and over 100 list members have knit this sweater at least once!
Ample-Knitters thanks Jill Vosburg for such a wonderful design and for unflagging assistance and support to list members knitting the sweater, Susan Blake for compiling these hints and coordinating the recent knitalong, Carol Hurt and Betsey Hoyt for putting together the hints that are collected on Jill Vosburg's site, all the Ample-Knitters listers who have knit this sweater and shared their triumphs and frustrations, and designer Joyce Williams for her hint about an alternate finish for the bottom points of the sweater. Joyce is not an ample-knitters lister, but kindly gave me permission to include her suggestion in this compendium.
Please do note that some of these hints and tips are contradictory! They represent individual experiences, and certainly your mileage may vary considerably. Different yarns, different needles and different knitting styles all play a big part in the equation. Good knitting!
Choosing Your Yarn/Quantity Hints
Gauge Hints
Sizing/Length
Sleeve Variations
Neckline Variations/Changes
Construction Hints
Pattern Errata - early versions only
Choosing Your Yarn/Quantity Hints
Q: Is 1000 yards of Linor enough?
A: I'm doing the tunic length with about 60” hips (I really like the look of the shorter sweater, but did the 5-across version and since those patches are smaller the length was just too short with only three rows). I bought a 2.1 pound cone (about 1800 yards, I believe), and think I will have maybe 3-4 ounces of yarn left. Your sweater will be smaller than mine, but I still think it sounds like you are apt to be a little short with 1000 yards.
• When choosing yarn for the DP, the resulting fabric should have a nice drape. And casting on loosely for the hemline diamonds will prevent them from curling up.
But as Pat noted, that does not preclude using wool yarn. Some wools drape very nicely. Wool yarns vary greatly in quality. Some are soft, light and fluffy and will not drape. Others are positively languid. As an extreme example, mohair would probably not work well because it is so lightweight.
A big part of it is your gauge, how you knit, and what kind of sweater you want. If you chose cotton yarn and knitted at a tight gauge, you could end up with a fabric resembling cardboard - no drape there!
• Linor was used for the original shown in the photo. It's been discontinued (one of my all-time favorite yarns, sob!), but is still widely available. Bernat Cot'nSoft works up well and is economical. Even LionBrand Kitchen Cotton would work, but would make a heavier sweater.
Jenny by Berroco which does contain wool (and is another one of my favs) would be wonderful for the DP. I'd love to see a photo of that.
Most ribbons are drapey and would work well (except for the $$ part!). I've found the ribbon issue of “keeping it flat vs. allowing it to twist” varies a lot depending on the yarn. Berroco's Glace ribbon looks wonderful when you just knit it as it comes. I usually rig up a holder by sticking a spare needle through holes in a shoebox to let ribbon unreel so it stays mostly flat, but I'm usually not fanatical about it. I hope this helps with yarn choices! (FROM JILL)
Re: Using Brentwood Yarns Rayco, used double
This yarn (rayon/cotton) sounds beautiful and it should have some shine as well as some drape...and some “crispness” with the cotton. So you have the best of all 3 attributes in one yarn! When I am going to work double - I add the 2 gauges together - in your case 7+7=14 and then divide by 3....so you should get a gauge of about 4.66 sts per inch on stockinette. After you get the “feel” you're looking for on a st st swatch - on the needles you prefer....then try making a diamond to figure out the size from there. If your diamond is not the size you need - then all you have to do is follow Jill's instructions to cast on more stitches.
Can you use chunky weight yarn? Sure - the important things are to use a drapey yarn such as cotton, rayon, linen or blends of these fibers, and to get the right size diamonds. A chunky cotton might be too heavyweight and stretch out of shape, so maybe a cotton/synthetic blend would work better for chunky yarn. When you figure your yardage, try lifting the resulting amount of yarn - if it's hard to lift, it might be hard to wear! (FROM JILL)
• I will also make my next one the shorter length, after seeing how good it looks on others. The tunic length is nice, though, too. Just don't be afraid to use a nice, drapey, even somewhat slinky yarn! Heavier fabrics tend to be stiff and thicker and just look bigger. Soft fabrics drape better and look nicer, even on those of us who don't want to have things fit closer.
• Jill doesn't recommend the use of acrylic on this pattern because you need “drape” and acrylic is prone to curl and of course you can't iron it if it does. She does recommend worsted weight or heavy worsted weight rayon, linen, cotton by themselves or in blends. I am doing mine in soft cotton for summer and although it's a bit heavy, I really like it. Jill did hers in Berroco Linor (I think), which is a blend but it has been discontinued. I did see it on the net, can't remember where but it was a bit more expensive than I was up for. Carol's yarn was very expensive (Prism, Bon Bon) but certainly looks worth it!
• Betsey's in Linor (now discontinued) and Carol's in BonBon (which is like Glace) were beautiful and got lots of compliments at Stitches MW last year.
• I used textured cotton which looks and feels fabulous.
• My Sugar 'n Cream version took about 1-1/2 cones of yarn.
• My bust measures 45” - I used 1200 yards of BonBon.
Gauge Hints
• The swatch is the key!! Play with the needle size and number of stitches until you get the feel of fabric you like and the size. Then the rest is easy.
One important thing: you can't just swatch a st st square and then decide your gauge is correct. I don't think any of you would do that anyhow:) The swatch really needs to be an entire diamond. I think I made 4 diamonds, began knitting one row, then the second, frogged 3 times, and then FINALLY realized (duh) that it was growing as I attached each row because of the bias and the drape - which you DO want. (The first attempt at the second row ended up being 70”.)
You do want the diamond to be drapey, but not too soft, and not too loose a gauge - a lot to ask but once you do it you won't regret the time spent.
• For those who prefer a loose gauge, going down a needle size on subsequent rows of the DPS can indeed mean a snugger fit for the top. But not all of us use a loose gauge and going down a needle size for some of us would result in a nasty, tight, stiff batch of diamonds.
• Hand is certainly a subjective thing. My taste may not be yours. My years as a machine knitter developed in me a liking for fabrics with a firmer hand compared to what most of my handknitting friends use. I swatched the Linor for my DPS on 3 different needles to get a fabric I liked. Going down a needle size for me wouldn't have been a good option to tweak the fit.
Sizing/Length
Caution from the designer, Jill Vosburg
The hints below suggest that the DP sweater grows from the original patch measurement. This growth factor depends heavily on the yarn chosen and how firmly the edge sts are worked, and I know at least one person who followed this advice ended up with a DP that was too small. The “growing” did not happen with any of the DPs I knitted, and is not mentioned in the pattern. A major factor is how firm the edge stitches are worked... if they are quite
loose, that will add to the width of the finished piece.
Most Important Note - The first row “grows” about 8” when it's put together. So what everyone has done is work a patch that you like, measure it, and see how many you need to equal your EXACT measurements and then knit the first row. It will grow enough to be perfect size with the right amount of ease. SO......do first row to your EXACT hip measurement (or bust measurement if making a shorter version).
MOST IMPORTANTLY - the first row grows about 6” when it is all “connected” so keep this in mind
• I don't think you need to do serious blocking on these swatches. Certainly don't force it into a shape. I laid my damp swatch out on an ironing board and let it dry to it's own shape. After it was mostly dry, I even hung most of it over the edge of the ironing board to let it dangle there for a day.
It should be approximately square. However, it will be square with sides the length of the relaxed bottom edges. In other words, the excess size of the sides will basically go away when you pick up the stitches and start the next row.
• The patches are basically square, and so the 9” is the hypotenuse. You can figure out how how many inches long your first row has to be by multiplying it by the square root of 2 (1.414). I was conservative and multiplied it by 1.45 as the patch doesn't hang square. :)
So, if you have a 9” wide square, you'd need 9 * 1.414 = 12.726” or, if you're like me, you'd allow 9 * 1.45 = 13.05”.
For 4 stitches to the inch, that would be 52 stitches, which is one of the “right” sizes. For 5 stitches to the inch, that would be 65 stitches. Since I allowed extra in the measurement, I'd go down to 64 stitches.
• I'd been using a complicated formula to estimate the diagonal length of a square based on the length of one side. Now thanks to several mathematically inclined people on another list, I've learned that the diagonal of a square is 1.4142135 times the length of one side. For knitting purposes, 1.4 is good enough. How true to life this is depends on how you knit, but it's a good starting point for figuring things out on paper. Could be useful for the DP - although the diamond patches are not exactly square, once they're joined they become relatively squarelike. So if you know your gauge, you can roughly figure out how wide the diamonds will be from point to point. (FROM JILL)
• My shoulders are smaller, in proportion to the rest of my body - soooooo I started off the first row with size 9 needles, worked 2 rows, changed on row 3 to size 8 for 2 rows, and ended with 7's at the shoulders.
• You probably want to go down needle sizes above the bottom row or bottom 2 rows though. Otherwise it'll be huge. :)
• If you are making the short version like Carol Hurt's in the Gallery - you don't even have to consider your hip measurements because it won't reach down that far. Go only for the bust measurement. I also graduated to smaller needles at the shoulder area. I do have a thick waistline - but the bust measurement worked just fine.
• Remember it will “hang” longer because of the bias construction. I think the shorter version would be really nice if anyone has much difference between their hips and bust measurements. My opinion, of course - ha ha.
• I've read with interest a lot of the comments about the correct dimensions for the DP. As I understand it, it's best to make it without added ease, as it fits better when it's put together later.
• I really didn't add any “ease” because the bias causes the sweater to “drape” and thus you don't need any real “ease” - plus as our hints say and as you have heard others on the list mention - it really stretched from my swatch measurements when I added the rows.
• The length of the finished DP garment is determined by the number of rows of diamonds you make. If you decide on a larger size diamond and do a 3 patch version, adding an extra row for a tunic length could make it too long for you. Check your gauge patch measurements! You can also tell more about the drape of your gauge patch if you hang it up with a little weight on the point (try a snap clothes pin) for a day.
Q: I have a 52” bust measurement and swatched the diamonds at 5 1/2”. Five-patch equals 10 diamonds at 5.5 inches equals a 55” sweater, right? Well, ladies, the d*** thing must have been 70” or better when I made the final join for the first circle, and is still at 65” or more after the third row. Any idea what I am doing to get this massive oversize error?
A: I really haven't figured out “why” it happens. What I did to remedy the problem was to figure your diamonds to *exactly* your widest measurement - be it your bust or your hips. I made sure that the “swatch” diamond was stretched out from East to West plenty when I measured it. I also swatched by making an actual diamond - not by just a st st square. The growth of the rows allows for your ease. i.e. I am 52” at my widest point (hips) and figured my diamonds to add up to exactly 52” (no ease figured in) - when I finished it measured about 56 inches or exactly what I wanted :) Since my bust and shoulder area are smaller than my hips, I gradually went down from 8's (hip area)to 7's to 6's (shoulder area) every 2 rows. You can see my DP on the Gallery.
The DPS is one tricky sweater to guess what's going to happen. As you are knitting it, the patches look all stretched out. Then when you wear it, it goes in the opposite direction as it hangs down and pulls in. Somehow the forces all balance out and I found the gauge I got from my swatch matched what happened after the sweater was worn.
Q: Okay, experienced DP'ers---I am working mine in the horizontal fashion, and I have the first two rows of diamonds completed. When I lay my work in progress flat on the table and measure it, I get 52”. My actual bust measurement is 48”, so it seems that it should be perfect. When I slip it over my head, however and try what I have done so far on, it looks like it will be HUGE. My patches are 5” wide, and I noticed that the spaces between the points of my second row, where the third row of diamonds will be fitting in, measure almost 6” each. My question is: Do you guys think that when I actually get that third row knitted in it will pull my work back into shape, or will this puppy keep getting wider and wider with every row of patches that I add? Also, when it is completed, will the weight of the finished garment pull itself back down, so that the patches are stretching somewhat in length and not so much in width? I will appreciate any words of advice or encouragement those of you who have been here and done that can give me!
A1: I used a cotton/acrylic blend which has a pretty heavy drape...I switched down 1 needle size at the beg of row 3...I should have gone down another size on the last few rows...My tummy is larger than my bust...So I have too much ease at the bust-line...when I added the neck-band it did pull in the sweater, however it caused the excess fabric to bunch up and gather at the spot where bust darts would normally fall... I'm being super picky here and this was the appearance just off the needles and prior to washing and blocking.
DP #2 is a 12 patch with 4 inch diamonds in the Diagonal version and where the armhole begins, I have eliminated the ending triangle and the excess fabric for a better fitting garment at the bust...As the following rows are added it's as if I decreased for an angled armhole to accommodate a set-in sleeve...Also, I am able to add extra patches around the neck leaving a smaller opening to have to contend with...this is due to the smaller a patch size with the added bonus of having the front and back “ V “ not as deep...I have more control as to the construction of the DP and will not have to change needle sizes at all......I'm using Cotton Colors...a yarn that is lighter in weight than the yarn (Club Soft).
If you are very busty then you may want to knit according to the directions...but if you have a smaller bust, you may want to go down 1 needle size at the beginning of the 3rd row and then again at the 4th row to the end...
A2: I panicked too but just kept on trusting and followed the pattern. It works, but you won't realize it until the neckband is done. The neckband does pull in the opening to a non-shocking place and the drape of the diamonds narrows the garment as you wear it. The heavier the fiber you used, the more drape you get. Which I assume is why Jill recommends them. I wish I had used a heavier cotton/rayon type in my first one; I've got one picked out for the next one though!
• Several people have switched to the next size smaller needles for the third row of diamonds, but the hand (drape and texture - we're in the textile business around here!) of my diamonds changed too much. I would go ahead and try the third row just like you're doing - that four inches of ease you have now will decrease when the shoulders and neck are done.
Q: My diamonds measure 7” across relaxed and 8” if gently stretched and 9” if stretched to the MAX. I need a finished size of 53”. Do I used the swatched diamonds and assume they will 'grow' to 9” or do I add stitches to achieve my measurement?
A: I would go with a relaxed measurement, myself. Yes, the diamonds do get stretched out widthwise, but they are also under pressure to stretch down on the bias when you wear it. I would aim for a relaxed measurement that gives you an 8.8” diamond. If it were me, I would add stitches to my diamond to make it a bit bigger. That will give you a longer diamond, but you are tall and that would be a plus. Add stitches in increments of 2 (of course) and you don't have to add them in clumps of 6 as the pattern suggests. It's not hugely important what row the diamond ends on - close to the garter row or not is no big deal to the look.
Remember, if you're adding stitches to make your basic diamond wide enough, you will also have to do more rows to complete the diamond. Thus, your diamonds are going to be longer than the pattern diamonds and your finished sweater is also going to be longer. Be aware of the length change that happens when you make your diamonds wider.
The most important measurement is of the “patch” at its widest section from point to point...this number multiplied by the number of patches should equal your actual bust size...as you connect the patches together the sweater will grow another 5+ inches which will give the necessary ease for wearing...
• Always go for the “larger” measurement. You can always graduate to a smaller needle as you pass that larger area. Just keep in mind, that this is a bias knit garment and will have enough stretch and ease to be forgiving. It drapes beautifully and I wouldn't concern myself too much over 2” difference. I am a 5” difference between my “derriere” and my bust (guess which is bigger
Sleeve Variations
• I did 3” more on my sleeves to make them short rather than cap sleeves. i.e. many more repeats :) Also I put more rows in between the garter ridges so the sleeve pattern would match the diamond pieces.
Q: “By the way, has anyone tried doing the sweater without the half diamonds at the arm holes and instead pick up the stitches along the sides where the half diamonds would have been and do diamonds DOWN the sleeves to make the arms and end up with zig zags at the wrists same as the hem?? Is this possible???”
A1: Well, I didn't make full-length sleeves, but I did make elbow-length ones, exactly the way you describe. I didn't want zig-zag hems, so filled in with half-triangles, and edged same as the neckline. You'll find it doesn't take nearly as many rows of diamonds as you think!
A2: I believe the diamond patch itself is a square, it's the weight of the yarn that pulls it into a diamond, so I would think this might indeed be possible.
So it might be best to start the sleeves at the wrist and attach them to the shoulders last so the diamond would all run “down” and drape properly??
This is one reason the one we made was done as a cylinder from the bottom up, I know there was the other option of making it in one piece from bottom to shoulders and then down the back but I thought the diamonds would be “upside down” at the back and I wanted it to drape the same all the way around.
And because of the length being determined by length of diamonds we might end up with more like three quarters sleeves.
Longer sleeves?: Absolutely - the pattern includes instructions for lengthening the cap sleeves. A friend of mine lengthened her sleeves to elbow length and was very happy with the result. (FROM JILL)
• When I did my DP, the sleeves were initially wayyyy too big. I solved the problem very easily by knitting on more rows after the short rows and making a long short sleeve (ie tee shirt length). At that length the extra depth to the armhole doesn't leave me exposed, and it fits quite nicely.
To make the sleeves not quite as deep, I sewed up the half-diamonds on the armhold edge for about half their depth) and added extra rows of ribbing around the neck.
I wanted a set-in sleeve for my DPS, so I let the top of one of the diamonds be a sort of raglan decrease line, and then went straight up half a diamond in from the edge. I had two diamonds meet at the underarm - their slanting tops gave me just the nice angled slope I needed for the bottom of the sleeve, and above them I had one half diamond flanking the armhole and the half shoulder diamond above that flanks the neck:
Once I finished up the body, I tried it on and decided that I had much too deep an armhole opening. I filled in the too big opening with little half sized diamonds and they raised the armhole opening to just the right height.
A2: Someone asked about a 4 patch version of the DP. I did this version (see gallery). It works about the same as the 5 across version. I found the arm hole openings a bit snug on mine and noted that if I made another, I would do 2 half diamonds facing each other, a pair on each side of the row where you decide the arm openings will be. You can make a small seam to close the opening on the half diamonds to the desired size easier than you can redesign the whole top part to accommodate an entire extra diamond for the armhole size. That change would have made the neck opening a bit less revealing on the original one I made.
Neckline Variations/Changes
• I originally did the neckline just the way it is described in the DPS booklet. You do a row of single crochet around the neck, and then pick up the neckline stitches and knit several rows of * K1 through back loop, P1* ribbing. It looked OK, but I really wasn't thrilled with the rather hard line left by the single crochet - it just wasn't as fluid as the rest of the knitting. I fretted about it a bit and decided to rip!
The second time, I just picked up the stitches along the neckline the same way you pick up stitches for a new patch. Then I started off with 4 rows of garter stitch, to more closely tie in the neckline with the patch design. Then I started the ribbing. I really like the way the garter bit looks - now the neckline patches are framed on all sides with garter like the rest of the patches.
Then I looked at the centered double decrease I had done per Jill's instructions and thought, why don't I do the same type of centered decreases as I did in the patches? IOW, do *k2tog, slip marker, SSK* and have the two columns of stitches side by side in the neck decreases the same way they run up the center of each diamond. So that's what I did, plus about 8 rows of the twisted 1x1 ribbing before the bind off.
• The neckline seems a bit wide for my tiny shoulders and I think that my bra straps would show. Also, it may be a little too low-cut for me. I am quite busty, and don't really need to be showing cleaveage. Is there any way to alter the DP to counteract those things?
I agree at first the neckline is huge, but by the time you do a few rows of the neck edging it comes in well.
I have very rounded shoulders and I am contemplating putting small tapes at the shoulder line with press studs or velcro to hold the sweater to my bra straps to counter the problem.
Next time we will put another row of diamonds in and there should be no problem at all.
• I agree with another a knitlister that said, “don't worry when you get to the neck. It will look way too big, but as Jill promises it comes in shape nicely following her instructions.”
• Low Neckline: You can make the neckline ribbing as deep as you wish, so if you want a higher neckline just keep ribbing! The ribbing is mitered so it will lie flat. Adding a “modesty triangle” is another possibility. (FROM JILL)
• You could easily make the neckband wider, I think mine was about 1 inch but if you made it wider it would fill in the neckline much more. Carol's list of hints for the DPS included someone's suggestion to make a garter stitch bit on the neckband before the ribbing started
• Also, keep in mind when your working the neckline - that it WILL look huge :) Jill even tells you that in the pattern. I kinda' had to use EZ's idea and “go lie down in a darkened room for a rest” when I got that far and saw how big the neckline is - plus the bias and the drape pull it down even further. Don't panic!!! When you do the neck edging it will pull in just fine - there are several options there too.
• Don't worry too much about the deep V neckline. You can add extra rows when finishing the neckline, or add a modesty triangle like several have done, or use some great crochet edging that you love until it looks right on you. I might try my next one by adding triangles in front and back.
Q: I have finished my DP out of Neveda Lemon Mist which is a brown/yellow/cream slubby cotton. ... mine is very large. It fits fine in the bust where I am large, but is large in the body part. ... the neck stretches out when I am wearing it. I have some very nice yellow cotton ... Any ideas on how to do that? Can I also block it even longer than it is?
A: When I lay mine out flat, it has about a foot of ease at the underarms. If yours is that big laid out flat, it might do the same thing mine did when I fixed the neck... develop what is almost a pleat right at the bottom of the vee. But I was pretty frustrated after about 5 tries, and wasn't about to rip it again.
But if yours isn't like that, what I would do is rip out the current neck and make one with the yellow yarn - then finish it with a row of single crochet. You can adjust your tension so that the “chain” stitches at the edge limit the stretch. If it suits your style, you could add a row of yellow sc to the bottom, too.
Or just do a sc castoff; again, your tension controls the amount of stretch.
Construction Hints
• You may also want to know that after you finish a diamond, you should leave about 3” of tail and then when you add the next diamond neighbor you can just carry this tail over and then under your stitches and it will be all woven in when you're done. Pretty cool not to have umpteen ends to weave in.
• I had ten balls of the yarn and realized even during the swatching process that if I bind off at the top of the diamond and cut the yarn as recommended, I have a loose end at precisely the point where I need to tie in a new yarn for the next diamond.
If you just cut the yarn to about 3 inches after you bind off the first diamond and then start the second diamond row by working over and under the 3 inch strand you will weave in as you go :)
• I wasn't sure when I got to row 37 if I should still knit the last stitch. Yes, is the answer. It just makes that row easy to pick up like all the others
• The ssk I like better for this design is the s1 as if to k, s1 as if to purl and place the left needle in front of 2 stitches on the right needle and k2tog. It looks great with the preceding k2tog.
• The usual SSK stands for Slip, Slip, Knit. You slip one stitch as if to knit, then slip another stitch as if to knit, then insert your left needle into the fronts of the two slipped stitches and knit them together.
• SSK is identical to “slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over.” So if you feel more comfortable with that decrease, you can use it instead of the ssk.
• Joyce Williams has an idea for the bottom of the sweater: “Another possibility would be to use an invisible cast on. Then when finished attach a two stitch I-cord bind-off along the bottom edge (or a sewn bind-off) to the open cast-on stitches. I find I have more control of an edge of this type by adding a bind-off after the garment is knit than starting out with a permanent cast-on. For example, I never use an I-cord as a cast-on, but frequently use an I-cord to bind off an invisible cast-on.” (Thanks to Joyce for her permission to use this quote.)
• When I followed the directions, I was not happy with the edge stitches on the left of the diamond. They seemed awfully loose, and it was difficult picking up the stitches for the next row. I tried something, and it seemed to work for me. At the beginning of the purl row, I slipped as if to knit instead of purl. This made the left edge stitches more nearly resemble those of the right.
Q: I'm trying to decide whether some judicious blocking will make the points lie flat or whether I'm going to have to break down and crochet around them, as the pattern instructs. I don't crochet very well, and the sample I used to practice on drew up and puckered when I tried to do a single-crochet around the edge.
A: Remember to work 3 single crochets in the tip of each point. Otherwise the points are bound to curl. You also might using a larger hook. (FROM JILL)
Q: I'm finished making all the diamonds and triangles for my DPS and now I'm stuck. The directions under “Two Very Short Seams” say to “fold the shoulder triangles and seam the free edge of each front to the back.” Does this mean that the front triangle and the back diamond are sewn tip to tip, or are they sewn together side to side alongside the side edges? Or, do you fold the triangle after the second ridge and do something to it? I'm not sure how this is supposed to go together.
A: The side of the triangle is sewn to the side of the diamond on the back. Fold the long edge of the triangles in half. (The actual shoulder line runs along this fold.)
You know where you picked up sts along the front diamonds to make the triangles? You sew them to the corresponding side of the diamonds on the back. I hope this is clear.
• I learned something new while swatching. I might be light years behind the rest of you, but for those of you who don't know this trick, it's worth posting. I found that my stack of SSKs was a little zig-zaggy, and I retrieved from deep inside my memory banks a little bit of information I read years ago but never used. If you slip the first SSK stitch as if to knit and the second one as if to purl, they lie flatter and make a better mirror image of the K2tog stitch. (FROM JILL)
• I cast on the first 18 stitches with long-tail, 14 with the 2-needle, then 18 with long-tail. This keeps the point from curling up but lets the rest of the diamond have a nice tight edge. You really just want to keep the point looser.
• I was doing it the way Jill recommends for your first effort--doing the base row first and breaking the yarn. And it seemed like I was making patches forever and getting nowhere in particular. So this time, I just went for it, and did it in the diagonal rows--and found that it worked up a LOT faster and easier. Now, that may have been a result of the technique, or it may have just been that I was more in the mood this time, or more efficient or whatever...but there really was a huge difference. So, if it doesn't seem to go for you one way, you might want to try the other. (Of course, doing it in diagonal rows does require that you have either faith in your measurements or a certain 'what the h*ll' attitude!)
• What I found when swatching with some cotton I had lying around is that it helps if you cast on for the diamonds on a needle about two or three sizes larger than you use to knit; i.e., I am working my patches on number 7 needles, but cast on for the bottom row of patches on a number 9 needle. This seems to help those points lie a little better.
• On the subject of knitting the patches one by one horizontally, breaking the yarn between each patch versus adding patches diagonally and not having to break the yarn as much (Jill discusses this in the pattern) - here's something I found out. Remember, I was doing a tunic, so I had several rows of patches to get through. When I doodled out my pattern, I realized I would have some long diagonal groups. After I started the DPS with the typical foundation rows of knitting a patch, breaking the yarn and knitting another patch, I started adding some patches diagonally without breaking the yarn. I was able to build up big areas of the sweater without having to break the yarn between every single patch.
Q: I'm on my 2nd diamond for the DP and I have a question. At the beginning of each row you slip as to purl. I got that part okay. On the knit rows, my yarn is in back, ready to knit. On the purl rows, what do I do? Do I slip as to purl with the yarn where it is (in back) and then bring it forward to begin purling, or do I bring it forward first like I normally would on a purl row, and then slip that first stitch purlwise?
A1: The position of the yarn doesn't effect the way you slip.....When you slip as if to purl you just put the point of your right needle into the stitch from “back to front” or like you are purling....When you slip as if to “knit” (on some other pattern) you slip with the point of y our right needle into the stitch from left to right as if you were going to knit. It's the direction the working needle is going - not the position of the yarn.
A2: On purl rows, you slip as if to purl with yarn in front and then just continue the purl row. The point is to get a nice firm chained edge to pick up from later.
If that method doesn't give you a firm chained edge, here's another way to do it - Knit the first stitch of every row through the back loop, and slip the last stitch as if to purl with yarn in front.
It doesn't matter which way you choose to do the edge stitches, as long as you get a firm chain along the edge. Loose edge stitches will give you a line of holes when you pick up, which come to think of it, might be an effect you'd like. Knitter's choice! (FROM JILL)
• I used the horizontal method as Jill said this was best for your first attempt. You have to cut the yarn after each diamond on the horizontal - because you're not picking up again in that same area...you're “ending” at the top of the diamond and then you pick up along the side of the one below.
It's one of those things you just have to do paragraph by paragraph AFTER you've gotten your gauge. I read it through once, but it doesn't make a lot of sense unless you've got your work in your hands.
I cut my yarn at the end of a diamond leaving about 4” or so...then when you do the next row and come to that hanging end, just weave over and under that end with your new yarn as you're picking up the beginning row. (I just re-read that sentence and I hope you understand it :) You'll see when you get there.
Q: A question for those of you who have made the DP - my patches are not even close to square. Their natural inclination is to hang in sort of a teardrop shape, with the top point really long and slender.
A: Hey, this is okay. Mine had the exact shape until “construction” of the additional rows. Isn't ribbon fun?
Corrections to early copies of the Diamond Patch Sweater Pattern
(Note: These changes were discovered some time ago. Only people having a very early version of the pattern are affected.)
Page 4, Right-Pointing and Left-Pointing Triangles
In early versions of the pattern, the little pictures of the triangles were
reversed. The Right-Pointing Triangle picture should really point to the right, like this >.
Likewise, the Left-Pointing Triangle picture should point to the left, like this <.
Page 4, for both the Right- and Left-Pointing Triangles
Rows 30-35 should read:
“Rows 30-35: Repeat rows 6-7 three times (4 sts).”