Treatment: insert, replace or remove section of garment
Problem addressed: worn or damaged area; wrong length sleeve or body
Ideal fabric type: stocking stitch (plain knit), up to 30 stitches per 10cm
WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?
First, plan your alteration. Unpick the underarm/side seam.
Open a row in the desired position and pick up the open stitches onto a needle or waste yarn. Unravel and/or knit, as required. Graft the two sections back together.
Finally, sew the underarm/side seam.
WHAT COULD IT LOOK LIKE?
- Contrasting or tonal, with the option of stripes/patterns
- Lengthen or shorten the body or sleeves
- Consider integrating yarn unravelled from the old section to ‘tie in’ the new part with the existing garment
- Make a feature of the transition between old and new
HOW DO I DO IT?
To replace a section:
First, plan your alteration. Unpick the underarm/side seam (as for Step 1 of Replace Cuff treatment).
Open a row in the desired position (as for the first part of Step 2 of Replace Cuff treatment – but stop video at 4 mins).
Pick up the open stitches of the upper section onto a waste yarn. Unravel the lower section as required, then pick up the stitches of the lower section onto a needle. Knit the replacement section, and then put then stitches onto a waste yarn. (See animation on left for guidance.)
Graft the two sections back together (as for Step 3 of Stitch Hack treatment).
Finally, sew the underarm/side seam (as for Step 3 of Replace Cuff treatment).
To insert a section (and therefore lengthen):
First, plan your alteration. Unpick the underarm/side seam (as for Step 1 of Replace Cuff treatment).
Open a row in the desired position (as for the first part of Step 2 of Replace Cuff treatment – but stop at 4 mins).
Pick up the open stitches of the upper section onto a waste yarn. Pick up the stitches of the lower section onto a needle. Knit the inserted section, and then put then stitches onto a waste yarn. (See animation on left for guidance.)
Graft the two sections back together (as for Step 3 of Stitch Hack treatment).
Finally, sew the underarm/side seam (as for Step 3 of Replace Cuff treatment).
To remove a section (and therefore shorten):
First, plan your alteration. Unpick the underarm/side seam (as for Step 1 of Replace Cuff treatment).
Open a row in the desired position (as for the first part of Step 2 of Replace Cuff treatment – but stop at 4 mins).
Pick up the open stitches of the upper section onto a waste yarn. Unravel the lower section as required, then pick up the stitches onto a waste yarn. (See animation on left for guidance.)
Graft the two sections back together (as for Step 3 of Stitch Hack treatment).
Finally, sew the underarm/side seam (as for Step 3 of Replace Cuff treatment).
HOW DO I DESIGN IT?
The instructions above assume that you are matching the gauge of the existing garment – that is, knitting stitches of the same size. To do this, count the stitches per 10cm (st/10cm) in your existing garment. Look up your st/10cm figure in the chart below as a guide to the type of yarn and needle size to try. Bear in mind that this is a rough guide – individual yarns and personal tensions will vary. Knit a sample and make adjustments, if necessary, to achieve the same gauge.
TOP TIPS
- Practise the techniques on scrap fabric
- Decide where to make your alteration by sewing a marker thread and trying the garment on
- Measure the existing section before removing, and make any adjustments to length or shape – then calculate any shaping required
- Integrate yarn unravelled from the old section to the new knitting to help the garment hang together as a whole
- If the existing fabric is finer than you wish to knit (and especially if it is 30-50 st/10cm), consider changing gauge: look at the ‘How do I design it?’ section of the Replace Cuff instructions page for guidance. You will need to knit off both upper and lower sections (as in the sample garment at the top of the page), changing the gauge in the first row or two of each section, before grafting them together.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. You are free to copy, distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon any of the material on this page, for non-commercial or commercial purposes, as long as you credit Amy Twigger Holroyd/#reknitrevolution and use the same Creative Commons license for your new work. Please go forth and share!
Also, please note that these instructions are in beta mode; feedback is most welcome. Email comments to amy@keepandshare.co.uk.
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