Attaching a Pocket - Part 3: Knitting On the Pocket

Step 4: WS rows.

• Your WS (wrong side) rows should be done in pattern without attaching to the garment.  For a stocking stitch pocket this will be a purl row.

Step 5: RS rows - the Right Hand Side.

• Take a look at your baste line on the sides of your pocket.  You will see that every second bar up the column is sitting on top of your basting yarn.  These are the only bars you will be working with as you will only be attaching the pocket every second row (the RS rows).

Bars over the Baste Line

• Skip the first bar over your baste line (which is in line with the base of the pocket).
• With your yarn to the back of your work, with your left needle pick up the bar which is next in the baste line.  Pick up the bar from the bottom - so run your needle up the baste line to pick up the stitch.  Your working yarn should be coming from in between the two stitches out the back.  This is very important so that you are not wrapping the bar when you knit it causing an uneven edge.
• k2tog.  Knit the picked up bar and the first stitch together as if they are one.

Step 6 - RS rows - the middle.

• Knit across the row in pattern to the last stitch.  Leave one stitch on your left needle.

One stitch on left needle

Step 7 - RS rows - the Left Hand Side.

• Skip the first bar over the baste line and pick up from the bottom to top the next bar over the baste line onto your left needle.

Pick up the bar over the baste line

• k2tog.  Knit the picked up bar and the first stitch together as if they are one.

k2tog

REPEAT STEPS 4-7 PICKING UP THE BASTE LINE BARS IN ORDER AND KNITTING THEM WITH YOUR RS ROWS UNTIL YOUR POCKET IS THE RIGHT HEIGHT.

THE END

Attaching a Pocket - Part 2: Picking up the Base of the Pocket

Step 3: Picking up the base stitches.

• Working from the right hand side of your work with your garment facing upright, poke your knitting needle under the top arc of the first V stitch of your pocket (in this case an under-basted stitch).  The top arc is the bar in between a V stitch which is directly above the baste line.

The top arc of the V stitch to be picked up

• Wrap your yarn around your needle to knit this arc as if it were a stitch on a left hand needle. 

One stitch knitted onto the needle

• Pick up and knit the top arc of the next V stitch (in this case an over-basted stitch).

Knitting through the second stitch

• Repeat this process along your pocket base until you have picked up and knitted the number of stitches you need for your pocket.

Note:  The row just knitted is the first RS (right side) row of the pocket.

Attaching a Pocket - Part 1: Basting the Pocket

Step 1: Baste for base of the pocket.

• Decide upon your position for your pocket.
• Take a darning needle and some waste yarn - preferably with a good contrast to your work.
• With your garment facing right way up, put your darning needle under a V stitch - one which is shaped like this: \/.
• Go over the next V stitch
• Repeat going under and over the stitches along a straight line until you have basted through the number of stitches you want for your pocket.

Baseline for pocket

Note: if your number of stitches for your pocket is an even number, you will be going under the last stitch which won't be part of your pocket.  Remember when you come to picking up the stitches to finish on an over-basted stitch.

Step 2: Baste for the edges of the pocket.

• Notice that you have your V stitches basted, and in between these V stitches there are Peak stitches - ones which are shaped like this /\.
• With your darning needle and another piece of waste yarn, put the needle under the bar of the Peak stitch on the outside of your last V stitch of the pocket, directly in line with the top of your waste yarn.
• Running up the column of Peak stitches, go over the next bar.
• Repeat going under and over the bars along a straight line until you have basted through the number of rows you want for your pocket plus a few more - you can add to this top number later on so don't stress too much about the height at this point.

Over and Under the bars of the Peak Stitches

• Do both sides and it should look like this:

Pocket completely basted

ON TO PART 2: PICKING UP THE BASE OF THE POCKET

Revelationary Soaker!

I've knitted this soaker from the Yarncollective Soaker Club Yarn by Kelly from Dyelicious Hand Dyed Yarns. I haven't done a proper waistband because I am going to sew a twirly skirt on it and form an elastic casing that way.
Revelation #1: One of the reasons I don't knit soakers too much is because I hate doing the cuffs. I hate picking up stitches full stop. Basically anything which requires finishing I loathe. So as I was inwardly groaning at the thought of it, I was trying to work out ways to 'cheat' and leave the stitches live on the needles so I don't have to pick them up, and the thought struck me to do short rows on the decreases instead of k2tog & ssk. So I did it and it worked a treat! This was the very first soaker that I didn't leave sit for at least a fortnight before doing the cuffs. Amazing. And it sits nicely too.

I am sure people all over the place do this anyway, but to me it was an amazing find. It was a bit fiddly working out in what order to do the grafting, how to arrange the stitches on needles and waste yarn etc, and it didn't help that I knitted it in the car on a trip to the Toowoomba Flower Festival over the weekend. Next time I might have it down pat! Now that I'm not scared of soaker knitting there will be a next time soon!

Revelation #2: I cast off the cuffs in a 7mm needle, and they still were too tight on Jess's thighs, so I *finally* decided to look up the sewn cast off technique. OMG, how easy it is, I can't believe I have wasted so much time doing a normal cast off in bigger needles. Easy Peasy and works like magic, the cuffs fit Jess beautifully now, meaning I didn't have to rip back the cuffs and add more stitches in! Love it!




And......just to see if anyone actually reads my blog lol......here is a sneak peak of the material I have made my Nappycino Upcycle Swap from....... hehehe. These are my bedsheets from when I was a little girl, I adore them.