Comments on: Top Down — Why?

By: Elena

Elena — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 19:00:28 +0000

I don’t get this discussion at all.
I can see why someone prefers to kit in pieces because they don’t like to hold an entire sweater on one circular needle.
But….what is all this about bad fit?
You can shape knitting whether it is bottom up or top down. You can shape it whether it is circular or in pieces. That is the entire point about knitting! Why would anyone insist on knitting a tube without shaping and then complain that it doesn’t fit well? If it doesn’t fit, why don’t you shape it to fit? You can do that in any knit, you know.I have knit seamless sweaters on circular needles bottom up & top down that are shaped either at the sides or on the front or back, wherever needed, for curvy bodies that come in at the waist. What is the problem here?
There is nothing inherent in knitting top down that would make a cardigan hang wrong in the back! If you are able to knit a cardigan that doesn’t hang wrong bottom up, you ought to be able to shape it exactly the same way top down. You can make any kind of neckline shape top down as well. It doesn’t need to be the same front & back! As for bulk in sleeves in seamless sweaters, surely that is a knitting deficiency rather than an issue int he basic technique. It is possible to pick up stitches so that there is no bulk whatsoever.

By: suzie sparkle

suzie sparkle — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:09:01 +0000

It’s a shame you don’t like the top-down raglan technique. Two of my best-fitting and favourite garments I knitted are freestyle TDR:
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/suziesparkle/cash-iroha-jumper
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/suziesparkle/classic-raglan-cardigan

I take your point that without adjustement you can get the back higher than the front but short-rows take care of this nicely. I also got bulky underarms the first time I used the technique, but reducing the frequency of increases solved this problem.

I have always liked the fit of raglans in general.

By: Lara

Lara — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:59:07 +0000

I do agree with you on the sweater thing. I have knit TDR’s that fit great and others that fit horribly. I think you get the best fit with a sweater knit in pieces but the key to that is learning how to seam correctly without bulges and thick seams. It takes time to master it – but once you do it makes for a fabulous sweater.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:25:52 +0000

You and the above commenters may have just saved me some heartache. I confess that I was thinking of making an FLS–I liked the look of it on some people, I could use a cardigan, and it seemed like such a do-able project. But you’ve reminded me that there are very few raglans (top down or not) that look nice on me; I’ve read that the bust fit is the major issue, but for me I think it has more to do with the shoulders/neckline. I have big square shoulders and thanks to some serious weight gain, a largish bust/arms/belly. It would probably be a huge (no pun intended) flop, even with modifications. I looked back at some of the Ravelry projects and agree that it looks better on the very slim people.

I will confess that I try to avoid seaming when I can, but I realized recently that it’s not so bad, and I do okay at it when I’m well-rested and in a patient mood. Paradoxically, it’s easier to do a good job with plain smooth yarn where the mistakes will show more. My most difficult seaming jobs have been mohair/novelty/superbulky/etc. Maybe I need to think more about the seams/no seams question when I’m choosing the yarn.

By: ohsewcrafty

ohsewcrafty — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:41:14 +0000

I agree, both that the FLS is generally an unflattering sweater (though I do think the tiny and/or thin can pull it off), and that seams are generally a good thing. Granted, my background is sewing but seams add structure and stability. As for the raglan shape, it’s ok IMHO, but the armscye/set in sleeve fits the body much better.

By: etherknitter

etherknitter — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:39:17 +0000

I guess I’m a seam fan. (I love posts like yours that just come out there and hang out the opinion for potshots.) There is something so satisfying (altho slow) about how mattress comes together.

By: TLC

TLC — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:24:14 +0000

This post (and the comments) have been informative and discouraging. I have never knit a sweater before and cast on for my first one last week. Can you guess which sweater I picked to be my first? The Februaty Ladies Sweater. So I am feeling a little worried that this sweater will look awful but I don’t want to rip it out as I am quite a ways through the garter stitch yoke. Plus I think it is a cute pattern. Before I cast on, I looked at a lot of FLS on Ravelry and decided that mine needs to switch to lace above or below my bust because I don’t like how it looks with the transition is at the fullest part of the bust. I picked this sweater because it looked do-able as my first sweater. I am not afraid of seaming. SO my question is… for a first time sweater…what pattern would you recommend. P.S. I think I better add some shortrows to the back of my FLS. I wouldn’t have known to do that thanks for the idea.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:45:09 +0000

I’ve noticed that I don’t care much for the FLS in most of the pictures that I’ve seen of it, and I suspect that it’s partly because the FLS transitions from garter to lace in the least flattering place ever, right in the middle of the bust. It’s cute on kids because they don’t have breasts, but on 90% of adult women it creates line where there should be a curve. That’s my theory, anyway.

By: Miriam

Miriam — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:14:19 +0000

Don’t we expect with ANY sweater patterns to make adjustments for ourselves and our own bodies? I expect to add short rows to fit a top-down raglan, just as I expect to add length to sleeves for every sweater, and add hip and waist shaping for bottom-up cardigans.

I think it’s a little hostile to completely dismiss a whole category of sweater knitting because of this. You say that you prefer the fit of a set-in sleeve, but someone in the world prefers the fit of a raglan to a set-in sleeve.

Personally I love mattress stitch, but I can see the appeal of having a sweater knit in the round (whether top down or bottom up) if you have a different purl gauge than a knit gauge, or if you are brand new and you don’t know about selvage.

*shrug* To each their own, really.

By: Stephanie B

Stephanie B — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:03:00 +0000

I have attempted one raglan sweater, but have yet to finish it becuase i don’t think I will ever wear it. I dislike sewn shirts with raglan so I am always hesitant to knit one due to the time you put into it to get a cruddy sweater. But I do like the lack of seaming, but I would assume that as with most things, you get better with practice.