Textured Stitches

I picked up the Book Textured Stitches in the Interweave Hurt Book Sale.  Umm Interweave?  Book not hurt. Just saying.  


But what an excellent buy.  And it means that I did not have to buy from Knitpicks to get this kind of price! 

Its a great book.  Lovely patterns and an interesting premise.  The writer, Connie Chang Chincio does some really nice things and opens up eyes with the way she uses small bits of texture stitches to adorn but not overwhelm the sweaters.  I love it.

BUT 

The book has one irritating problem.  She says some things that, and never supports the statement, and never explains why she supports the statement.  I take some issue with that.


"To prevent possible stretching, the fronts, the backs, and the sleeves, are knitted separately and joined with stabilizing seams." (Pg 119, Connie Chang Chincio)'


Like a mantra, it is repeated.  I heard the same thing while taking Sally Melville's classes.  


I've wondered about this. I just felt the statement was wrong.  I'm not sure why, and I could never explain what I felt, but there just seemed to be something wrong with this.  

I would like to respond.  Or rather, I would like other much smarter people, much better knitters, respond for me.

We've been discussing this a little at my knit groups.  OK.  I have been asking about it because of my very very nice Bamboo Tape and the contiguous method of knitting sweaters.  And then one of the very smart people I knit with pointed out that raglans seem to hold their shape just fine and they have no shoulder seams.  The seams raglans have are most definitely off the shoulders.  I thought about that a lot and I agree. Icelandic style sweaters, or other sweaters knit with the round yoke don`t seam to suffer this either.  


I mentioned that on the contiguous thread here, and another member posted this response.  

"While there is a natural inclination to assume structural support in a man-made object is ADDED by a seam, the materials research scientists disagree with your statement. In fact, seams are a weak point. What is being confused here is a tight length in a flexible mesh…knitted fabric with a shortened expanse that prevents stretching. This is a strut, not a seam, which is a fundamental aspect of design. Seams are not necessary for strength, as in any living organic body, sweaters, or other objects created with flexible meshes."  (Ravelry member NewYorkbuilt)

NewYorkbuilt goes on further to say:

"The knitted object, as noted by such authors as Deborah Newton In Finishing School, Priscilla A. Gibson Roberts in Knitting In The Old Way, or Maggie Reghetti in Sweater Design in Plain English has no need for seams. Tightness in a strut built on the shoulder stops stretching. The body supports the shoulder material at the top of the arm, the chest and the back.

The key as stated earlier is to beat the daylights out of your swatch, torture it, MURDALIZE the wretched thing. Then wash, dry and see wha’ happened. You will learn much more about your stretched shoulder area.

Also, as SuzieM has noted in the group pages, most people make their shoulder lengths TOO LONG. The correct shoulder measurement is from the crest of the acromion bone to the base of the neck. If you go longer than this, the shoulder area will stretch, regardless. It has to. A fundamental aspect of OUR design." (Again, the fabulous NewYorkbuilt)

So not only does a seam not help, it makes it weaker. Think of how often a seam splits under tension and how seldom the fabric beside it does.  

It is the tightness we give our knitting that is doing the job of keeping things sitting pretty on the shoulder.  And a lot of really good people have said it and supported it with sweaters, knit over and over and over again.


So yes.  Finally something that makes sense to me, in terms I actually understood.  I`m not saying that knitting should never be done with seams (though I do not like to knit that way) and I am not saying that every sweater isn`t going to show some wear and weakness at the shoulders.  What I and some smart people and a lot of observation are saying is that if you choose the right yarn and knit without seams, You are going to be just fine.


So long as you swatch and `murdalise`it so you understand how your yarn will perform. Aye, there is the rub. 


Words that designers say are taken to be truth by the average knitter.  Too often, it is unsupported truth. Document it, research it.  Then say it.  Explain why before spreading a mantra that just isn`t quite all it is made out to be. 


The book is a good one, do consider it.