[Nancy Ganzel]

The unthinkable has happened! I have knit 47 rows on 192 stitches, in the round, for a felted tote before discovering it has been twisted since the first row! Before I rip it all out, has anyone ever cut down vertically, untwisted it and sewn it back up?

 

[3mom]

Sounds like something I would do. That's a lot of time and work. What say you, ladies?

 

[faithphoenix]

It depends on what yarn you have used ....

If you have knitted with yarn with sufficient wool content (this will cling to itself - felt - and not fray), you could treat it like a steek.

If you decide to do this, I would recommend that you backstitch vertically twice with a gap of 4 stichesbetween the rows of backstitch - make sure you backstitch between the "V's" of the stitches on the right side of the work. This will really anchor the stiches and they will not undo. Then with very sharp scissors cut cleanly in the middle of the 4 sts. i.e. cutting the horizontal bars between the V's. You can then sew the pieces together just inside the row of backstitches.

If you have used other yarn that does not naturally felt over time, I would seriously consider undoing the work, saving the yarn and starting again.

Whenever I re-start a project, I find if I undo the work and wind the yarn ready to begin again and have a break before starting, it is not such a hardship to re-start as it feels if I try to begin again immediately.

Bear in mind that whichever route you take, it is likely to take you a similar amount of time and effort and it just depends on which approach sits better with you.

Hope this helps

Best wishes
Suzanne

 

[CrystalP]

If it's only twisted once, then you're on your way to an infinity scarf or a mobious as it's sometimes called. Make it a bit wider, bind off then start over.

 

[Schubie76]

I don't think this will be a möbius. I tried it once and it was not quite correct.

 

[Siouxiq]

Bind off, then pick up stitches so that the mobius part becomes a top border when you felt it. Cat Bohrdi has directions for that. Check out our library for her books.

 

[PauletteB]

I don't have any recommendations. Usaully I catch my ywist befor it gets this far. It will be interesting to find out what you do.

 

[StitchDesigner]

That portion of the tote will always be weaker. Sorry, best solution is: frog it.

 

[Loramarin]

The twist could be a design element. You said you are felting it. That would mean you won't see the stitches and you would not notice they are inside out. It would have a twist. After felting it could be interesting. I have felted moebius items and they are great. This is not a real moebius, but could look fine after felting. Felting cures lots of mistakes

 

[Aine]

OH DEAR ME, you wont ever make that mistake again. hope you get it sorted i really do,

 

[redann]

Have you taken your work off the needles (safety line or v. loose bind off), and fiddled? I know it sounds dumb, but I did that once and found it wasn't as bad as I thought. What I did was to "run" a few stitches (4?), cut down the ladder, untwist the strip, re-joined the rows of wool like a "Russian join" and hooked up 2 rows in the gap. it was basically an invisible mend at that point, and after felting, it was as strong as any other areas in the piece (a basket).
good luck!
A

The unthinkable has happened! I have knit 47 rows on 192 stitches, in the round, for a felted tote before discovering it has been twisted since the first row! Before I rip it all out, has anyone ever cut down vertically, untwisted it and sewn it back up?

 

[colonialcat]

IF YOU ARE FELTING IT, WILL IT REALLY BE ANY THING ANYONE OTHER THAN YOU WILL SEE OR NOTICE. FELTING TIGHTENS IT ALL UP ANYWAY. SO STITCHES AREN'T AS VISABLE INDIVIDUALLY AS THEY WOULD BE ON A NON FELTED OBJECT.

 

[redann]

if you cut and re-join as I suggested, it won't show when felted. If you knot, it will.

 

[faithphoenix]

Nancy, further to my earlier post, I have found a demonstration of making a steek on you tube. The lady uses a crochet hook to run two lines to secure the work before cutting rather than sewing backstitch. Any method will do even using a sewing machine to create the 2 lines securing the stitches.
Have a look at

Best wishes
Suzanne

 

[deb1854]

I did the same thing when I was making a tote out of plastic bags, I chain stitched 2 parallel rows up the length cut in between the rows then crochet the cut edges together

 

[kathiba194]

I say finish it up. Felt it. Post a picture. I have a feeling it will be fantastic!

 

[Nancy Ganzel]

Thank you for all your sympathetic imput! I did the steek trick (thank you Suzanne), put my stitches back on the newly straightened out circular needle (another thing I should have taken care of at the start) and continued my rounds. As soon as I have several inches above the cut, I'll sew up the seam and I am confident it will be as good as new once it gets felted.

As traumatic as this was, it forced me to try out steeking and it isn't as scary any more!

Now we should all get together and figure out a practical way to store our circular needles so they don't coil!

 

[IndigoSpinner]

A mistake like this will NOT make a mobius! It has a full twist, not a half twist, and does not meet the terms of the mathematical description. You can knit something like this, and it might be wearable and even fun, but it will not be a mobius.

Instructions always say to check when joining and make sure it's not twisted. But you can do that and it can still get twisted while you're knitting the first row. Making sure it's not twisted is good on the first row, but it's essential to check it before starting the second row. At that point, there's only one strand of yarn connecting at the join, and if it's twisted, it can easily be fixed.

Hope this helps.

 

[redann]

When I said to "run" a few stitches (4), I meant make a run from top to bottom, so that the whole strip is slashed. you can keep the cast-on row intact and just let that yarn twist. Seriously- its a strong, invisible mend.

Have you taken your work off the needles (safety line or v. loose bind off), and fiddled? I know it sounds dumb, but I did that once and found it wasn't as bad as I thought. What I did was to "run" a few stitches (4?), cut down the ladder, untwist the strip, re-joined the rows of wool like a "Russian join" and hooked up 2 rows in the gap. it was basically an invisible mend at that point, and after felting, it was as strong as any other areas in the piece (a basket).
good luck!
A

The unthinkable has happened! I have knit 47 rows on 192 stitches, in the round, for a felted tote before discovering it has been twisted since the first row! Before I rip it all out, has anyone ever cut down vertically, untwisted it and sewn it back up?

 

[redann]

More than 30 years ago, Elizabeth Ziummerman's philosophical book about knitting laid it all out. If you like the steek idea, you'll LOVE this book. Its a classic!
http://www.amazon.com/Knitting-Without-Tears-Easy-Follow/dp/0684135051

Nancy, further to my earlier post, I have found a demonstration of making a steek on you tube. The lady uses a crochet hook to run two lines to secure the work before cutting rather than sewing backstitch. Any method will do even using a sewing machine to create the 2 lines securing the stitches.
Have a look at

Best wishes
Suzanne