detail guidance: hemmed v-neck

One of the key details I knew I wanted to knit into E’s sweater was a hemmed v-neck. I think it looks very polished and tailored. However, I could not easily find guidance as to how to do this. I found a few things here or there, but nothing set my mind at ease until I just tried it. It is easy, but I knew the details would make or break this garment. I needed some reassurance that I was on the right track!

Below is my first attempt to write up one way to do it. If there is enough expressed interest and need, I’ll expand it with additional tutorial photos. Please note that I have not test knitted from these instructions. I will offer some assistance if you attempt to work from what I’ve written below, but if you require a significant amount of additional tutorial time, I charge an hourly rate§ for this service. I’ve been teaching for almost twenty years, not all of it knitting but the majority of it in one-on-one sessions. Compensation for my expertise in offering extensive individualized assistance is only fair.

Penny’s Hemmed V-Neck Guidance Cheat Sheet , last modified 2011-01-01, 5:35pm
Prep: Locate center stitch on V-neck, or center two stitches. Decide which you like better. Guidance below assumes one center stitch.

Round one: First round only: Pick up and knit around for neck. All other rounds: Knit.
Round two: Knit until one before centre stitch. At centre stitch do double decrease of your choice. I prefer the “straight double decrease” from The Reader’s Digest Knitter’s Handbook, Fig. 2.158, page 120.

Continue these two rounds until collar is desired size, ending with round two.

Next round: purl all stitches

Hem round one: using smaller needles* knit until center stitch. m1, k1, m1. ±
Hem round two: knit

Repeat these two rounds until you are the same width. It will probably be 1-2 rounds more than with larger needles as your row tension will change with the needle size.

Use a sewn bind off, making sure to align stitches. I found it easiest to pin^ together every 20 stitches or so in order to make sure things lined up, starting to pin at the v-neck centre. I started sewing down the hem at a shoulder.

Take it slow and easy.

§ Yikes I don’t have that much money! The hourly rate can be met by alternate means, i.e. barter in goods such as yarn, fabric, books, knowledge transfer, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask!

* How much smaller? I wanted the collar to be semi stiff and quite flat, so I needed to go down a full millimetre (from 3.25mm to 2.25mm). Practice this on your swatch. For the bottom hem of the sweater I only went down to a 3mm needle and ribbed it at 5×1 rib.

^ What type of pins? I use coil-less safety pins. I find these in shops here and there. They shouldn’t be expensive.

± Does the type of m1 matter? I don’t think so. I believe I used a YO m1 because I wanted to make sure it would be loose enough to lay flat given the needle size change. It’s hidden on the wrong side of the hem; no one will see.

• Category: handmade
• Tag: cheat sheet, guidance, knit, tutorial