"How can I make a tunic sweater wearable?"

Asked by La-La 26 months ago

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I have a knit tunic sweater that is too long. What is the best way to shorten it? Can I just cut it and machine stitch the hem or should I get some yarn and hand finish the hem. Will it ravel apart upon cutting?


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"I do not knoww much about knitting but my wife does"
 by woodcarver on Nov 26 2007 (26 months ago)
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She happens to in the computor room when I came across your question she teaches knitting. Here is what she said. NEVER CUT A KNITTED ITEM!!!!. It will unravel. The best way to shorten it is belt it it will draw it up and show your waste line for a trim neat look. You can not machine stitch it it or will unravel before your eyes same if you try to finish it with yarn.  You can fold the hem under if the yarn is not to thick and use a doublesided type to hold it in place and then usuing yarn hand stitch it but she does not recommend it it will make a bulky hem. Short of the above if it is still to long after belting it give it to someone that it fits.
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"Depends if it's hand-knit."
 by EnglishLady on Nov 26 2007 (26 months ago)
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If it's machine-knit, you can cut it but when you sew it (doesn't matter which way round) you're going to get a frill, and that's going to be a right so-and-so to deal with unless you can add an artificial hem made from a knitted fabric in roughly the same weight, and then add a trim in the same fabric elsewhere so it doesn't look badly fixed.

 

If it's hand-knitted, the answer is a cinch. Undo the side seams until about three inches above where you want the top of the new hem to be (this is for maneouvrability). Then cut through out stitch at where you want the top of the hem to start. Start to pull the cut yarn and the lower stitches should start to fall away, leaving a row of loops in the garment body. (If it's wool, it might not ravel at all; with very shiny yarns you need to pick up the new stitches as you work). Take a smaller needle - for ease - and pick up all the stitches left on the main body. You'll have one stitch left than you cast on with - don't break your heart. Then start to rib down on the proper needles until you're the right length.

 

(If you prefer, you can make a purl row which will act as a folding line, and then make a knitted hem (more than 1 inch, for sure) which you can fold to the back and slip-stitch into a hem.

 

Hope that helps. Otherwise find a tall friend.

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"How much is too long?"
 by lizardsmells on Nov 27 2007 (26 months ago)
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Assuming you began the sweater from the bottom, would it be possible for you to 'undo' the bottom back to a more appropriate length and then bind off?

I would imagine that if you have a serger and sew your seam *before* you cut, you could trim and hem the sweater, but I'd rather correct it since it'll be neater and make it easier to fix should something come unraveled or develop a hole in the future.
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"My mom is the knitting expert but I have watched her at work..."
 by OlyPolly on Nov 26 2007 (26 months ago)
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If you zig-zag stitch the edge and then cut it, you can hem it without worrying too much. Fold over seam binding also works if it isn't really really stretchy...or if you want to make it less stretchy.
Sources: Mom, of course
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