This is Shirley's response to a question Ashika asked in the WLSP Ravelry group about the Sloped Bind off Technique. Question: I feel grafting and picking up stitches from Sloped BO edge is difficult. I think it tends to get holes. Is there something good tips or techniques? or just practice? Shirley’s Response While the Sloped Bind off Technique eliminates the need for having to seam around jagged edges that can occur when pieces are shaped with the standard Pullover Bind Off method, careful attention is needed to avoid picking up in the gaps (that result from the slipping) when seaming. The situation is that because we are spanning 2 rows with the slipped stitches, we get the stitch elongation and the resulting small gaps below that are the hallmark of slipped edge stitches. If you are unable to clearly see where to pickup or seam without entering the gaps, my recommendation is to run a thin basting thread in a contrasting color through the spaces beneath the slipped stitches. In that way the stitches running directly below that you want to pick up in, or seam in will be easy to see. Another situation that can occur when seaming around the gaps of the elongated slipped stitches can happen when seaming on curves, e.g., seaming the cap of a set-in sleeve to an armhole. If you use the Mattress Stitch seaming technique in combination with the slipped stitches it may be difficult to get your finished seam to look neat. Making sure that you seam below the slipped stitches if you are using Mattress Stitch is very important. My seaming recommendation when using the sloped method with a deep curve is to use the Backstitch seaming technique. You can practice the technique so you will be able to achieve a thin neat seam that will result in a professional finish. A Note on Mattress Stitch vs. Backstitch Seaming Techniques Mattress Stitch seaming is essentially a basting technique that is held in place by the beginning and ending attaching techniques. Backstitch is a true seaming technique. To test this you can use the Mattress Stitch technique to sew two swatches together. If you then remove the figure 8 starting attachment and pull the seaming yarn, you will be able to pull the entire length of yarn out as is the case with temporary basting. Backstitch is a firm seam that can add stability for certain stitch patterns, e.g., lace. It can also provide strong seams for parts of a garment that will endure lots of movement, e.g. caps of sleeves. Both are good seaming methods for hand knits. However, for each project, selecting a seaming method is a part of finishing that should be carefully considered. I always recommend basting your garment together before seaming and observing the drape and hang of each section. In that way you can make the best decision on the proper seaming method to use. References in Knitwear Design Workshop Backstitch Seaming Pages 267 and 270 Mattress Seaming Pages 268-270 Shirley

In this post, Shirley provides technical details on how to incorporate pockets in your garments . There are endless varieties of pockets and it is always important to select a pocket that is a good match for the style and stitch pattern of your garment. For this double breasted and heavily cabled Pea Coat my recommendation would be an Inset Side Seam pocket. That type of pocket will not interrupt the beautiful cabled patterns. These types of pockets can be worked at the same time as the garment by knitting to the position where the pocket will begin, making a turning ridge or fold line (slip the turning stitch purlwise on RSRs and purl the slipped st on WSRs) and working the pocket linings to the correct depth as you work the garment. You would do this on both sides of the back and fronts, then sew the linings together during the finishing process. The linings would hang free inside. These types of side edge pockets could also be added after the garment is completed and for this project I recommend working them once the knitting is finished. They can be picked up and worked on the side edges as a part of the finishing process or even added after you have seamed your sides if you do not feel that you want pockets now, but later decide to add them. In that case, you could just open the seam to the correct length and work the linings. Working the Inset Side Seam Pocket Linings You only need to pick up the required number of stitches along the side rows of the front and back on each side, and knit the pocket linings to the desired depth, then sew them together. You will want to make the pocket linings in stockinette because this fabric will lie flat. You will also want to work the linings in a firm tension which will mean going down a needle size or two so the pockets will not become baggy or stretch out of shape. Also, based on the way the hand enters the pocket in a downward direction, you will want a more angled shape for this type of side edge pocket. To construct your pockets in that manner you can work as follows: Begin with the right side seam back edge and pick up the number of stitches needed along that side edge based on your hand measurements and gauge (see Pocket Planning below). Add a selvedge stitch. Working in stockinette stitch, on every 4th RSR begin with a make 1 increase (knit on the running yarn between the selvedge and the first stitch) after the beg selvedge, then end the row with a K2tog before the ending selvedge. When the pocket lining measures the correct length for your hand, based on your measurements, bind off all sts. Work the front pocket lining in the same way. Sew the pocket linings together. Then, work the pocket linings on the left side seam in reverse. References For picking up sts see Knitwear Design Workshop (KDW) pages 264-266. For seaming the back and front pocket linings together, I recommend using the backstitch seaming method (see KDW page 267). Note: Since pockets are small, you can make a swatch and baste it on the garment to ensure that it will be the correct size. Pocket Planning (Measurements and Placement) For a pocket to be useful, you will want to make sure that your hand will fit comfortably inside. This means that it needs to be the correct width and length with sufficient ease. An easy way to measure your hand and make a schematic is to simply place it palm down on a piece of paper with your fingers together and trace around it beginning and ending at the wrist. For the width, measure across on the paper, from the outside of the thumb joint to the outside of the joint below the little finger on the opposite side and draw your width line, then write the measurement there. For length, measure from the wrist to the tip of the longest finger. Draw your length line and write the measurement there. Also, measure the length from your shoulder to your wrist. The wrist length is usually where you will want the Inset Side Seam Pocket to end on your garment. The top opening will be about 2“ below your waist. The width of the pocket should have 1" - 2” of ease based on your hand measurement. The depth of the pocket will be at least 1” longer than the measurement from your wrist to the end of your longest finger. Happy Knitting!

Shirley provides some great information on knitting the Pea Coat in this post. Please remember that the Pea Coat is composed of a series of cabled panels using the twist stitch method. That twisted method of patterning is very prevalent in Alpine knitting. It is a bit different from the high relief cabling method that is the hallmark of Aran patterning. There are a maximum of 4 sts involved in the cable crossings. Most crossings are 2 sts. The challenge is that the patterns are being built on both sides = RSRs and WSRs with no plain purl or plain knit rows in between. The key is that the sts are being knit through the back loops. I used panels vs. an all over pattern because each panel stands alone. Therefore, you can swatch each panel separately until you feel comfortable and can memorize the movements. The number of sts in each panel and the number of rows are small. It is actually a good learning exercise that can be accomplished in small segments. As the outside fabric that will surround the panels I used the single twist stockinette pattern. That involves knitting through the back loops of the stitches only on Right Side Rows. The purl rows are worked as usual. That pattern was used to add a bit of texture to the stockinette. For the knitters who actually completed the coat over the last 10 years, I only heard from a few of them with very specific questions once or twice. From the very beginning, back in 2010, I had the line by line instructions for the panels posted on my website. I would refer everyone there who had any questions. They all found the posted guide very helpful. Now, I have had those instructions updated to include the charts from the book, and placed them in the Resources section specifically for the KAL participants. You can knit directly from those instructions. For support as you knit the project, you will be able to check with the Ravelry Forum to ask questions as often as you like. You will also have the twice monthly zoom meetings where the moderators and KAL participants will be able to speak face to face. We are looking forward to it being lots of fun and to everyone feeling a sense of accomplishment as they work on this project together. As for completion time, there is no time limit. We will be there to support you for 4 months. At that point I think everyone who has not finished will feel comfortable navigating the waters confidently alone. Shirley

Question - Side Panel: Panel 1 row 7 stitches 9-12. There are 2 loops in one square, 2 blank squares and then 2 loops in the upper square. Do we twist one stitch twice? Shirley’s response: That is a DBLT4B. It is worked as follows: Hold 2 sts at back on CN, then K1tbl on the next 2 sts, then K1tbl on each of the 2 sts held on the CN. You see that technique in Knitwear Design Workshop on page 312 with the blue colored line slanting to the right. It is a colored line because it is also used on the center "Latch" section of the "Ribbon & Latch" Panel. If you look at page 309 you will see the full explanation of each crossing. There are only two 4 st crossings. On Panel 1 only the right leaning crossing (sts held at back) is used on Row 7. On the center "Latch" section of the "Ribbon and Latch" Panel, both the left leaning (sts held at front on cn) and right leaning (sts held at back on cn) 4-stitch crossings are used on rows 5, 13 and 21. If you download the written instructions for the charts that are posted in the Resources section of the VIP area for the KAL participants on <shirleypaden.com>, all working twist techniques used on any row are explained directly beneath that row. Those instructions are step by step guides for studying the charts. Shirley