Thanks to the kind help of a fellow knitter on Ravelry I think that I may have figured out how to do those sleeves. Now the fun part – I need to actually make them!
My problem had been that in order to get the armhole large enough on the body I needed a 18 inch opening. I had assumed (always a bad idea) that I had to pick up the correct number of stitches for this opening so that I would be at the correct stitch gauge. This would mean that I needed to pick up 90 stitches.
However – and this is where I started having issues – with the lovely short row shoulder shaping you end up at the bottom of your sleeve cap with the same number of stitches as you started (90) but at that point the width of the arm needed to be 14.5 inches (68 stitches).
What I have been told – and I think that it should work, is that you only pick up the number of stitches that you need for the sleeve width at the end of the cap. So… it is 68 stitches not 90 stitches that need to be picked up. A real Eureka moment! Now my last concern is how picking up that many stitches will look, will the spaces between them be too obvious? Will keep you posted on progress!
Hi,
I have also wanted to knit sleeves from the top down. Have you had any luck? I can’t find another post from you since this one on the subject. I am thinking of picking up at the top of the sleeve opening and then measuring how big I want the sleeve at various points and picking up on either side of the armhole as I go down until I finally start knitting in the round after I get to the end of the armhole.
Hi, I cannot believe this – finally somebody who not only understands, but struggles with the same mystery of ‘stitches needed around armhole’ vs ‘st needed around top arm’. Thank God! Now, please, do tell me – how do you pick up your 68 sts (instead of 90 sts) WITHOUT any wholes showing? I have tried the 90 sts solution and used decreases – no good. Pls share your wisdom! Many thanks!
I find that if I pick up around every second row I come close to the ratio I need. As you are working the whole sleeve cap with short row the extra material at this point doesn’t cause a problem with puckering or holes. It always amazes me but it seems to work!