wrap-style soaker knit-along!

[marnie]

check in here and let us know what pattern you'll be using, and your materials status.

I'm going to knit the LTK Ribby Wrap. I have some hand-dyed (not by me) variegated rainbow yarn that i'd like to use. I'm finishing up a Chunky Wonder right now so that i can free up my needles!

[Quinlonsma]

LTK wrap in Marino This one s for my son so it will be a lrg I'm hoping I have enough yarn.

[twouglyducks]

:lol: what a long day... I just read, "Let us know your marital status..." :lol: I'm going back to bed.

[marnie]

:faint

[mhurst]

I'll be using the LTK pattern, making a size medium for my son. I have some really pretty hand dyed caribean blue colorway from LTK.

[mamapez]

I will be using the LTK ribby wrap pattern, making a size large for my son with Bartlett's 3-ply on 4's and 8's. :D

[pageta]

When I used Bartlett's 3-ply to make a medium, it came out more like a large. I think my gauge was 4 sts instead of 4.5. I would highly recommend doing a gauge and adjusting accordingly.

[Aurora]

I am knitting the LTK pattern. I am using LTK 2 ply Natural Light and making a size large. I have already started and am working on the crotch ribbing. :knit :wool

mhurst~ I have some LTK Carribean Blue yarn too that I plan on using for another Ribby Wrap after this one. Isn't is just beautiful? :love

[mhurst]

mhurst~ I have some LTK Carribean Blue yarn too that I plan on using for another Ribby Wrap after this one. Isn't is just beautiful?

Yep it is. I can't wait to get started.

[Jester]

Checking in! I will be using the LTK pattern w/ LTK 2 ply in Fruit Loops. I just cast on this afternoon and am anxious to keep going. :knit

[Quinlonsma]

almost done!

[Quinlonsma]

Bleah! 2 rows left and I had to add another ball of yarn. I still have to do the crochet and buttons but my eyes are all wonky so I'm stopping till tomorrow.

[Aurora]

I just started the crochet part. Kinda fun. :D I need to shop for buttons this afternoon and hope to have this finished up tonight. I LOVE this pattern and it knits up really fast. I can't wait to try it on the baby. :wool

[ravingcutie]

How's it going, wrapperettes? :wool

[Jester]

I'm working on the last few rows of 1x1 rib, then judt need to do the crochet and buttons :sheep

[Quinlonsma]

Still have the buttons to add and weave in the ends. Didn't even look at it this weekend but my toddler who it's for just broiught it to me with my crochet hook so I guess I'll finish it today :juggle

[Jester]

A few silly questions:

The buttons go on the front part, right? Then the shaped tabs will wrap around from the back to fasten? I know this should be obvious, but it's escaping me at the moment :goodgrief

What is the purpose of the yarn-overs? I know it makes a hole which I thought might be used as a buttonhole, but the buttonholes are crocheted on the edge. Just decoration?

TIA! :D

[littleturtlemama]

dangit, I need to go in and put this in the pattern cause I feel like a broken record, LOL ;)

the YO holes are buttonholes so that when the wrap is on the smallest setting you don't get wing droop.

[Jester]

Another question:

Is the single crochet edge supposed to be stretchy? I am working on the first gusset and when I finished the leg hole looked really small and was not at all stretchy. :crud: I've never crocheted before, so maybe I'm working the stitches too tightly? For reference, I'm doing the size M wrap. Thanks, gals!

[littleturtlemama]

it should be stretchy, but not TOO stretchy. You probably are pulling too tightly if there's no give at all.

[amyrobynne]

I finally started mine. I'm using yarn from Holy Sheep's clearance--it's yellow/green/blue wool. I just hit the leg gussets.

[amyrobynne]

Can anyone who's finished post photos of their buttons and gussets?

[Jester]

I'm finished...will try to get pics up today :D

[Aurora]

I'm done! It looks so cute! I don't have a way to post pictures though. I did the crochet a little tight I think, so the next one I make I will do it better. :wool

[Jester]

Here are some pics of my finished Ribby Wrap. I have to say that I am not very pleased with the fit, though. :( My guage for this was a little smaller than called for so while I knit the measurements for a medium, this is probably closer to a small. I only put on 4 buttons in the outermost positions. My daughter is 16 lbs and at the bottom of the size range for a medium. Wrap is being worn over a bright yellow snappied prefold. Now for the pics:

Front view:
http://pfunder.com//images/knitting/ribby5.jpg
Buttons are green so they're kind of hard to see. I only sewed on the outermost buttons on each side since the wrap ended up smaller than I expected. The top is rolling in over the front of the CPF and the front part of the wrap (edge outside of the buttons) is rolling under. Also, the front of the wrap is roomy, though that doesn't show in the pic. When she sits up the front is all bunchy.

Closer view of leghole:
http://pfunder.com//images/knitting/ribby4.jpg
I sewed the top button in the middle of the ribbing at the same height as the buttonhole. I think I'd get a better fit around the leg if both buttons were moved down 1/2". The wing "rolling" might be helped by sewing another button on the very edge of the front and buttoning it through the yo buttonhole. I'm not sure that the wing will reach that far though.

View of gusset:
http://pfunder.com//images/knitting/ribby6.jpg
The CPF is covered, but I'm not getting my hopes up about bf poo being held in :moon

Overall, I'm pretty bummed about the fit. I'm not sure if adjusting the guage or knitting the next size up would be a solution. There's no way that this one will fit to 24 lbs. I've also tried it on over a few fitteds and have gotten the same lack of coverage. Hopefully, everyone else's turns out great!

[littleturtlemama]

hey jussica :) Im sorry you're dissapointed with the fit :( Whatgauge did you actually get? I'm thinking that some of the fit issues would be resolved if you did get gauge, since that's so critical to the fit ;)

For the buttons, they should be sewn to the base of the ribbing, adn that's actually a design feature becuase that's where I found they kept the wrap in place the best, so maybe try resewing them there and see if that helps. The YO hole *is* a button hole, it's for wing droop, so the outermost top button should go in there :)

[pageta]

My first one didn't come out quite like I wanted either. I made it with Bartlett's 3-ply yarn and even though I made a medium, it was more between a medium and a large. I only sewed on the outermost buttons because they were the only ones we needed. The ones I've made since are large and I sew at least two button settings on and use the inside ones.

I think the front definitely is roomy. I now only do half the increases in front - so for the large, I increase 9 times instead of 17 and then decrease 8 times instead of 16 at the ribbing. You might want to try that on your next one if you're getting too much bulk in front when she sits up.

From what Theresa just said about the buttons, I think I still haven't sewn them right on any of the three wraps I've made so far. I'm thinking a picture added to the pattern to show the correct button placement could be worth a thousand words. My buttons never end up in a place where I could possibly use the yo hole. I know I, for one, would like clearer instructions for the buttons. I kind of thought I might be doing them wrong, but now it sounds like I definitely am. It sounds like a great design feature that I'm missing out on.

It also took me a bit to get used to buttoning the soakers on. But now that I know where the holes are and how to get the buttons in them, I'm as fast at getting a Ribby Wrap on Ben as I am with snaps. You just have to find the buttonholes and then slip the chain part of the crochet over the button on the side that is toward the middle of the soaker. If you try to slip the side of the button toward the side of the soaker in first, it doesn't work very slick.

[amyrobynne]

I'd like a clear photo of the button placement, too. My buttonholes are just over 2" apart (on the large), and sewing on the buttons an inch between rows seems like it'll be bunchy. Also, when it says to use the 4th rib, then 5th, or whatever (I don't have the pattern in front of me), should I be counting both positive and negative ribs? If not, there aren't enough ribs since there are only 36 stitches across.

[Jester]

My guage is 20 sts and 24 rows per 4" in stockinette. The pattern specifies 18 sts and 26 rows per 4". :chin

I will be resewing the buttons to try to improve the fit. I will try the reduced incr/decr next time, pageta :)

[littleturtlemama]

Okay, I'll defintiely work on some pics for you gals this week. i've got to do stacey's custom wrap, so i'll have a sample to snag pics of once she tells me what size she wants, LOL!

Amy, it's the positive and negative ribs ;)

Jessica, I think your fit issues would be seriously diminished if you got gauge ;) quick illustration (using simpler, made up #) but you'll get the point :)

You're knitting something that should be 25" to fit what you want it to. The stated gauge is 18 stitches per 4", so that's 4.5 stitches per inch. So, you'd need to work 4.5 x 25 to get the width you want. That's 112.5 stitches, we'll round down and use 112. Now, those 112 stitches at a guage of 20 stitches per 4" (5 per inch) will give you a finished width of 22.4" (112/5). It's close, but not the same. When you're working with an item like a soaker/longies/wrap where the fit is so critical, you really need to get on the gauge or make adjustments to the numbers, or you'll wind up dissapointed like you are with the wrap :(

[Jester]

Thanks, :theresa

This is an excellent example of why guage swatches are important :D I was just so anxious to get knitting that, after having done 3 swatches already for this wrap, I figured that 1/2 stitch off per inch wouldn't be a big deal. This is the first item I've knit with specific row counts and such. All other pull-on soakers I've knit were like "k2p2 rib for x inches" instead of "x rows". Every project is a learning experience, right? :brow

[littleturtlemama]

Every project is a learning experience, right?

Yup, and if you ever stop learning, you'll stop living (as my nana says!)

I typically hate doing the row count and much prefer the knitting for inches method (speciaifally so that if you aren;t gettign row gauge you'll still knit to fit) but with the wrap where the front and back need to match, you really need to do the row counts cuase measureing can be deceiving sometimes and even if they both look like 4", they might be off a bit ;)

It's just another excuse to buy more yarn and knit another one, though ;)

[pageta]

Yeah, I've tried measuring when doing this wrap and the row counts are much easier. The measuring has to be started over for each section - the change of width from stockinette to ribbing makes it curl so you get a different measurement each time if you try to measure from the edge.