Picking up stiches

Royal.Fortress · 07-07-2007, 12:09 PM

I can understand picking up stitches when your yarn is still attached to the project, but I've got a dilemma. I'm knitting a bootie (they're kinda like Mary Janes) from a book called Instant Expert: Knitting (Ros Badger). It gives directions on making the body of the bootie and then sewing it all up and then for the strap, the directions start with:

With RS facing, k18 sts at heel (9 sts at each side of joining), then cast on 14 sts.

Umm...how am I supposed to k18 sts if I've got no live sts? I've bound off the whole thing and sewn it up! So my question is, how can I pick-up sts from the cast off edge when my yarn is no longer attached to my work?

suzeeq · 07-07-2007, 05:24 PM

It doesn't matter if the yarn's not attached.Take a yarn end and start picking up stitches, leaving about 3-4 inches to be woven in later. The stitches will be loose for a little bit, but won't come out. Are you sure you were supposed to BO all the stitches? Weren't there stitches on a holder maybe?

Royal.Fortress · 07-07-2007, 05:38 PM

I guess I could just leave an end to be woven in later ... thanks!

The way the pattern works is that you knit it flat and then sew it together ... so the top of the leg whole (lol, for lack of a better term) is where they asked you to bind off earlier in the pattern. No to mention the book says "for infant" and the bootie is 4 1/8 inches long! it's huge! I'm wondering if I should just rip it anyways and find a better bootie pattern that's not nearly as complicated!

They're just so darn cute!

suzeeq · 07-07-2007, 08:11 PM

Heh, don't worry, baby's feet grow fast, just like the rest of them....