Sunday, February 26, 2012

fun with pockets ~ a tutorial

thank you so much for the sweater love. i'm happy that the pockets were liked.
if you'd like to try adding pockets to your knits too, here is a photo tutorial of how i've done it. ready?
here we go...


 here is what you'll need to make your pocket(s). i've used contrasting color wool for the inside, but if you'd rather keep to all one color, then disregard the second color. for demonstration purposes i've made a swatch. before cutting into your sweater, i would suggest always making a swatch to practice on


first, you'll want to determine where the pocket should be, then find the center on the sweater (swatch). it's easy to just look, but if you like you can add pins to mark the placement


 if you pull your swatch apart, you'll be able to see the stitches a bit clearer. do you see the double vertical bars? the upside down v?  choose one in the top center of where you'd like your pocket opening to be


 lift the stitch so you isolate just one


 see?


 now it's time for the scissors


 making sure you have just the one stitch


make (deep breath) the cut


 :)   okay, that was a bit exhilarating wasn't it?


 next, begin unraveling. delicately, pull the cut thread, from one side, then the other. (remember, your working from the center).


having already determined the length of your pocket,  only unravel as many stitches
as you want your pocket


 again, carefully, without pulling, pick up the bottom stitches. these will be the top of the pocket. do not cut the unraveled wool, these will be woven in at the end


 here we have nine stitches picked up. now turn your swatch over to pick up the stitches for the back


 now we're on the back side, picking up the stitches from the bottom (which is really the top of the pocket)
don't worry, if that doesn't make sense, i promise it will.


 you should have the same number of stitches, here we have nine on the front of the pocket, and nine on the back


now on the back, using a contrasting color if you like, attach your yarn to the first stitch on the needle, and begin to knit across the row.  here i used a silky merino held double. it's a good idea to use a yarn with a similar weight if you'll be adding a second color


 keep knitting until your pocket is the the length you want


 here is how the backside will look, see how the top stitches that you picked up are knit down?


 when you get to the desired length, bind off, and come back to the front


front of work, with the green hiding behind


see?


now attach the main color yarn to the first stitch and knit one row across


 then bind off, and the front is done


it's already beginning to look like a pocket  :)


now it's time to seam and stitch your pocket down


using the main color wool, split your plies and use one to sew with


starting at the top right corner begin seaming. you will of course be much neater than i am here,
the light was fading fast, and i wanted to finish up while it was still good!


but you can see what needs to be done. sew all the way around your pocket, picking up just the backside of the knit stitch. this is so your stitches won't show on the front. sometimes it might be necessary to split stitches. it's okay


now weave in all those left over pieces


 admire your bravery


it wasn't so scary afterall and now you'll have a place for your treasures. one of my favorite posts,
is about these things (treasures and pockets), and it's titled, very originally, pockets (there is knitting too)


if you'd like more of a hidden pocket, when your using a contrasting color, just knit the first two rows
on the back side with the main color yarn, then add the contrast



your friends will think you are quite clever. happy pocket making!

xxx lori

56 comments:

  1. Awwww, thanks so much for taking the time to make such a great tutorial for us! Count me in as one more friend who thinks you're very clever indeed ;)!
    Blessings,
    G

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, I agree with Heather, very clever indeed. I will need to practice on a lot of swatches before getting the hang of this knitting trick. Thanks for the tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing it with us! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. that is the cutest post of pocket making ever! i'm going to come back to this day when i need to add a pocket! lori - thank you for all the loving comments on my blog. i loved reading them and can't wait for you to meet indy. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks! Love your sweater and, I think, I'm going to try it WITH the pocket!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your instructions for the pocket making are so wonderful. I might even try to add pockets to a couple of sweaters that don't have them before I knit your sweater. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

    Diane in North Carolina

    ReplyDelete
  7. oh I LOVE this - clearer than anything I have ever seen - I feel bold!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. These are so nifty aren't they ... brilliant tutorial Lori x

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wonderful! Now.. I just have to figure out how to do this with something knit in stockinette.. hmmmm. Thanks for the excellent tutorial!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you can do this on stockinette, it will just be more visible. i would try it on an old sweater or a swatch so you can see how it will look.

      Delete
  10. Funny, I caught myself holding my breath as I looked at the picture of you with the sissors! Lori, this is fantastic and I can not wait to try it myself! You my dear are a knittng Goddess!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You make it look easy!
    Sure you helped a lot of people with this tutorial :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. That was great! Last frame was so cute.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Scotch! Scotch! I need my bottle of Scotch!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow! Nice tutorial! A bit scary with the scissors... You definitely need to know what you're doing! So cute with the little swisses...

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a fantastic tutorial! Thank you so much for taking the time to show us all, Lori.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for sharing--I'll look forward to giving this a try sometime!

    ReplyDelete
  17. You are so clever Lori! Nana arrived on the plane today with lots of knitted goodies..yay! :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. So beautifully clearly explained! I can't wait to try it. I think you left out one very critical step--shouldn't there be a glass of wine in there before the scissors part? No wait, I think it comes after the scissors part to celebrate! Maybe this is a 2 glasses of wine project.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. steph, this is definetly a whisky project. cutting into a sweater you've just knit feels a bit like jumping off a cliff. it is scary! swatch practice though, and you'll feel comfortable. (like jumping with wings). hee hee.

      Delete
  19. Wow, what a fantastic tutorial Lori, I shall bookmark for future reference. I couldn't help thinking that the step where you make the "cut" is a bit like the scene in every spy movie (or numerous episodes of British secret service drama "Spooks") where they crouch over the ticking timebomb with a pair of snippers, and hold their breath while they choose a coloured wire and hope for the best...

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank you very much Lori. Very clear photos and instructions, a lot of thought and effort on your part. You make it all look so easy!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Fantastic. Love the photos. You make it look so simple. If it's ok with you, I would like to link this post from our blog: arrowacresfarm.blogspot.com
    Would that be ok with you?

    p.s. LOVE the little friends in the last picture.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. leanne, thank you for asking, if it helps someone i'd be delighted. :)

      Delete
  22. This was so incredibly helpful. I haven't yet braved cutting into my knitting but if I ever work up the nerve, I think I can do this.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Jonny and I were up way too late reading through this tutorial last night. (I like for him to read through tutorials with me because he is good with details.) Then we went and read the other pocket post. I am going to knit this sweater just to do the pockets now. Thanks for sharing the instructions!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha I thought about that too, make a sweater just to add pockets!

      Delete
  24. This is SO clever! Thanks for sharing. Oooooh, this could be made with old sweaters as well, right?
    XO
    Lis

    ReplyDelete
  25. Your using the word Fun in the title of this post was an excellent idea! Readers will be intrigued to learn from your excellent words and photos how a pocket can be inserted into a finished style.

    Bravo to you for your wit and generosity.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thank you for going to all this work for a step by step tutorial!
    I want to try it, and after reading Lis's comment, I think I'll start with an old sweater :-)
    Love all the little Woodland admirers ♥

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wonderful! Thanks for posting this. Love the last picture. :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Lori, two things have inspired me this week to (re-)learn to knit: my friend made my baby son a knitted vest (a la Soulemama) and this pocket tutorial. So I'll be saluting you with my dash of whiskey as I broach the needles, ha ha :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. wow lori, i missed this post.... this is excellent teaching !
    thank you !x

    ReplyDelete
  30. Wow - that is such a clear tutorial Lori - thank you for taking the time to do this. You have made it seem so do-able and not scary at all. xxx

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thanks for the tutorial - the pockets look great and you made the yarn cutting seem almost not scary ;)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Thank you Lori for the best ever pocket story! I can imagine you there on a dream island surrounded by all those beautiful treasures without any pocket!
    Thank you also for showing how you made this pullover pocket - easier than I guessed! And so cute!
    x Teje

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thank you for a wonderful tutorial, Lori! It's not so scary after all when you know how!! You explained it all so well. Your lovely cardigan pattern is making me want to go and knit again!
    Btw, thank you for your question on my post about cross stitch. I don't actually use a magnifier(yet) but I do always work in a really good light, either daylight by a window, or in the summer outside, or otherwise with a bright daylight lamp. (And I do know a lot of ladies who found they need reading glasses for cross stitching, even if they don't for anything else!!)
    Have a great week.
    Helen x

    ReplyDelete
  34. What a cute little post! I can't sew, or knit, or stitch, to save my life. BUT - I appreciate those who can. :)

    And your little animals at the end are so adorable!!

    ReplyDelete
  35. You are very clever Lori Ann. Thanks for such a clear and concise tutorial...you make it look so easy. This must have taken ages to do.

    Thanks too for pointing out the lack of pockets in the annabel cardigan. It's one that I've been planning to make ever since seeing a lovely green version on another blog and now yours. Thankfully once I've saved up to get the yarn and make it I won't have to go through this process but knit them as I go along. Good job because I don't like whisky...he he... but seriously I'm sure I'd unravel the whole cardigan if I tried...

    Take care.
    Deb

    ReplyDelete
  36. You are such agreat instructor, Lori, and see how the little squirrels peer inside (that is the kind of pocket I sit inside, too, guys. Come on in. There must be some crumbs left). I will TRY it on a swatch, but still think I wouldn`t dare to do it on a real cardigan. I am so bad at losing and retracing stitches. Can you tell us how to do THAT? You will now get questions all over! Seeing you can explain so well! Where is your hat to but my Euros in?

    ReplyDelete
  37. Pinned it! As did several others, as I saw when I went to pinterest... Your pictures are so beautiful Lori. Thanks again for inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Oh Lori! This is so wonderful, thank you so much!
    xo
    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  39. Lori, thank you so much! This is very, very helpful and your pictures are great! Pinned it too!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thank you, Lori, that doesn't look too hard... except the cutting into the knitting bit, which would be quite hard. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  41. Lori, thank you so much for this tutorial. I think I might print it out and save it. A little scary, but do-able. I'm not sure I want to try it on my Annabel but perhaps. A little pocket is always helpful!

    ReplyDelete
  42. I cringed just LOOKING at your photo of the scissors snipping the knitting. But you really do explain it well and make it seem so do-able. That's a skill, you know. You are clearly a collector (and sharer) of impressive skills :-)

    ReplyDelete
  43. How very clever ! This tutorial got me all excited and I can't wait to try it out...thanks so much Lori.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Great tutorial, Lori! Very cleverly done!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hey Lori!
    I just found this tutorial! How very wonderful of you to put this up! I may just give it a try soon!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Thank you so much for explaining this so clearly. I REALLY appreciate the pictures, and have bookmarked this for future reference. I'm thinking about making a reading shawl, and the idea of putting in hidden pockets instead of patch is VERY attractive and potentially WARMER for the wearer. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  47. geez, very clever. I wonder if this brand new knitter could do that? :~)

    ReplyDelete
  48. Thank you so much for posting this detailed tutorial. Just what I needed to get the courage to add pockets to a favorite sweater - Aidez. Once I cut the yarn, the rest was easy ...but a glass of wine is essential...thanks Lori!
    btw...love the little squirrels in the last photo - too cute!

    ReplyDelete
  49. i love that you did this! thank you so very much.
    cheers!

    ReplyDelete

xoxo lori