The Contiguous Method

The Contiguous method is a way of knitting the shoulder seams and sleeve caps of a garment

from the top down (or even from the bottom up!) for a set-in sleeve look.

It differs from Barbara Walker’s simultaneous set-in sleeve methods, in that this method uses

one continuous row (or round) right from the start.

This incorporates the front, shoulder seam, back, other shoulder seam and other front.

BW’s method only reaches this stage after knitting about a third of the top/yoke.

This method naturally forms a nice shoulder slope.

This method is not a pattern, and does not replace a pattern. It should be possible to adapt a

pattern to work with this.

This is not a raglan sleeve, although knitting a top-down raglan will help get the feel for this.

And this method can be used to make sleeveless garments too!

The summary –

for the shoulder: for every row, increase either side of two centre stitches, for each shoulder (4

increases every row)

for sleeve cap: increase every row, on the sleeve side of markers. (4 increases every row)

for stopping the neck rising too high: increases along the back neck (2, 3 or 4 every second

row for 6 - 8 rows)

In more detail:

This is the method, not a pattern. You still have to do shaping for front neck openings, joining

up to knit in the round when you’re ready to, separating sleeves from body, etc

The back neck increases are not written in, as their placement is variable, depending on

whether you do 2, 3 or 4.

pm = place marker

sm = slip marker

& = unspecified/unknown number of stitches (depends on you)

Use the cast-on of your choice. I use a knitted cast-on most of the time. You may wish to do

the back neck sts as a provisional cast-on if your pattern has “pick-up sts” for a collar.

Cast on stitches for back neck (work this out as distance x gauge)

Cast on 6 more sts.

Row 1: k1, pm, k2, pm, k to last three sts, pm, k2, pm, k1

Row 2: pfb~, sm, p2, sm, pfb, purl to 1 st before marker, pfb, sm, p2, sm, pfb

Row 3: k1, kfb~, sm, k2, sm, kfb, k to 1 st before marker, kfb, sm, k2, sm, kfb, k1

~ = or any increase of your choice

continue in this manner, doing an increase either side of the marker EVERY row, until the

“seam” is the length of your shoulder.

You can work out how many rows you may need to do for this shoulder seam by distance x

row gauge. The type of increase you use may cause this seam to tighten a bit, so you may

need to do a couple more rows; or, remember to do the increases + centre sts loosely.

That’s the shoulder part done. It forms a good slope for shoulders without having to do short

rows.

Pointy sleeve caps are exacerbated when the shoulder seam goes on for too long.

Getting a nice rounder cap can be done with having more than two shoulder seam stitches.

The shoulder cap – start of sleeve

The two techniques for a good shoulder cap shape are

1) Don’t keep that shoulder seam going for too long. The “very top of the shoulder bone” is

probably too long. The outside edge of a bra-strap is probably a good place to stop (depending

on your individual shoulder shape, of course). The shoulder seam can end up being much

much shorter that you think it should be.

2) Rapid/frequent increases at the place where you move markers to mark ‘sleeve stitches’

from what were ‘shoulder seam stitches’ helps stop the pointed shape.

Unfortunately, the number and frequency depend on quite a few variables - yarn type &

thickness, drape of yarn, tension of stitches, number of ‘seam’ stitches that you had and so on.

This rapid increase can lead to puffiness of the sleeve cap which is evident when the garment

is flat or not worn, which can be off-putting, but can miraculously disappear when worn, as

the extra fabric moulds itself to the shoulder bone (which is why you stop the shoulder seam

BEFORE the shoulder bone.)

Everybody’s shape and preference is different, which makes it difficult to make hard-and-fast

rules about where the shoulder seam should end.

Try these stitch numbers:

Now move the markers so there are 6 sts between markers. These are now the top of the

sleeve cap. You will be increasing ONLY between the markers which mark off the sleeve

stitches.

Next Row: K&, sm, kfb, k4, kfb,(8 sts), sm, k&, sm, , kfb, k4, kfb, (8 sts), sm, k&

Next Row: P&, sm, pfb, p6, pfb (10 sts), sm, p&, sm, pfb, p6, pfb (10 sts), sm, p&

Next Row: K&, sm, kfb, k8, kfb (12 sts), sm, k&, sm, kfb, k8, kfb (12 sts), sm, k&

etc.

Continue in this manner for several rows, increasing EVERY row, on the sleeve side only of

the markers.

Do this for only a few rows!

Do NOT do this for the whole armscye!

My guess is this would only need to be done for the same distance down as Barbara Walker’s

short rows to shape the sleeve cap (approx one-sixth of the armhole depth, either side of the

shoulder seam, as measured down from that shoulder seam)

Then do the increases every second row (knit row)

and continue all the rest of the pattern elements too, such as underarm shaping, just as you

would for a BW top-down design.

If you use the method to knit or develop a garment, or write a pattern, it would be nice if you

would please include the following acknowledgement:

This garment is worked seamlessly from the top-down using the contiguous sleeve method

developed by Susie Myers, SusieM on Ravelry (http://www.ravelry.com/people/SusieM).

This isn’t compulsory – it gives people a way of following up extra information.

And please add the tag “contiguous” to your project or pattern.