Ms. Fix-It (since 1981)

Recently, Boy 1 and I were perusing my old badge book from my days as a Girl Scout “Junior.” Back then, “Junior” meant grades 4-6 (I think).  He was really interested in some of the badges, including the one shown above. The range of topics covered by these badges is really impressive compared to the list of Boy Scout badges I see today – and it’s mind blowing when you consider that the edition I worked from was published in 1980. (This is an interesting and related read: Things Boys Could Learn at Girl Scouts NYT 10-13-17.)

Anyhoo, I have fond memories of working on Ms. Fix-It. That’s when my dad showed me how to change light bulbs, what everything in the fuse box meant and how to reset circuit breakers, what all the dials and lights on the car dashboard meant, and how to turn off the water in the house. I think he gave me some bonus lessons, as well – like how to check the oil in the car using the dipstick, and how to top it off if necessary. We were a “fix it yourself” family.

Late in the fall, I set myself a couple of knitting fix-it tasks. The first one was a simple toe replacement on a sock for Boy 1. I knew that darning a big hole near the toe would result in uncomfortable bunching when worn in a shoe, so I decided to just cut off the end and knit a new toe. I had to use contrasting yarn, though, since I already used the leftover blue yarn in my I Love Leftovers blanket!

The second fix-it was more involved. Remember this sweater? I knit it from special yarn that a friend got at a mill in France, and it was my first CustomFit pattern. I made it in 2014.

Take a look at the sleeves. They are supposed to be 3/4 sleeves, but they are pretty short. They look okay in this shot, but every time I wore it, that turned hem nestled into my elbow crease and was uncomfortable. I found I wasn’t wearing the sweater, and that was a shame.

But wait! I can fix it! The sweater was worked from the cuff up, so I couldn’t just unravel the cuff and knit the sleeve longer. Instead, I prepared for sweater surgery. First, I knit new cuffs (this time in 2x2 rib) and the lower sleeve. I CO 42 stitches and increased every 6 rows to get to 54, which is the number at the bottom of the old sleeve.

Next, I carefully ripped out the turned hem on the existing sleeve and took out some of the seam (the sleeves were worked flat originally – luckily, I seamed from the armholes down to the cuff, so this was pretty easy to undo):

Then I snipped a single stitch on the turning row (which was a purl row). I did this in the middle of the sleeve, not near either edge of the now-flat fabric:

I was able to unravel that entire row (half in one direction, half in another) using a tapestry needle for help. I placed the new, live loops on a needle. Ready to attach:

Then I worked kitchener stitch over those 54 stitches. I found that it was easier to get it right if I didn’t try to get it right at first. In other words, I intentionally worked the kitchener stitch a bit loosely, like this.

I came back around and tightened each stitch to ensure that the tension matched the fabric on either side perfectly.

Then I had to block the new sleeve extensions, so the fabric would match even better. This also helped with the re-seaming that was necessary, as the edges were curling quite aggressively. I didn’t wet the whole sweater, just the new parts of the sleeves:

And then I seamed up that last bit using mattress stitch. Done! Now this sweater is much more wearable. Sorry, no photos of me with it on. It is WAY too cold to go outside for a photo shoot (and way too sunny, too). Just trust me. The sleeves are the right length now!

That’s the cabinet where I keep my sock yarn, by the way. It is visible and accessible, right in my living room. I love seeing it all the time.