Stitches

knitting problem need help casting off?

help me i am having problems knitting arm holes i dont work with patterns only minds eye but i never know how to do arm holes properly how many stitches do you cast of at a time

Public Comments

1. binding off in the armhole depends on how sharp you want the seam to go. I never do more than 3 at the most in one bind off stitch. I usually do 2 to 3 knit or purl together and then bind that off if necessary.
2. Go to Ravelry.com and find a pattern that looks similar to the sweater you're using and uses the same yarn and needles (yes, you can search by yarn and needle size!). Just use the part of the pattern that you need, and create the rest on your own.
3. Normally, you would only cast-off one stitch at a time -- as in K2tog. And that is only done a few times, normally, according to the pattern or the design. You haven't told us where exactly you are having trouble. If you mean at the underarm, how many stitches to cast-off... that depends again on the design. It depends on the size of yarn and needle you are using. But you would cast-off a certain length (1 inch, or more) rather than count stitches. You normally don't knit the armhole -- it's just the part that is left when you decrease elsewhere. I guess I'm a little lost in knowing what you needed.
4. You have to bind off a percentage of the body stitches to match the stitches you need to properly fit your sleeves into. So you first have to determine what circumference of sleeve you need, figure your gauge and then determine how many stitches. In my head I'm thinking 1/8th of the total, but your best bet is to use a good design reference book like Maggie Rhigetti's "Sweater Design In Plain English" or Jacqueline Fee's "Sweater Workshop" which is based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's percentage system.
5. Honey, that depends on the size and thickness of wool. Eg baby knits poss 3 stitches.