Points on corset hem? *big pic warning*

[chibi muse]

I am knitting a corset based on a piece of art, so I'm having to make up the pattern myself. I've never made up a pattern for a knit before, or even really knitted anything with extensive shaping, so I've been doing lots of research and practicing before actually starting.



I'm knitting the corset and the hat, and maybe the sleeves and socks later if I have time. For now I'm just doing the corset, under the flowers at the bust down to the points. I'll be crocheting the edgings afterwards.

One thing I'm having trouble figuring out how to do is the points on the bottom of the corset. I'm planning on knitting the corset 'flat', not in the round, so using the edges for the lacing as shown in the front and knitting a seperate modesty panel to go underneath. That way I have a rectangle basically, instead of a tube, so it's easier to knit and fit.
For the points, I think something like the method used for the earflaps on this hat:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=21234.0
would work best. Knitting from the bottom up, each point seperately, then joining them as I start knitting the rest.

But I'm not sure I understand her about how to attach the points once you've knit them and put them on holders. Cany anyone explain? Or suggest another method for making the points without having a seam? Any advice on this outfit would be very helpful thanks! <3

[Lothruin]

Basically, since there are flat edges in addition to the points, you have to knit some stitches between each point.  In this case, the picture does sort of show some flat bits between the points.  But it will work a little differently from hers, because of the way the corset is shaped, you'll start by knitting across the stitches of one of the points.  Then you'll need to cast on the number of stitches you want between the first point and the second point (from the picture, maybe half the width of each point's widest edge?) and then knit across the second point, then cast on a few more stitches, etc until you end on the other side by knitting across the live stitches of the final point. 

You COULD also do a provisional cast on, like a crochet cast on with waste yarn.  (I've only done it once, so if you don't know how they work, I'll let you look it up. )  In this case, you would co as though you were going to knit a flat edge, and knit up to the top, but the provisional cast on lets you undo the cast on edge and then pick up the stitches and knit down from there.  No seam.  Doing it that way, I think you'd have way more control over the final fit, because you would not have to figure your math to accommodate the points, you'd work the points to accommodate your math.

[GirlMadchen]

Have you seen Annie Modesitt's silk corset knitting pattern? It's very much like your picture, and there is a lace pattern that will help you get those points at the bottom...

[smrjunior]

what if you knit it from the top down and when you get to the bottom, just work one section at a time, decreasing at each edge of the section to get triangles.  then just break the yarn and move on to the next section.

[GirlMadchen]

quite a few lace patterns will naturally give those points. You might want to try a chevron pattern for example. The various combinations of increases/decreases makes the fabric into a pointed shape, rather than flat... see here: http://www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/stitches/chevron.htm

The Annie Modesitt corset knitalong is here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/silkcorsetknitalong/

if you join the group you can see lots of pics of the corset and will see the points better on some of those pics.

[Lothruin]

A chevron patter would work, but... well, first, you'd have points at the top, too, unless you jimmied with it, in which case you might as well save yourself the trouble of working a chevron and just jimmy with adding the points to a rectangle, and second, I personally think it would be a pain in the butt, or probably completely impossible to knit the cable and bobble pattern AND chevrons, and it would not be the same corset without the cable and bobble pattern.  In my opinion, chevrons are not the way to go.

[chibi muse]

Lothruin: That makes alot of sense, thanks very much for the explanation! ^_^
Is it essential to use dpns as shown in her pattern for the points? Also, when exactly do you have to break the thread?
I like much better your idea for a provisional cast on! I could make sure the rest worked  and fit before even worrying about the points. I think i will investigate that idea more.

smrjunior: that's definitely a sound option!

GirlMadchen: That is beautiful corset! I hadn't seen it. I think I will buy that pattern just to make as another project! <3
I had looked into the chevron method, but It would make the bobble and cable pattern impossible to continue over the points. I really would like to stay as true to the original image as I can, so I think I will save that for a later corset.

[Lothruin]

Beaking thread:  Well, I didn't look terribly closely at her pattern, but it seems to me that for all the points except the last one you will have to break the thread and have the point be a totally separate entity from the rest.  That's IF you do it point up.  So, if you do it that way, you'll start at the tip of each point and work up until your points are the right height, and then you'll put the live stitches on a holder and break the point off the ball.  The last one you don't have to break, because you're going to turn right around and knit across it, then CO your little flat-bit stitches, then knit across the next point, etc.  That's all an awful lot of work, though.  I really would do the provisional cast-on instead.  In which case, obviously, you would break the yarn as you finished each point.

DPNs:  Nope, not essential at all.  In fact, I suspect the main reasons she uses dpns are A) because she'll be using dpns for the rest of the hat, so you only need one set of needles that way and B) the points are small, so working them on shorter needles might be more comfortable for some people.