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Prince of Wales (DBJ) Jacket - by Loulou Pirotte

Click here for notes on how to put the shape and stitch pattern files in your usual folder.

Inspiration:  I have always been intrigued by dressmaker and tailoring details. This is inspired by a basic dressmaker shape, modified to some extent. It is important to remember that, whatever the type of dressmaker garment we want to knit, the knitted version will be different, in its fabric, from the original which is usually woven. Knitted garments will also require different construction methods.

Size: petite (Bust - waist - hips: 88 - 68 - 88 cm)

Category: **

Machine: Electronic standard gauge Brother KH970. KRC1000E Colour                 changer (or any double-bed changer).

Yarns:

• Linea Più Classico Mou, 2/28 Nm, 65% merino - 35% angora.
  1 strand of each colour (Medium grey and off-white).
• This combination produces a very lightweight and drapy fabric.

Total amount used: 320 grs. (170 grs off-white, 150 grs medium grey).

Tension: 0 on both carriages. The close knit bar is used.

Gauge: 10 x 10 cm: 39 stitches x 58 rows.

Stitch pattern:

‘Prince of Wales’ has always been a popular pattern and many variations have been  designed over the years.

You can easily design your own in Stitch Designer by looking at one of those fabrics.

•  Knitting method: 2 (-colour double-bed jacquard). 2 carriage passes for one  actual row, in  each colour.
•  Design your pattern as a simple Fair Isle and let DesignaKnit deal with the  separation!    But, do NOT use the  MCRIB (or KRC) key on your electronic  machine.
•  Select the right separation method for your type of machine.
•  Tip: if you want to know what the separated pattern looks like or if you need the separated version of  this  pattern to punch a card, for example, first select the Brother 950i as your machine (Stitch  Designer/Options/Method of  Knitting). Next  select File/Print. In the “Print Stitch Patterns” window, tick  the “Stitch Pat Template”  option which is now  enabled.
•  Full Needle Rib set-up.  
•  Integrated download was used. Each piece in the shape file was positioned on the stitch pattern and  integrated  with it.
   By choosing Transfer/Integrated Download, you have DesignaKnit download the stitch pattern  associated  with each individual piece. In this particular case, 4 stitch patterns: one for the back, one for  each front and  one for the sleeves.
   To knit each piece, you will have to program your knitting machine with the pattern associated with that  piece. In Interactive Knitting, you will select the stitch pattern  file, not the shape file.
   Please note that only the stitch pattern is downloaded, not the shape itself.
•  In a set-in sleeve, I want the  pattern to match from the armhole up to the shoulder. I usually move the  pattern  down by 2 cm in the sleeve.

Shape:

The  shape was designed  in Original Pattern Drafting.

• The shape file has 4 pieces: Back, Front 1, Front 2 and Sleeve.
• Block your new pieces and Fit them To Height and Width, taking into account the facings and hems.
  Next, shape your pieces. You can use the Table or the Plus and Minus tools or drag your points.
  The front can also be constructed from the back piece: duplicate the back piece, set the Origin at the
  centre and use Piece/Separate. Don’t forget to add the facings! The front piece can also be duplicated and flipped.
• If you are using a dressmaker pattern, do not use the ease recommended for the woven garment. Knitting is forgiving! For instance, I always use  negative  ease for the shoulder measurement. I want the shoulder line at shoulder point, not off the shoulder.
• Collar: this is a built-up neckline (it extends above the base of the neck in back and front) and is constructed all in one with the bodice. It can be developed in different ways, from another point along the shoulder for example, depending on how far you want the collar to stand up away from the neck.
  The depth and width of the V-neck opening are a matter of personal taste.
  I used a mock-up before designing the front collar and facing but the “paper doll” is another technique one can use to ‘see’ a garment, or part of it, in three dimensions.
• The small “>” shape in the front facing is constructed to remove excess fabric at the point of the V-neck when the facing is folded in.
• Each piece starts with a hem that will be folded in.
• The front facings are constructed and  knitted as an extension of the piece.

Note: I like to take my shapes into Interactive Knitting and “knit them manually” before starting the actual knitting, to make sure everything is OK.

By “knit manually”, I mean using Interactive Knitting *without the machine*, i.e. using the UP arrow tool.

Knitting tips

• Most woven garments can be ‘translated’ into knitted garments but some factors must be taken into account such as the yarn, the stitch pattern, the mechanics of a knitted fabric, the features of the machine itself, etc. for the type of project you are considering.
  If you are using a dressmaker pattern, keep in mind that some minor (or major) adjustments may have to be made as some sewing features cannot be reproduced as such on our machines.
  Vertical darts to cinch the waist, for instance, wouldn’t be flattering in a stitch pattern like double-bed jacquard as they would disrupt the pattern.
• Back, fronts and sleeves start with a hem knitted in the same stitch pattern but, in a double-bed pattern, I always start the hems with a few circular rows at the tightest possible tension. This gives the hems more stability and prevents them from flaring.
• Shaping is with a 2-prong tool for all the pieces.
  Important: do not forget that , on a japanese machine, in double-bed jacquard, you must always have an even number of needles on the ribber!
  Hence, increases and decreases can only be in units of 2 stitches at a time, on either side of the ribber.
  On the main bed, you can increase or decrease one stitch at a time.
• Facing: the facing is knitted as an extension of the front. The 39 stitches required for the facing are added directly after the hem, on the carriage side. (Depending on your machine, you may have to deal with a preselection row).

1. It is also possible to add those stitches when the carriage is on the opposite side, using a separate piece of yarn. Actually, I prefer this method. To cast on those stitches, I knit them manually (Knitted back e-wrap ) and transfer the heels of the stitches from the main bed to the ribber.  
   When adding stitches in double-bed work, it may be difficult to hang a cast-on comb, especially if you already have a large number of stitches in work. To work around this, I cast on the new stitches (Knitted back e-wrap), transfer the heels of the stitches from main bed to ribber, place a ravel cord over the newly cast on stitches and pull down on the ravel cord, from under the beds, until the knitting  is long enough to hang a comb and/or weights.
2. The small “>” shape in the front facing is constructed to remove excess fabric at the point of the
   V-neck when the facing is folded in. The shaping tag is H and this is short rowed.
   If you don’t feel confident enough to short row in double-bed jacquard, you can either:

1. Use cut and sew for this deleted “dart”.
2. If your yarn is very fine, avoid short rowing and knit the shape without this ‘dart’. You will then ‘fold’ the fabric over itself and form a mitre when you finish the jacket.

• If you turn on the Marker tool in the DesignaKnit shape file, you will notice markers  on the Back and front collars, Back, front and sleeve hems and front facings.
  These mark the fold line, i.e. the row or stitch where the  facings and hems will be folded in.
• All the pieces were mattress stitched together.
• As always, my hems and facings are set in place with iron-on fusible material.