I have mentioned this sweater so many times and even knit a summer tank inspired by it....Folded by Veera Valimaki. It has to be one of my all time favorites! This is the perfect sweater to add to your list of knits if you're looking to transition from summer to fall or even winter to spring. Heck I can wear mine all year long LOL
It wasn't the first time being introduced to pleats; however since that sweater I've become more obsessed with them. And since knitting the tank that was inspired by Veera Valimaki's Folded sweater in this blog post here, I've had a couple of requests to do a little tutorial on the pleats. They are easy to do but I will admit a little clumsy! So, I'm taking this opportunity to show you not only the little Left and Right Leaning Pleats used in my tank but also one that I'm going to be experimenting with in a sweater of my own design in the near future and that would be the Box Pleat!
There's something ever feminine about pleats and to me they look great in any article of clothing but especially exciting when incorporated into my favorite thing to wear which is obviously a sweater! I wasn't sure if a video or if pictures would be better, but with so many needles being used at once I decided to go with pictures. I hope this will be clear and helpful as personally speaking I find viewing pictures easier.
Left Leaning Pleats
Step 1: Once you've reached the point in your pattern where the pleats are to begin, you will place 2 stitches on 3 double pointed needles. I chose to use my wooden Chiaogoo's so the yarn would grip on the needle and not slip off so easy. Keep the needles in order at first; place 2 on one needle, 2 on the second needle and then 3 on the last.
Step 2: Turn the middle needle clockwise so that the wrong side is facing out keeping the first and last needle in their original positions.
Step 3: The needles are lined up and ready to be worked. The first needle will have the right side facing out, the middle needle will have the wrong side facing out and the third needle will also have the right side facing out.
Step 4: knit into all of the 3 stitches at once (K3tog). Repeat for the next 3 stitches.
The left side of the photo shows one pleat completed and the right side is all three of the Left Leaning Pleats completed. I'm using Bis-sock in Vanilla and I have an ulterior motive here! Bis-sock being one of my favorite yarns, not only for socks ladies, but also for sweaters, I wanted to test it out to see what it would be like knit with pleats in it. As you can see, even more so in real life, Bis-sock is draping very beautifully once again passing all the tests. And the feel of this yarn is so baby soft it's absolutely amazing to wear next to skin, no barriers needed!
Right Leaning Pleats
Step 1: As for the Left Leaning Pleats, place 2 stitches on the 3 double pointed needles and keep them in order at first.
Step 2: Take the second need and turn it counter clockwise so the wrong side will be facing the out towards the third needle while also moving it to the back.
Step 3: Keeping needle middle needle and the third needle together, take the first needle and lift it up over the 2 needles so that it's now in the back with the right side still facing out towards the front.
Step 4: As shown in the picture; the third needle became the first, the middle needle remained in the middle but turned so the wrong side was facing out and the first needle was placed in the back with the right side still facing out towards you.
As shown in the left photo, knit into the 3 stitches (K3tog) at the same time and then repeat for the next 3 stitches. The right photo shows the comPLEATed (I had to do that at least once LOL) Right Leaning Pleat.
Aren't the pleats just absolutely adorable? You can see how nice Bis-sock is draping and if you haven't felt the squishy loveliness of this yarn I highly suggest getting your hands on some. Color is always difficult to view on screen in order to see its true beauty but if you would like a little tasty description.... Vanilla reminds me of a French Vanilla ice cream! You know you love your yarn when you start associating it with food LOL and if you decide that you would like to knit the Folded sweater, you wouldn't have to break the bank....each skein of Bis-sock has a whopping 435yds!
Box Pleat (first side)
Step 1: I'm using 5 stitches in my box pleat but you can use different amounts. Place 5 stitches on the first double pointed needled and 5 on the second double pointed needle.
Step 2: Place your double points in a "V" shape with the purl sides facing in towards each other.
Step 3: Put your needles together, purl side to purl side, and place them in front of your left hand needle. The right side of the first double pointed needle you loaded up should be facing out towards you.
Step 4: Knit the first three stitches from each needle together, and continue until all the stitches have been worked.
Here is the first side of the box pleat. Be very careful when knitting the stitches together not to drop one or later on in your work you will get a terrible surprise with a run sneaking down your project!
Box Pleat (second side)
Step 1: Load up your two double pointed needles with 5 stitches each as you did for the first side.
Step 2: Put your needles in a "V" position again but this time the knit sides will face each other.
Step 3: Place the needles together, right side to right side; this time you will place them in the back of the left hand needle. The right side of the first double pointed needle you loaded up should be facing out towards you.
Step 4: Knit into each of the stitches on the 3 needles one at a time until all the stitches are worked.
And here's the finished box pleat! I am LOVING this particular style pleat!! I have mentioned so many times that I love a loose, boxy style sweater. This pleat would create bulk in a beautiful feminine way. Not that I'm opposed to wearing a box; but what if you could get that look with pretty little details?
Have you played around with pleats yet?