… afterthought pockets …

Recently I knit a cardigan for my friend in a classic navy-blue. But than I found something was missing and added some color at the ribbing, buttonbands and neck.

I also wished I had made pockets (a little late, I know, the cardi was finished) as I know he likes to have some storage room for I-phone, glasses etc…

So this is how I did it and how you can do it, even in store bought pullovers or cardigans:

Decide where you want your pocket and how wide
your pocket opening needs to be. Mark the edges with stitch markers.

afterthought pockets-1

Choose the row where you would like the pocket opening.
Snip a stitch in the middle between the two markers.

afterthought pockets-2

Pull out the yarn of the row you cut, in both directions until you reach the stitch markers at the ends.

afterthought pockets-4

You now have two rows of live stitches (at the top and the bottom of the opening)
afterthought pockets-5
The yarn tails can be used later to close any holes or to stabilize the corners.

Slip the stitches of the upper row and the lower row to a circular needle.
afterthought pockets-6

afterthought pockets-7

Join the working yarn and knit the pocket in the round to desired length. (Make it a little shorter than needed, because the fabric will stretch in use)

afterthought pockets-8

Bind off all the stitches using the 3 needle bind-off.

Hold the needle tips with the stitches of the pocket together.
With a 3rd needle knit 1 stitch from front needle together with a stitch of the back needle, knit the following stitch of front needle together with next stitch of back needle.
Insert one of the left needles into the second stitch on the right (3rd) needle, pass the second stitch over the first stitch and off needle. (This is the normal way of binding off).
Bind off all stitches. Break yarn and pull it throught the remaining stitch.

afterthought pocket  afterthought pocket2

And with some buttons (also afterthought) it just looks right.
2013-08-04-534

afterthought mod 3

A few more pics here on Ravelry