Hand Knit Cuffs & Collar for Moderne

I'm so excited to share the final tutorial for Moderne March! This one is a riff on something that's been on my mind for ages. I've always wanted to create a garment that combines knit and sewn elements and have done a bit of it on projects in the past. In fact, when I originally came up with the idea for Moderne, these handknit cuffs and collar were part of the design.

Part of my inspiration for creating this modification for Moderne was the general lack of nice rib knits and pre-made rib cuffs and collars. They're usually made of really scratchy nylon or polyester and don't come in a very wide assortment of colors.

These cuffs and collars also use a minimal amount of yarn, making them great for using up half skeins of yarn leftover for projects. You could also combine multiple thinner yarns to create a marled look!

This pattern is designed for a light worsted weight yarn. I have bound off both the cuffs and collar with a tubular bind off. This gives them a nice, clean finish similar to ready made knit cuffs. If you've never done a tubular bind off, you can find a great tutorial here.

Yarn: Berocco Ultra Alpaca in Tiger's Eye Mix ( 50% Super Fine Alpaca, 50% Peruvian Wool)

Gauge: 5sts=1" in stockinette 8sts=1" in 1x1 rib

Needles: 1 set size 5 double pointed needles, two circular needles, or 1 40" circular needle for magic loop. Use your favorite technique for knitting in the round or correct needle size to achieve gauge (I am a very loose knitter! You may find you need to use a 6 or 7 to achieve gauge)

Sizes are A/B, C/D, E/F [G/H, I/J, K/L]

Knit Cuffs

CO 50, 52, 54, [56, 58, 60] sts. Join in the round.
K three rounds. This creates the 'seam allowance' for your knit cuff.
K1, P1 until the cuff measures 2 1/4" from the beginning of the ribbing.
Set up for tubular bind off:*
K1, S1 wyif until end of round.
S1 wyib, p1 until end of round.
Split your stitches onto two needles, purls on one, knits on the other. I used various size circular needles, as the needle size is not too important for this step - you’re simply keeping the stitches secure while you graft them together. Measure out a yarn tail 3-4 times the length of the cuff circumference and cut the yarn.
Graft stitches together using Kitchener Stitch.
Repeat for 2nd cuff.

Knit Collar

CO 83, 89, 95, [101, 107, 113] sts
P1 row
K1 row
P1 row
P1, k1 until 8 sts rem, w&t
P1, k1 until 9 sts rem, p1, w&t
K1, p1 until 5 sts rem, picking up wraps, k1, w&t
P1 k1 until 5 sts rem, picking up wraps, p1, w&t
K1 p1 until 3 sts rem, picking up wraps, k1, w&t
P1, k1 until 3 sts rem, picking up wraps, p1, w&t
K1, p1 until 1 st rem, picking up wraps, k1
Sl1, then k1, p1 until end of row.
Set up for tubular bind off:*
S1, s1 wyif, until 1 st, k1
S1, k1, s1 wyif
Split your stitches onto two circular needles, purls on one, knits on the other. Measure out a yarn tail 3-4 times the length of the collar and cut the yarn.
Graft stitches together using Kitchener stitch.

For both cuffs and collar, weaving in the ends is minimal! On the cuffs, only weave in the ends where you bound off. On the collar, simply thread the end back to the starting edge as it will be secured when the pieces are sewn to the coat body.

Sewing the cuffs and collar to the coat

Once you have your cuffs and collar completed, use your iron to gently steam and press the seam allowances. You can also block these pieces as you would with other knit projects.

Treat the side with the 'knit' side of the seam allowance as the right side and sew to your coat as instructed. You will need to stretch these pieces to make them fit.

Here is the finished Moderne renovation in all its glory! I think it is my dream coat and perfect for spring weather.