FREE Knitting Patterns, Yarn Reviews, Tutorials, Magazines

Home » Yarns » Stick, Stitch, Soak: Transforming a Pullover with Sulky Fabri-Solvy

Stick, Stitch, Soak: Transforming a Pullover with Sulky Fabri-Solvy

by Carla A. Canonico

Yesterday, I told you about my adventure knitting, ripping out, and reknitting the reimagined Experimental Pullover. I mentioned it took me quite a while to figure out what to do about a pullover I had nearly finished, and I became weary of the bold color scheme. So, I used a more subdued colorway – deep purples. I had also decided to add interest to the pullover by applying embroidery using DMC floss, and utilizing a crucial product to make it work: Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy.

Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy package, DMC floss, DMC Chenille needles on a knitted pullover

Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy is the perfect stabilizer for embroidering on your favorite knitted items using thread instead of yarn.

I used Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy, DMC floss, and DMC Chenille Needles Size 20. Sticky Fabri-Solvy adheres gently to a knitted fabric, but I also used a running stitch to secure the squares to the pullover. If you’ve never used it before, read all of the information written on the package. It’s easy to use and it’s printable. I drew my flowers on paper first to ensure I had the right flower, then I traced them onto the Sticky Fabri-Solvy.

A pencil lying on Sticky Fabri-Solvy with drawn flowers on the stabilizer; Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy, DMC floss, DMC Chenille needles

You can print the design on Sticky Fabri-Solvy or draw on it instead, as I did.

I auditioned several DMC cotton floss colors that would add pop to the Experimental Pullover, but ultimately I decided on the pink and green collections. Perhaps the purples could have been used differently, adding other varieties of flowers.

DMC cotton floss in pink, green, and purple shades to embroider on the Experimental Pullover; Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy, DMC floss, DMC Chenille needles

I auditioned several DMC cotton floss colors that would add pop to the Experimental Pullover

Then I auditioned the placement of the flowers on the sweater. As shown in the photo below, I haven’t yet removed the paper backing, just to be quick about arranging the flowers. But if the backing is removed and the sticky part is on the pullover, it can be just as easily removed and placed elsewhere on the pullover, and it will still stick.

Pieces of Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy with flowers drawn on them on a knitted pullover; embroidery on knits

Auditioning the placement and direction of the flowers.

With all the essentials, I got to work!

A package of Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy near a tray with DMC cotton floss, DMC Chenille needles and sewing notions; Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy, DMC floss, DMC Chenille needles

All the essentials for a happy time embroidering on knits.

I embroidered the flowers using all six strands of DMC cotton floss to add thickness to the petals. I layered the petals, starting with the darker shade, then the medium, and finishing with a touch of the lighter color for depth.

Once I finished with the flowers, I thought something was missing. The issue is, once you start embroidering on knits, it’s hard to stop. I thought of adding a trim to the stripes to make it all more simpatico. So I auditioned a few leftover yarns. The light gray yarn was the winner among all these yummy options for adding a trim to the knitted stripes.

When auditioning, I rarely decide on the spot; most of the time, I leave it on the worktable and get back to it the next day.

Three balls of leftover yarn laid out on a knitted pullover; Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy, DMC floss, DMC Chenille needles

The light gray yarn was the winner among all these yummy options for adding a trim to the knitted stripes.

I measured the width of the chest area to determine how much yarn I would need, adding six more inches. With a yarn needle, I passed the yarn over one knitted stitch and under the next, repeating this process until I reached the beginning of the work. It’s a very meditative process, so I repeated the trim using the hot pink color. But it’s tempting to add more trim. I could add some later, as this wouldn’t affect the knit project, but for the experiment, I’ll stop here. I then soaked the pullover using Soak Wash.

A bottle of Soak Wash on a knitted pullover in a washtub; Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy, DMC floss, DMC Chenille needles

I added some trim using leftover yarn to add more pop to the colorway.

The Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy turns into a goo which then further disintegrates after about 5 minutes, it’s super-fast. Since I had used the yarn in my previous bold striped version of the Experimental Pullover, I left the pullover to soak overnight to remove the kinks from the yarn. I let it dry flat the following day.

A knitted pullover sporting hand-embroidered flowers; Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy, DMC floss, DMC Chenille needles

The finished and blocked Experimental Pullover.

I’m pondering (and when am I not…), I might add more flowers, perhaps in the lighter purple shade. I’ll let the idea sit for a while and think about including other types of flowers. I’m also considering adding flower embroidery with yarn as an accent here and there. There may be an update on this later this summer. Using Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy… It’s easy to incorporate more embroidery into knitted projects. Let your imagination guide you. Bye for now.

The Experimental Pullover on a mannequin in front of an evergreen

The Experimental Pullover is a very warm addition to a winter wardrobe.

This is part 2 of 2 in this series

Go back to part 1: Stitches, Stripes & Sulky: Transforming a Pullover with Embroidery

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.