This yarn is a dream to knit with! Lovely, silky and seemingly easy on the hands:-) I pre-washed both cones.

I am making a gathered pullover top, again… sorta. (I am not even going to link this one as I am not using the pattern nor the cable motif. I have found a different one that I want to try!)

This is, essentially, being knit exactly the same as my highly modified Gathered Pullover that I have just finished but with a lower neck/back, short sleeved and a different cable pattern. I am determined to get this top to fit properly this time!:-)

I think that the main reason that the gathered pullover is too wide is because the math is wrong for the shoulders… too many stitches across the front and back…to get the desired length and increasing every row gave me too many stitches! If I want 3.5 inches across the shoulders, I will want approx. 26 rows and 20 stitches. If I do 26 rows and increase every row, I will have I will have 6 stitches too many. (All of those can’t go to the sleeves!) Plus the fact that doing a M1 on either side of the shoulder seam shortens the seam stitches means doing more rows to get the length needed, meaning more stitches that I don’t need! So it all depends on your gauge and type of increase. I am gonna try this with the increases on the right side only.

I am going to write up exactly what I am doing so I can remember, this time, what I have done for future reference:-)

My gauge is 23 stitches and 30 rows = 4 inches, give or take.

Working 2 pieces the same, CO 6 stitches. Purl 1 row.

Row 1: K1, m1, k1, m1,PM, k2, PM, m1, k1, m1, p1.
Row 2: Slip one knitwise and purl across till last stitch, k1.

Row3: Slip one purlwise, k1, knit to marker, m1, sl k2, sl, m1, knit to 2nd last stitch, m1, k1, p1.
Row 4: Slip one knitwise and purl across till last stitch, k1.

Repeat rows 3 and 4 till I have approx. 3 inches of rows across the shoulders and 22, 2, 22 stitches. (46)

Next row, work row 3 on the right shoulder piece, cast on enough stitches between the 2 shoulder pieces to make 7 inches for the back. (15 inches across the back from shoulder to shoulder.) At this gauge, I am thinking 40 stitches and work across the left shoulder. (24 front stitches,2 shoulder seams, 88 back, 2 shoulder seams and 24 front.)

On the next purl row back, move the markers so that there are 4 stitches for the shoulders. (23, 4, 86, 4, 23) Now I am all set up for making the sleeves.

Continue increasing the neck edge every knit row, knit to marker, sm, m1, k4, m1,sm, knit to marker,sm, m1, k4, m1, sm…..

Purl row: purl to marker, sm, m1, p6, m1, sm, ptm, sm, m1, p6, m1, sm, p to last stitch, k1.

Increase the sleeve stitches every row for about an 1 1/2”. (Shoot, I forgot to count the stitches before moving on… no biggie!) After that, increase sleeve stitches on the knit row only.

Continue increasing the neck edge and sleeves every knit row until the front stitches add up to the same number as the back. (86, 43 on each side) Join by knitting the 2 center stitches together and knit around, continuing to do sleeve increases. (85f, 58s, 86b, 58s) Use the front right sleeve marker as the beginning of the round. (my fake sleeve seam measures 6.25”) Photo 1 and 2

March 31
Begin the cable pattern in the center of the front and work as established until the arm seam = 7 inches. Increase the armhole edges every second row and sleeves every row for an 1 1/2 inches. (I don’t know how many times? It doesn’t matter…)

Placed the sleeves on waste yarn and cast on 22 stitches between the fronts and the backs. I got brave with the German short row thing and did 6 rows of short rows across the front at 4, 8, and 12 stitches from armholes like bust darts. (How do I knit the Purl row stitches when knitting in the round? I didn’t think that it would be a problem but it is, slightly… it twists the stitch… I managed to make 2 out of 3 of them look ok but 1 is a bit wonky looking…) I like the way they look, sept for the 1.

So now I am wondering if this sweater is going to be too small across the bust. It’s measuring about 40” and I am closer to a 42” chest… It’s very soft and stretchy tho… so I might be fine? I should try it on and see but with DH here till Monday, I’ll just have to knit on and see then.

The cable pattern is done and I love it!

April 2

My freaking cable on my needles broke again… I have new HiyaHiya needles on the way so I am just going to wait for them to get here… I am sick to death with fixing broken cables!!

Now that I have knit 6 inches past the armholes, it looks like it will be a perfect fit for me. I have decided to add some waist shaping and have just started increasing 2 stitches each side, 1 before the 22 underarm stitches, and 1 after and will continue doing this about every inch.

April 7th

Well, I am back at it and my new needles are wonderful!

I did 4 increases, every inch 4 times, at the waist, 16 stitches, and am plodding on to the hem. I think I will do a picot folded hem like on Charlene but without the beads.

April 11th

Now that I have my new HiyaHiya needles and have a 60 inch cord, it’s so easy to try things on as I go! I am SO done the body and just have to add the hem and sleeves!