May 31, 2021

Yesterday I finally knit the fronts. Such a simple statement but so much preparation was involved! My gauge did not match that of the pattern. Pattern called for 31 st x 50 rows. I was getting 32 x 42 at the stitch size called for (tension 5). So it was close in stitches but way off in rows. Given the angled semi-raglan sleeves, I had to seriously recalculate.

I followed my usual laborious and totally manual process of graphing the pattern out in my actual gauge, on gauge specific graph paper.

But first, I had to graph the darn thing out in the intended gauge because the schematic was less than fully useful. Or at least, so it seemed to me at the time. When I mapped out the stitches and rows called for in my size (S) I realized that some of the measurements on the schematic were off. Like the sleeve, which is supposed to be 40 cm at the widest point, turned out to be 42 cm. This is really baggy - lots of my cardigans have narrower sleeves than the intended width.

Then I started to also wonder if I should really make it as wide as called for (S has a 56cm width!). Or if the fronts should be wider, to provide more coverage. Or if it was going to be too short in body and/or sleeve to be a useful garment.

And I fussed over whether the pieces as graphed would actually go together properly given that some of the dimensions didn’t add up (for example the back seam on the sleeve piece works out to be almost 3 cm shorter than the corresponding seam on the back). This when there are quite a number of successfully-completed projects here on Ravelry.

This mental arguing with myself persisted for a week during which I got no knitting done.

Finally I decided to add length to the body (20 rows which ought to be close to 5 cm) and sleeves (7.5 cm). I had to redraft the sleeve and took the opportunity to make it narrower (but only as per the schematic, i.e. 40 cm) as well as longer.

Oh yeah, I attached the pockets so that they align at the front edge rather than at the side seam. The intended placement, way back on a really boxy body, just seems weird to me.

I did not do the shallow raglan edges as instructed. I did short rows on the front and back instead.

June 5, 2021

I’ve made the sleeves in 2 pieces rather than knitting from one cuff to the other. I don’t want one cast on rib cuff and the other cast off. Call me obsessive.

I also added a little angle at the back neck. I react against a rectangular neck. Obsessive.

The knitting is all done as of today. I added a couple of stitches to the neckband so it is 18 in total instead of 16. I made a curly stockinette edge of 3 stitches on one side to make the band edge smoother. More evidence of my fussiness.

I calculated I needed exactly 600 rows of neck band and all was going fab until row 567 or so when the yarn broke. Luckily I was able to capture the stitches (only 2) that came off needles and rip back a few rows and resume.

June 27, 2021

I took the pieces with me when I went to visit my mother, figuring I’d come back with a finished sweater. No such luck. The neck band was about 12cm too short and the sleeves about 3cm too short.

The sleeves are my fault. I had calculated the shape based on my gauge but for some (stupid) reason while knitting I had decided they would probably be too long if I knit the number of rows I had figured out. OMG they would have been perfect! My penance is that I had to knit two new cuffs plus the number of rows I stupidly omitted and I am grafting them to the bottoms of the sleeves after removing the existing cuffs. I’ve finished one and it was tedious but very doable.

As for the neck band, I am now wondering if I actually knitted 600 rows in my first effort, because I knitted 660 in the new band and it seems much longer than I figured it would be. Better too long than too short. I will rip out whatever isn’t needed and finish the ribbing.

Lots of hand sewing remains ahead of me.

July 1, 2021

Just a few comments to wrap up.

As you can see from the modeled photos, it’s too big for me, especially in the back. Both the front and the back had to be eased into the yoke so I could definitely take out width without altering the look of the garment very much.

The sleeves are also way wider than they need to be.

I also think that the top angle of the front should be different so there is more length along the CF. It is pulling up a bit. But a better fix would be to add width in at CF. Part of the pulling is from wanting the cardi to close a bit more than it does if left to its own devices.

I’ll think on whether to make this again. However I expect this to be a very useful cardigan once the temperatures fall.