Finally finished!
I cast on for this sweater on my birthday, November 24th, 2008. It's a bottom-up design, and it went swimmingly until I reached the raglan decreases. At that point, it became apparent that the pattern has some problems (as further evidenced by the number of project notes on Ravelry which contain complaints about said problems). In the end, I knit this sweater from the armpits up FOUR times over three years. (And the collar one extra time for good measure.)
In summary: I'm so excited to finally be able to wear this freaking thing!
I can't seem to write a concise post about the errors/mods to save my life, so I'll just add those to the Ravelry page instead. Basically, i did it in regular stockinette (rather than reverse), added some width to the left front for coverage and both front edges for smoothness, added both some length and width to the sleeves, and figured out my own method for completing the raglan decreases.
I also went down two needle sizes for the collar after reading that some people had trouble getting theirs to stand up, although in retrospect that may have been overkill as it sucks in toward the neck a little too much and I prefer the way it looks folded down anyway (as above). I also ended up moving the buttons over, resulting in a much slimmer neck, in order to get a little more overlap/coverage on the front pieces.
The funny thing is, I usually get discouraged when having to rip back a project, but I did it so many times with this one that I kind of became immune to it. I'd happily knit away and then discover a problem and just think, "here we go again!" and rip it back. On the bright side, I'm now pretty awesome at picking up rows and figuring out where I am in a cable pattern. (Admittedly, my crazy love for the design and the colour of the yarn kept me going.)
After all that work, I only hope my assistants don't get their claws on it! (I did have to resort to blocking it on the balcony. These guys do love wool!)
The Details:
Pattern: Asymmetrical Cabled Cardi by Yahaira Ferreira
Needles: US9(5.5mm) (and US7(4.5mm) for the collar only)
Yarn: Cascade 220 in colourway 2425
Size: 39
Guage: 4.5spi (the pattern indicated 4spi, so this fits small)
Cast on: November 24, 2008
Bound off: July 24, 2011
Total # of stitches: 31,740 (give or take for fit adjustments)
This is totally beautiful and it makes me feel better about having knit my Jan sweater twice (effectively). Excellent job - I know you are going to wear this constantly!
ReplyDeleteI love this! And it looks amazing on you.
ReplyDeleteIt's so pretty! (And so are you - these photos are beautiful :) )
ReplyDelete@K.Line - yeah, it's a relatively common occurrence while knitting. On the bright side, at least the yarn doesn't get wasted like it would with a cutting error in sewing!
ReplyDelete@melaniejennifer - thank you! There are some other very pretty versions on Ravelry which inspired me, you should check them out :D
@Korena - d'awww... thanks love.
Well done for keeping at it! The result is awesome.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I love this sweater. Good for you for keeping at it because the result is just stunning. And perfect timing - this will be a great wardrobe staple through fall.
ReplyDeleteIt's gorgeous! I wish I could knit as well as you. You should do tutorials!
ReplyDeleteWonderful sweater. I love the color! Sadly, I don't know how to knit. I put it on my new year's resolutions this year, along with getting back into painting, but I have my hands full with my job and the hobbies I have already. Seeing beautiful finished garments like this one are inspiring though... Rekindling the desire to learn to knit...
ReplyDeleteit turned out absolutely beautiful!! i can't believe you stuck with it and finished it - well done and you look awesome in it. love love the colour :)
ReplyDelete