vogue cardigan continues

The Vogue cardigan #34 is coming along nicely. As you can see, the back and half of the front are completely done. I've reversed the back so that you can see the patterning in this picture. The second half of the front is currently on the needles. I've just completed the last row of knots on it, so I'm about halfway done. I like the design of this a lot (even if I do have to seam it later). As you can see, the front folds back to show a series of knots around the neck. I like working that pattern - it breaks up the monotony of stockinette, but isn't so difficult that you need to keep on referencing the pattern. I'm also happy that I used the Cascade 220 that I had waiting for a sweater. I don't think I would have been very happy with the more summery blend that was recommended in the magazine. I think my stitch definition is much nicer than the modeled sweater, too. I am enjoying the warm weather here, but I hope we have at least one more drop in temperature so I can wear this sweater soon.

Vogue belted cardigan (spring '06)

While Vogue Knitting magazine can sometimes come out with really vile stuff, there is usually at least one project in each issue that I like. This time it was #34, the Belted Cardigan. I had been wanting to make a cardigan out of some Cascade 220 that I had, and this pattern was (almost) perfect. I'm making the sweater shorter, with only 13" from hem to underarms instead of 15". I'm also going to add snaps so that the cardigan can close, and I'll be getting rid of the belt. So far it has been a very quick and enjoyable project. I'm using #8 needles, and the material is flying out. I'm already up to the armholes after only two days of knitting.

crichton cardigan has one sleeve

The Crichton Cardigan looks quite jaunty here. Its first sleeve is all finished, and this time it actually fits. It's a little bit larger than I normally would make sleeves, but I like the look. I couldn't figure out the directions for the decreases at all, so I made up my own that seemed to work well. I knit the first and last of the underarm stitches in the dark color, and then decreased the underarm stitches (following the same rate as the directions) inside each dark color stitch.

disappointment

Guess what? I got all the way to the end of the sleeve and realized that what I'd been worrying about the entire time was true: something is very wrong. The sleeve is HUGE and does not match up at all with the directions. (I should have 70 stitches at the end, and instead I have 106.) I'm going to rip it out and try again. I'd rather fix this now than finish the sweater and have something that I'll never wear.

Oh well. I'd just run out of cream yarn, so I guess this is one way to prolong the knitting experience!

EDITED TO ADD: I've figured out the problem with the Crichton Cardigan's sleeves. The pattern instructs to cut the right armhole steek. I cut the armhole that would be the right when I was wearing it - turns out this is actually the left. I should have cut the one that is on your right when the cardigan is facing me. I hope this helps anybody else that is working on this sweater. I'm off to start again, this time reversing the decreasing instructions so that I'm decreasing away the underarm stitches, and not the sleeve stitches.

crichton's sleeves begin

A current picture of Crichton.

In celebration of spring, it's sprouting a tiny little sleeve. That's exactly four inches - there are twelve more to go before I do my two inches of border and bind off. My work on this has slowed immensely. I'm in a production of The Marriage of Figaro, and it's eating up all of my time. No matter - soon I will be graduated and have plenty of time for my household hobbies.

Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my last post. That night I pondered for a very long time and finally came to the conclusion that my solution was right. My problem was that I had no idea how a neck steek worked, but by looking at other sweaters in the book I slowly worked it out. After binding off what I was 99% sure were the shoulders I went to bed, and the next morning woke up to people telling me that I was indeed correct - what a relief!