12May2012: I think the Twist Collective pictures missed some key elements of this sweater that are really nice. For those of you who didn’t notice, there is a gorgeous saddle shoulder of lace that is continuous with the sleeve… really pretty!

I think my sleeve and armhole mods made a huge difference in the fit of the 34” cardigan, try them if you like:

1. Knit the fronts and back as specified, but only do 24 total repeats instead of 28.

2. I would begin the neck bind-off one full repeat before specified. I did not do this, but wish I had!

3. Increase sleeve to 80 sts only. It is very stretchy and will work with many arm sizes. Do 14 repeats. At row 5 of repeat 15, increase 2 sts at each end over the next 3 RS rows (6 sts increased). Bind-off 7, then 3 sts as per the medium size, knit 6 rows even. Then dec 2 sts EOR to match the 34” and continue as specified.

4. Because the garter edge flares a bit compared to the blocked lace, I actually threaded yarn through the cuff to make a bit of a drawstring effect, and bring it in. If doing it again, I would start the sleeve with less stitches.

5. Because I didn’t lower the neckline, it was too high and the 12 row double-yarn garter collar specified ended up being poorly placed and itchy. So, I did a short version. I did pick-up with doubled yarn, but then did only 2 knit rows with single yarn. I then invented a bind-off that worked beautifully to make a soft edge on the inside (it’s really close to the neck, you see) and a decorative collar on the outside. I did a regular (loose) bind-off, but instead of just knitting each stitch before binding it off, I actually knit it together with the corresponding part of the seam below, that I picked up from. This, essentially, made a rolled edge on the outside of the small garter collar and smoothened the inside to sit nicely on my collarbones. It worked great and I will definitely use this again in the future.

6. There is no way you would ever button this as high as the neckline! I only sewed on 10 buttons, and I’m not sure I would even ever go up to the 10th. Good for me, because the 75cent pack of thrift store vintage shell buttons only had 10!

7. Oh, and I didn’t add the buttonholes on the left front (I found them hard enough to remember on the right front) and I didn’t want to stress out the fabric holding the button if there was a gaping hole underneath. I understand the logic though, it’s super-easy to pair up if you have holes on each side! I would suggest, rather, adding a removable stitch marker or pin instead, then you get the best of both worlds.

22Apr2012: This is a test knit for Christa Giles! Started before seeing the lovely Twist Collective pics.

I am modifying:

1. The armholes. My stitch gauge is spot on, but row gauge is off by 6 rows, making the armholes very long. In fact the cardi will be quite long, but that is nice.

2. The sleeves, because I prefer slimmer sleeves. I will stop increasing at 80 stitches, way way less than specified.